This Episode:
Brad and Louise are both grumpy. They discuss quantity of socializing versus quality – and what happens when it’s both?
Why does Louise love spreadsheets so much? How to learn hard new things – and when to outsource.
We also talk about getting coaching while being an introvert. Louise is coaching with Tina Morasco, and reports in on it, and we talk about coaching in general and how to manage your fear and anxiety.
And Brad shares his thoughts about reading The Introverts Edge to Networking, by Mathew Pollard.
And they try yet another closing tagline.
Are they feeling less grumpy by the end of the episode?
Louise’s Website
Brad’s Website
Transcript:
Louise: Hi Brad Not too bad. How are you doing Actually that’s a lie I’m extremely salty.
Brad: Hey, how’s it going? Theise yeah I’m a little crumpy today too I don’t know is it just Monday I mean I had a really. Good weekend I had a very social weekend. So I think that’s part of it like I just um, yeah, I’m just feeling like I don’t want to talk to anybody today.
Louise: I Know I know I’m sorry that you have to talk to me. Ah thanks, Um, well yeah I mean you can as an Introvert get overwhelmed by social interaction right? so.
Brad: Um, well, you’re not somebody. You’re louise. Yeah.
Louise: Why don’t Why don’t you get into that. What what? what was going on on the weekend.
Brad: Um, okay sure sure sure yeah, no, ah we went up to my wife and I we went up to Philly I’m in Baltimore you know that? but ah I mean we went up to Philly for a good friend of ours birthday party.
Louise: Yeah.
Brad: And a bunch of other friends came in from out of town. So it was a wonderful weekend. The weather was nice. It was a little cool. It was a little chilly but it was still nice and um, it was great and you know we spent a lot of time at tattooed moms I don’t know for anybody who knows Philly at all on second street there.
Louise: Um, what is it Oh call.
Brad: Or south street I mean oops ah just a cool little dive bar. Um, yeah, yeah, but it’s very well known. It’s probably probably one of the best dive bars in Philly which probably makes it one of the best dive bars on the East Coast I guess but um, yeah. I don’t know it. It was such a wonderful time. There were probably 15 or 20 of us there and we kind of had taken over. Yeah and we had sort of taken over one of their like back back rooms for people who know that.
Louise: Oh that’s a lot.
Brad: Bar you go upstairs and you go past the bar. There’s like a little room back there. Um, and lovely people and so nice and but I just kept thinking I don’t want to not be here but I also just want to be home.
Louise: Yeah.
Brad: And my studio working on things by myself. It’s such a weird thing like I did not want to be there I did not want to be with these wonderful people. Um, but I also at the same time just kind of wanted to hide in my little hole. My little hidei hole.
Louise: I mean I actually I totally get that. So um I mean if we’re reaching any other introverts by doing this I think they’ll all get that too. Um I read a thing the other day that was really interesting that sort of was another perspective.
Brad: Yeah.
Brad: Yeah.
Louise: On introversion that um, it’s not that it’s not that we don’t or introverts like you know, generally it’s a generalization but that we don’t like being around people. It’s just that the requirement to have sort of your like social cup filled.
Brad: Um.
Brad: Yeah.
Louise: Is a lot less and so it ends up being sort of a quality over quantity thing. Not to say that if you’re extroverted that you don’t care about quality. That’s not what I’m saying but I just think that that it might be a good maybe general way to describe what it is because it’s not.
Brad: Yeah, um.
Louise: Inherently antisocial. It’s just that the requirements are a lot less. Potentially I don’t know if that makes sense.
Brad: Yeah I Yeah I I think that’s one hundred percent right? and this was a case of quantity and quality right? because it’s not always either are like these are people that I really enjoy spending time with I was having really good just sort of very personal and and really good quality conversations with them. But.
Louise: Yeah.
Louise: Yeah, yeah.
Brad: It was also a lot of quantity and we like you know we got to Philly in the early afternoon and we met up with people and we went to lunch and then then we it was and then we spent the whole night with people and then we met up in the morning to go to art. Um, magic. Think it’s called magic garden in Philly there and then we all went to. We went to breakfast first then we went to the art thing and then we went to lunch together. So the time we left. It had been 24 hours of really just very high concentration socialization and I loved every minute of it but it was. Draining and now I’m finding on Monday ah I’m just I just um, yeah. Just need. Yeah.
