It’s sleek. It’s smooth. It features the world’s top women’s pickleball player, 18-year-old Anna Leigh Waters, promoting Paddletek pickleball gear. It also features a female voice over talent with just the right tone delivering just the right message – a voice over actor that could have been me.
The “it” in this case is the short, sassy and highly effective “Paddletek | Not A Real Sport” video seen below.
Yes, I was kicking myself (gently) for not even getting an audition for the project. Not because I feel I am the one and only voice over talent that could have narrated the video – but because I regularly play pickleball with Paddletek President and CEO Curtis Smith.
Geesh! Talk about a missed opportunity.
Granted, there may be a ton of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to hiring voice over actors for their company projects. While Curtis remains involved in Paddletek, the company itself was sold to Thirty-5 Capital and has operated as a part of United Pickleball Paddles (UPP) since last year.
The video allocates credit to three different entities: the advertising agency of Young & Laramore, the music agency of Songs For Film & TV, and the music sync and streaming-related services provider of Checked Label Services.
Curtis could have been far removed from the entire auditioning or video creation process. But that’s not the point. The point is that I don’t recall ever even mentioning that I have been a successful voice over artist for the past 25+ years.
Thankfully, the gentle kicking of myself stopped rather quickly. It instead morphed into a big lesson that I want to share with everyone:
You never know when mentioning your occupation or career path could lead to great opportunities – so make it a habit to mention them regularly.
This is not to say you need to hold up the grocery line by giving the cashier your entire work history – but it is to emphasize the importance of spreading the word about who you are and what you do. You never know who’s listening!
How to Market without Marketing in Daily Interactions
The first suggestion for spreading the word about your career is to get rid of the “marketing” mindset. You are not plugging your products or services. You are simply inserting information into the conversation to give people a better idea of what you’re all about.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to start by asking the other person about their own interests, hobbies and careers. You can then reciprocate by sharing the same information about yourself.
When it’s time to mention your job or career, don’t just leave it a one-sentence title. Flesh it out by showcasing a problem you solve, the passion or enthusiasm you have for what you do, or an exciting project you are working on.
Examples can include:
- Problem you solve as a writer and editor: I help people transform what’s in their heart into words to be read by the world.
- Passion you have as a voice over talent: My favorite part of my job is being able to embody the personality of a brand through my voice.
- Enthusiasm you have as a shoe salesperson: Nothing beats the smile on people’s faces when they have happy and fashionable feet.
- Exciting project you’re working on as an artist: As an animal lover, I am so excited to have been chosen to paint a wildlife mural on the wall around the nature preserve.
Keep the conversation going by asking the other person about the problems they solve, the passions that fuel their projects, and the exciting creations on their agenda.
How to Spot Opportunities
Paying attention to everything around you is not only a good practice for fully experiencing life, but it can do wonders for opening you up to business opportunities. Things to look for can include:
- Everyday inconveniences and problems that beg for the solution you offer
- Not-so-obvious situations where what you offer could be relevant or helpful
- Opportunities to share your knowledge and info in your field
- Chances to ask for input or feedback from others on something you’re creating or working on
- Giving people a sample of your services or expertise at no charge
Additional Tips for a Highly Specific Niche
Some occupations, products and services are more popular or in-demand than others. Everyone wears shoes, much to the delight of the shoe salespeople. But not everyone will need voice over work, which means we voice over artists – and others in highly specific niches – need to get a bit creative.
One of the best suggestions here is never to force a mention of your occupation when it feels awkward or stilted. Instead, focus on listening intently to others, dropping a mention when it feels natural and right.
Storytelling is another way to highlight your profession in a conversational manner. Perhaps you have a strange, applicable, hilarious or lesson-learning story that involves one of your projects that aligns with the conversation’s topic.
If kids are around, practice one of your kid-friendly voices to relate to the children. Then mention how much fun it is to have a job where you get to create different voices.
Trends are another topic that can connect with what you do. Animation, for example, is experiencing a huge surge in demand and popularity. What a perfect place to note that you had the pleasure of voicing one of the most amusing animated projects this year.
If you’re in a setting where an ad comes on, there’s your opening. You can talk about the narrator’s voice and how important it is in your line of work. You can also share about one of the most amusing commercials you worked on recently.
The same type of conversational flow can be created when other topics or examples come up. These can include audiobooks, podcasts, documentaries, infomercials or even really bad robocalls. There’s your chance to point out what would make for a more engaging automated phone call or system.
Keep Your Antenna Up for Related Professions
One more tip that applies to every profession is to keep your ears open for those in related professions. You can inquire about some of the current projects they are working on, then ask how they typically go about securing the services you provide when those services are needed.
For voice over artists, this could include video production companies, advertising agencies, marketing departments and, yes, company presidents and CEOs on the pickleball court.
Although I missed out on the “Paddletek | Not A Real Sport” video, hopefully what I’ve learned and shared gives us all a greater awareness of the importance of mentioning our professions to those around us.
And it also left me with an automatic conversation starter the next time I see Curtis. After complimenting the great job on his company’s video, I can ask about the process for possibly auditioning for additional projects down the line.