Louise: You haven’t had your you time to kind of recharge to focus properly on what you need to do and it’s probably just it’s depleted your energy and I think that can make people like make it grumpy right? So I get um I’m I’m just I’m grumpy a lot of the time. So.
Brad: Yep, that’s right, yeah, that’s right, plus it’s yeah, plus it’s Monday and yeah and I’m feeling a little behind on my work. Ah, you know I’ve got it’s hard.
Louise: Without reason. Yeah, yeah.
Brad: When you’re freelance right? because you can’t when when work is coming in you. You absolutely don’t feel like you could complain about it because that’s what you want to have happen but you can still feel a little overwhelmed by it and yeah.
Louise: Overwhelmed. Yeah yeah and I’ve been feeling the same way. Um, and sometimes that work is the oh you know, a lot of the work we do is is not something we see you know a dollar value attached to right? so.
Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Louise: You know it could be just doing administrative stuff and I I recently was ah, somebody put me on to a friend of mine put me on to um, ah, a really good freelancer’s um, kind of spreadsheet thing to track to track stuff. Um, you know it just to sort of have everything more organized come come tax time and as always happens with stuff like this is like I I My initial thought is always if this person says it’s Easy. It’s going to be really hard for me. It’s always my assumption that.
Brad: Um.
Louise: Everybody else finds ah things easy. But I don’t and and then I start to you know spiral about it and of course how I get this thing and I’m like well how hard can it be is this. You know is a spreadsheet and my friend had said. Yeah yeah.
Brad: Yeah.
Brad: Well can I stop either? How hard can it be. It’s a spreadsheet spreadsheets can be insanely complicated of course. Yeah.
Louise: Really hard. Well only I feel like only if you’re the person putting the the Um, what do you call the formulas into the cells like if you’re just the user How hard is it. It shouldn’t be hard for now.
Brad: Yeah, yeah know I don’t know because you can have multiple sheets and they’re all pulling for you know data from each other and summarizing and rolling up and no no.
Louise: From yeah, okay, so maybe I’m not crazy to think it could be hard. Ok well what ended up happening was my the exact fears that I had came true and I went you know I got into it and I was like it spent. Spent quite a few hours inputting everything and being really careful. Not to you know, do anything where I’ve read all the instructions I’m like okay I know what? which cells I’m supposed to fill in and what I’m not supposed to touch and how to ah like you know, erase my own data without you know deleting the actual cell formulas and all that stuff.
Brad: Right.
Louise: And then it didn’t work and I was like great and then I just went down a rabbit hole like trying to figure it out and creating another copy and and doing a test run on the copy and then that like the copy didn’t work and I’m like what am I messing up here I don’t understand. And then having to call the person that create or not call them but email the person that created and try and figure it out and so all in all something that should up that would have taken like another person. This is me assuming things right? What I assume would have taken someone else. You know an afternoon.
Brad: Um, yeah.
Louise: Took me two weeks of a lot of extra time I mean not two weeks like 24 hours a day two weeks but like a lot of my a lot of my time where I want to be doing other things. So um, it just made me feel like an idiot you know.
Brad: Right.
Brad: I Well I mean you know you’re not an idiot. First of all.
Louise: But I feel like that a lot of the time with things that are I feel like there are things that are simple for other people that aren’t for me and I and I don’t know if that’s I don’t know if it’s true or not. But.
Brad: Shh Well but that’s genuinely true right? I mean there are things that are simple for other people that are more challenging for you. There are things that are simpler for you that are more challenging for their people I mean you just have to understand just to accept that again.
Louise: Yeah, yeah, and I think I think I just spiral about it and I and I and then and then when I know that there’s something that I could be utilizing to streamline my business.
Brad: Yeah.
Louise: I Avoid those new things instead of leaning onto them and I yeah it’s just I’m really frustrated right now really frustrated.
Brad: Yeah.
Brad: Um, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, so yeah I mean I’m not trying to invalidate how you you feel about these things. You know what? I mean like I think it’s totally legitimate to feel like.
Louise: Um, and.
Brad: Because I know I do like when I’m trying to you know when I’m when I first started figuring out my the email marketing stuff. It was making me feel so stupid I’m like I don’t know how to do this I don’t know how to figure out how to do this I don’t know if I want I know I don’t want to do this right.
Louise: Um.
Brad: And um, but I just try and and this is I tell my son this um, he’s 19 he’s almost twenty. You know if you’re trying to learn something new pick the thing that’s the hardest to do and do that the most not the least right? like.
Louise: Right.
Brad: When he was younger and learning how to to draw and of course when you’re 14 and you’re drawing you like always have your you’re drawing people. You always have their hands in their pockets because hands are really hard to draw right? So I would always? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and and so I would say you know you want to draw but hands are clearly a. Ah.
Louise: Um, yeah, even a I can’t deal with hands. Ah.
Brad: A challenge for you. So just draw hands draw hands and more hands and more hands fill up pages of your journal of your of your sketchbook with hands and get really good at drawing hands then come back and incorporate that in to what you’re drawing.
Louise: Yeah, really.
Brad: And he did that and now he draws a mate. Oh yeah, his hands are amazing like now he’s like he has the freedom to you know, put his people. They don’t have to be in the hands and pocket pose.
Louise: That’s amazing I Love that you imparted that advice to your kid and that he actually listened and went like full full into it fully into it. Wow, That’s so cool.
Brad: Yeah.
Brad: Yeah, he’s awesome like that. Um, but I but I also try and do that myself. It’s not just something I would tell somebody else to do and so trying to learn how to do the email marketing and I just really leaned into it and I said I.
Louise: Right? I think we yeah.
Brad: This I’m really uncomfortable doing this but that means I’m doing the right thing.
Louise: Um, hey at least you’ve got there I haven’t even I haven’t even got got Anyways, that’s another topic. But yeah.
Brad: Yeah, but I just mean that is an example and but there are other things that you’re really good at that are challenging for me, you know what? I mean so you just do the things that ah.
Louise: Really name a thing. Ah nothing. There’s nothing bad. It is true. Um, ah up being awesome. Wow That’s ah.
Brad: Um, that’s not true I Know that’s not true. Um, you’re better at like being awesome than I am yeah.
Louise: Broad. Ah, ah no I was going to say yeah I do but I also want to I Also want to touch on and how you feel about this is like when do you know that? really, you’re you’re especially when it comes to your business that you’re running.
Brad: Like but you you know what? I’m saying you know you’re trying to back me into a corner.
Louise: You’re banging your handed against the wall like needlessly and it’s time to outsource something like what? what’s the line when do you know or you don’t know.
Brad: Yeah.
Brad: I don’t know, um well and I don’t think the line is the same for everybody like um or exactly exactly and what the task is like I will tell you um I will say one of the biggest problems I was having.
Louise: And it probably depends on where you are in your career too like how much can you afford to outsource and yeah.
Brad: Figuring out the email marketing was getting leads right? and I took up a course. Ah I paid for a webinar tutorial thing from ah a coach in the voiceover world about how to.
Louise: Are.
Brad: How to get your own leads and it was awesome and I did it and I was doing it for a while and it was so much work and then I found someone who they said hey I sell leads. They’re good. You know I can find good leads for you in the voiceover industry. Let me send you X number. For you to try and I tried them and they performed way better than the leads that I was spending hours and hours trying to get and I said you know what? that’s something I’m going to pay for because the time I was spending was it was.. It’s so much more valuable to me to spend that doing other things So I have my email systems.
Louise: It’s ludicrous. Yeah yeah.
Brad: Figured out I’ve got a process that I use and I love it Although I’m looking at changing it but are ah updating it. How’s that ah use adding new tools to the process. But I know who to go to to get my leads and um, they’ve worked really well for me. So.
Louise: Um.
Brad: I don’t that doesn’t directly answer your question but I know like I’ve been building websites since 1994 probably or 95 like when websites barely even existed. So if I have to build a website I know how to do that. That’s not a problem I know how to I have my own you know, white label hosting. Yeah, that’s right.
Louise: Yeah I and you helped me with mine but that’s another point is like I I think I’m ready to now I’m at the point where I’m like I need to I need to hire somebody because you know it’s just I need someone to manage it I don’t want I’m not I don’t.
Brad: And that’s something that’s.
Brad: Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, and and.
Louise: Deal with a web site I don’t want to do that I can’t that is not in my willhouse. It’s It’s not even something I want to understand That’s the thing.
Brad: Yeah, and I think that’s a good time. A good point to say hey this is something that I I can offload because you can’t like the amount of time you would have to spend to understand what you need to do to build your own website is it’s dumb that doesn’t even make any sense. Yeah.
Louise: Um.
Louise: It’s a whole other sphere like leave it to the professionals people hire us to do voice and you know yeah.
Brad: Exactly right? Yeah yeah, that yeah, that would be like you know we look at I don’t know I had a um, an author reach out to me and we he wanted his book. Narrated and we talked about it and we talked about the price and we kind of kicked the tires a little bit and decided um it was just more than what he wanted to pay and he’s like well you know what I’m going to try and do it myself and I said cool. Yeah I said Ok cool I said just.
Louise: Anticipated right? Oh no.
Brad: You know and I gave him a little bit of an idea of what would be required and what he need to do and I said if you have any questions you know I’m here I can help you out. Well he took advantage of that and I’m glad he did like he he had he kept coming back with questions. He’s still coming back to me with questions. No what no I should have ah but.
Louise: Oh I Do are you charging him some consult fees for that I would oh man that’s half of what the cost of businesses too. It’s like it’s your expertise right? and your experience It’s not just sitting there reading out loud. Yeah anyway, go on.
Brad: I know I know I know I know but I know but he he did write to me and he he said hey if anyone ever comes to you saying they want to narrate their own book. Please send them to me and I will explain to them. It cost me more I paid. It cost me more than it would have if I had paid you and countless hours in Agony and frustration and I wish I hadn’t done that and I will convince them and so a I got that quote that I was able to put on you know I posted it on Linkedin and a couple places just to like play.
Louise: Um, yeah, exactly um, um, camera’s a point home. Yeah.
Brad: Because it’s true, right? and he he was so thankful and gracious and he sent me a copy of his book and he did a little like art piece personalized for me. So you know? yeah could I have charged him a consult fee but it was just a Goodwill thing and he’s a cool guy and. Maybe his next book. He’ll um, he’ll come to me and we can talk about it. But so but that’s just another example of where it makes sense. You know sometimes it just makes sense to let the professionals do the thing and some but sometimes it doesn’t and and I think you just have to.
Louise: Yeah, hopefully.
Louise: Um.
Louise: Yeah, and I’m just also thinking like because I you know I tend to get really down myself when when things are seemingly very hard to learn but it’s good to think back to where I started when I first started voiceover and how many things I really did not understand like.
Brad: Decide for yourself. What makes sense.
Brad: Ah.
Brad: Yeah, oh yeah.
Louise: Even just simply like I didn’t know how to record into a digital audio workstation I didn’t even know what a DAW was I certainly didn’t know how to edit anything like I have come so far I know you have to um so I think it’s important in those moments too to remember.
Brad: Yeah.
Brad: Here.
Louise: How much of a learning curve other things were that now are just daily tasks that you don’t even think about like I can I can do that stuff now while I’m doing other things you know is it so easy now. Yeah.
Brad: Um, yeah, and.
Brad: Yeah, that’s right and that’s kind of how I feel about the you know the the email marketing and you know it was something that was like a huge mountain for me to climb like I can’t express the the anxiety that created but pushing through that and forcing myself to do it and now I’m comfortable doing it and.
Louise: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Brad: But you know so there are things then that you you should keep in your own like I I would have a hard time handing over the email marketing because it’s so personal and um, really just keeping track of exactly yep, exactly That’s right, That’s right? um.
Louise: Um, but the lead generation was that you were outsourcing component of that which I think is great. Yeah yeah.
Brad: And you know I I I got my own website under control because I know how to do that that doesn’t mean that at some point I mean I’ve just started I’m paying my son a little bit to help manage the form submissions on it because you get so much spam so much spambot junk and I had like. 2 forms that had like 1300 spam responses and I started going through this and I’m like you know what? let me talk to Liam and see if he can take care of this for me and so he’s working on that for me right now. So it’s like what do you want to.
Louise: Um, um, yeah.
Brad: Spend your time doing what do you feel more comfortable that you know you being the person doing it and what are you? Okay, handing it off to somebody else and can you afford to hand it off. So.
Louise: Yeah, exactly or can you afford not to that might be another way to look at it Sometimes you got to spend money to make money.
Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yep, yeah, That’s what yeah in thinking of the I agree with that thinking in terms of can I afford to not can I can I afford to not do this.. It’s like coaching like people say I can’t afford coaching. You can’t afford to not. Yeah, coaching is what you can’t afford right.
Louise: Um, yeah, speaking of which can I can I plug someone and we haven’t talked about whether we I mean I can’t see the harm in that I I have been coaching ah with the wonderful.
Brad: Oh do please? Oh I know I know where you’re going.
Louise: Incredible Tina Morasco for the last month um I signed up with her in like October she’s got a really long wait list. So I actually did a a bundle thing that she has where you get a little bit of a discount if you if you book 5 sessions and she um.
Brad: Yeah.
Louise: Specializes in the in commercial reads and specifically the modern Conversational commercial read and she’s just amazing. So speaking of coaching and investing back in your business If you’re looking to to get better at your modern conversational read. She’s a game changer.
Brad: Ah.
Brad: And I yeah and I think she’s considered like at the top of the V O Coaching right like she’s one of the best. Yeah yeah, awesome. I’m glad that’s working out for you.
Louise: She’s amazing Tina Morasco yes yeah but if you’ve never heard of her take a look at yeah, love it.
Brad: How How do you like? how? um, how was the best way to put this.. How do you?? How how does going into coaching work for you like as far as level of anxiety or because I know a lot of people. Don’t do it because it’s just terrifying to like get in a group or get 1 on one with a ah a really distinguished you know coach. Yeah.
Louise: Yeah, yeah, so I think there’s definitely always nerves attached to it for so many reasons because probably the the biggest number 1 thing for most of us would be some kind of imposter syndrome like we think we’re going to get like found out quote unquote by these coaches like. They’re just gonna be like oh um, maybe that has has happened to people but I’ve never heard of it happening probably the second anxiety piece which has been talked about now. Um in a lot of social media groups is being taken advantage of by.
Brad: Yeah.
Louise: Someone who calls himself a professional but actually may not know what they’re talking about or might be trying to scam you or might be trying to milk you Um, so you know I I don’t take that answer is like. Exactly me but I will say I put a lot of time and research into figure out who I wanted to study with next? um, and a lot of that’s going to be peer review right? Um, and she is just one of the names that kept coming up over and over and over again. So um.
Brad: Um, ah yeah.
Louise: I eased my anxiety about who by doing that but then in terms of like my own hangups I don’t know I within the first few minutes of the first session. My nerves completely went away and they’re just they’re just not there anymore like i.
Brad: Ah.
Brad: Yeah, well and maybe some of that that research that you did and pre because I find that anxiety the best cure for anxiety is preparation right? like.
Louise: Yeah.
Brad: If we’re anxious, it’s because we’re afraid and we’re afraid because we’re uncertain and we’re uncertain because we’re not prepared.
Louise: Yeah, but I mean yes because now you’re talking about researching what you need to to make sure that you’re with um that you’re investing your money you know appropriately or or not in vain. But ah.
Brad: I Just mean yeah I’m.
Louise: But the problem is the anxiety from your own for your own self-doubt and your own imposter syndrome and all that stuff you can’t You should not be prepared for coaching. That’s the whole point.
Brad: Well I guess what I mean is by familiarizing yourself with who she was by being confident walking in that she was the right choice of Coach you’re eliminating like a whole bunch of opportunities for opportunity for anxiety right.
Louise: Um, yeah, yeah.
Louise: Yeah, and that’s what I mean is you can eliminate that side the sort of things that are external from yourself. But the things that are internal and your internal voice is telling you your inside voice telling you that you know.
Brad: Yeah, yeah.
Louise: Whatever that you’re not cut out for this that you know you’re going to get found out or you’re not going to do well in this or they’re not going to be able to teach you or you’re not going to understand all those things. There’s not. There’s nothing you can do probably I don’t think to um, ease that other than to dive in with somebody that you.
Brad: Yeah.
Brad: Yeah.
Louise: That you know you can trust and then just kind of hand the reins over and let them guide you and don’t don’t be resistant to their technique like it’s almost like you know, being in a room with a really great director like yeah, whether that’s voiceover or theater or whatever.
Brad: Um.
Louise: You need to trust them and not you know you don’t like not that this has happened with me ever. But I’ve heard other with other people where their ego kind of rears. Its ugly head and they start to kind of question. Why would they tell me how to do that I thought that sound of really good like things like that like.
Brad: Yeah I mean.
Brad: Yeah, well no, no I think that’s important and I think we’ve both in been in groups or or at least heard tell you know yeah workshops. Yeah.
Louise: You’re not going to learn anything that way that was a bit of a tangent. But anyway.
Louise: Oh I’ve been in workshops where that’s happened where you can feel the resistance of somebody in the group of like they start they question the coach and you’re just like um.
Brad: Or or or constantly quote unquote explaining in other words making excuses you know oh well I did that because studadada. Well you know what you need to set that aside man because that’s how you learn is by setting your ego.
Louise: Um, explaining why they made a choice that the yeah yeah and you’re like no just.
Brad: Leave your ego outside of your booth. Yeah yeah.
Louise: Yeah, and have like approach it with the the most amount of humility that you can possibly muster if it’s not coming naturally to you to be humble, but it happens to come naturally to me. Maybe it’s Self-ef facing I’m not sure. But um I Honestly believe you learned the best by you. Just. You strip everything back and don’t make excuses for yourself either allowed or internally.
Brad: Yeah, yeah, that’s right and don’t don’t explain like if you get direction and this you know you and I have a lot of experience in the theater and working with directors and understanding but a lot of voice. Sure sure. But but we also understand.
Louise: And sometimes directors there. There are bad directors out there I will say that? Yeah yes.
Brad: If you’re given direction take that direction. Don’t if you’re if you’re working through a scene. The director doesn’t care why you did it the way you did it. He needs you to get to a different place and it then it’s your job to just set what’s up or she sorry I’m sorry you’re at you right to set.
Louise: Um, or she or she or she.
Brad: Maybe I’m thinking of a specific situation I don’t know ah a specific example to set aside you know your ego set aside your own personal explanation for why and put yourself into the thing. Um, the.
Louise: Yeah, so I don’t know if that answered your question I think your your question was like what what is my like approach to being coached or whatever but that that’s sort of what came to mind I don’t know was there any more specific.
Brad: But well yeah I think it was just as much of how do you feel going into. You know, do you feel anxiety like you know we were talking last time about.
Louise: Hell yeah.
Brad: Phone calls and going into video calls and things like that and how I I know I have a real hard time with that. Um, and to me that’s lumped in I have the same feelings going into a coaching shot session that I do going into a phone call with somebody though I will say and this is sort of in the spirit of what we were talking about earlier pick the thing that’s.
Louise: Um.
Brad: Hardest to do and do it the most is I’ve I’ve really been trying to push down that barrier for phone calls for myself I had I think last week like 3 phone calls. Um one with a kids book author one with ah another client and um, just really trying to because here’s the thing.
Louise: Um.
Brad: Like I have all this anxiety before the call. Maybe maybe we said this I don’t remember but once I’m on the call I have a wonderful time I I really enjoy building rapport with people quickly and I’m you know I think I have good social skills.
Louise: Yeah, yeah.
Louise: I would disagree with that now. But what I will say like with with Tina specifically. Ah I yes I was so anxious you know before prior to the first coaching session and subsequent sessions I have.
Brad: Through years of thanks. Um.
Louise: Some nerves but I almost feel like it’s more like excitement I know. Ah how I’m knowing going to get so much out of it but she’s almost become like it feels like I’m hanging out with a friend like my wisest voiceover friend you know and.
Brad: Um.
Brad: Um, that’s awesome. Oh that’s so cool.
Louise: She’s just like a joy like so I I don’t have any um apprehension nerves like I’m so sad that this friday is session number 5 and then and then we’re finished I mean not that I wouldn’t I wouldn’t hesitate to hire again. But i’m.
Brad: Are.
Louise: I’m just a little tapped out with the reinvestment at this point in the year um but yeah yeah I like I love her.
Brad: Um, well, that’s good to hear and and I you and I have talked a little bit about your experience with her off air or whatever. Um, and it sounds really awesome and I think when I’m ready to start pushing and into commercial that that’s probably.
Louise: Yeah, like I I Really hope I start some more commercial audition sort coming in from my from my agent because what’s funny. The irony is I haven’t had any I don’t think I’ve had a single commercial audition and from my agent and.
Brad: 1 of my first stops.
Louise: The month that I’ve been I don’t think I have anyways. So I’m excited to actually put it to use. Um, yeah, let’s shift gears where where do you want to go.
Brad: Um, for sure. Um, can we change? Yeah because I I want to talk about. Um.
Brad: I spent some time over the last week and a half or so rereading or listening to the audio book actually of um, the introverts edge to networking by Matthew Pollard yeah um and I just wanted to talk about it a little bit. Ah, first thing I want to say is the narration is.
Louise: Right? You’ve mentioned this Yes, please do.
Brad: Hundred percent top notch. Um, ah shoot I lost track of the narrator. Yeah, yeah, it was narrated by me. Um wait why don’t it’s not and I’m looking. they’re both ah they’re both australian though
Louise: You’re like I did it I’m the narrator actually who isn’t narrator. Is it narrated by the author. Ok.
Brad: Um.
Brad: Jamie Jackson ah narrated by Jamie Jackson yeah and then Matthew Pullard actually does do um, a segment at the end so he gets a little narrator credit too. But the book is actually it’s written by Matthew Pullard narrated by Jamie Jackson he does a phenomenal job.
Louise: Ok I’m not familiar.
Brad: Um, So first of all it deals more with networking than marketing I’m personally I’m more interested in marketing right now I’m not going out like it presumes that you’re like a salesperson and so you’re going to networking meetings right? and you’re going to Meetups. You know rooms of 50 people and they’re all there to sort of network with each other and you know and I don’t really do that. Although now that I’ve re-listened to this book again. I’m thinking maybe I need to figure out opportunities to do that right? So It wasn’t so much about marketing which is fine because it says right on the.
Louise: Right.
Brad: Right on the 10 you know introverts edge to networking not to marketing. So I I maybe that may be I’m not measuring it by that standard because that wouldn’t be fair. However I’m personally more in need of help with marketing as an introvert than networking.
Louise: Um.
Louise: Sure I can I add one little teeny thing and then just to interrupt it on that notice I I have heard people really poo Poo the networking things specifically for what we do for voiceover like what’s the point and networking whether the voiceover is there. Not people.
Brad: Set that as up. Yeah.
Louise: Have work for you. Ok my my friends this is so not true and all also people aren’t your competition. There’s so much work for everyone. Um I have got work through networking more than I have probably well I would say more. But.
Brad: Oh.
Brad: Um, yeah.
Louise: I’ve had quite a few surprise contacts and um projects and ongoing work through networking with other videos. So it’s it has its place for sure. Anyways, please continue.
Brad: So yeah, no I agree with that a million percent ah and as you know I’m I’m putting a lot of effort right now into building little networks. Um, but this is more talking about.
Louise: Um, yeah.
Brad: Um, networking with Non- voiceover people. So let’s say I went let’s say there’s a yeah, no no, no, no, that’s ok, no, it’s good to to make sure it’s clear so maybe like a Chamber commerce meeting where I might go to meet other business owners who could potentially need.
Louise: Oh I’m sorry ok I misunderstood.
Brad: Voicemail stuff or business letters done or sales letters or um or maybe they’re doing explainer videos further. Yeah yeah, that’s right.
Louise: Um, oh ok, yeah.
Louise: Doesn’t our good friend Troy Holden do that it his has didn’t has any he done a chamber of commerce doesn’t he do a podcast for them too. Yeah, ok.
Brad: Yeah,, that’s right? Yeah, so he got involved in his chamber of Commerce and and that’s just a good tip for marketing locally but some other possible examples are you know because I do a lot of kids books and I’m really focused on that I could find um, ah a conference. For children’s book authors right? and I could go there and go from booth to booth and I would be unique there because I’m not there to sell a book I’m not there to sell publishing I’m there to help you get your book into Audiobook formats so you can expand your sales reach right? So so.
Louise: Right? right.
Brad: That’s sort of what what we’re talking about here when when Matthew Poehlert and I talk about networking that’s kind of what we’re referring to when when when he’s talking about it in this book and so it really focuses on that kind of like in the room face-to-face networking but a lot of what he talks about also applies to marketing in general. And it’s about building. He really focuses a lot on as as an introvert instead of like walking into and owning the room right and being like the guy who walks in or the gal who walks in and owns the room and everybody wants talk to you? Um, because that’s not going to be our that’s worth That’s not going to work for us right.
Louise: No.
Brad: Instead building very focus on personal very genuine relationships with people in the room right? and in order to do that. You have your story you have your and and and a lot of introverts may find.
Louise: Right.
Brad: Social interaction very challenging Aka you may be very very shy and that’s not necessary to be an introvert but a lot of introverts are and so he talks you through a lot of the um building your your what you’re going to say.
Brad: Before you walk in the room and ah and explaining that that doesn’t make you less genuine. You just exactly to be prepared to have your information prepared so that when you are having a conversation. You’re not.
Louise: It just makes you prepared. Yeah.
Brad: Afraid you don’t know you’re not going to know what to say or you’re not going to remember what you know what? Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly So there’s a lot of a lot of conversation about that which I think is super powerful and.
Louise: Whether you’re gonna look like an idiot. Yeah yeah.
Brad: He really advocates for creating. Um I think he calls it a unified message but you like create like a 2 wo-word name for yourself that is not related to your trade so instead of walking in and saying hey I’m a voice actor or I’m an audiobook narrator I would walk in and say.
Louise: Um, yeah.
Brad: I’m the dream speaker or something like that I have mixed feelings about that approach you? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, and you you want to pick you’d want to pick something that is kind of ambiguous and kind of confusing right.
Louise: Oh weird wait so you would say this out loud. It sounds kind of.
Louise: Why because it Peaks Curiosity Or oh oh.
Brad: I Don’t know if you’d put it in those terms but exactly yeah because then people say you’re the the dream Speaker. What is that? Oh and then you explain what the problem you solve. So You never say oh I What you do you? You introduce yourself as something that piques their interest. And then you go into a story explaining how you solve a problem so you’d say Yeah, you’d say hey Well so imagine you’re a ah children’s book author and you you want to sell more books but you don’t know how to do that. Well I hope authors do that and then they naturally.
Louise: A problem for them. Yeah.
Brad: Have to ask questions because you’re just leaving all of these like crumbs for them to write. So it’s it’s a lot of that sort of.
Louise: Um, so it Also it also um, ah creates conversation. Yeah yeah, that’s great I yeah.
Brad: Like no and that’s exactly what it does right? Yeah it it creates so you’re not telling somebody right? You’re not telling somebody what you do,? You’re you’re generating a conversation through which by the interest that they’re naturally. Forming They ask you questions that you can then answer? yeah.
Louise: Because it creates curiosity. So ok and so the two so it’s a 2 term thing but it’s not what you do and your example was ah dream speaker or something have you actually.
Brad: Whatever I said Dream Oops you had dream speaker or whatever is I’ve thought about it a lot I I kind of have mixed feelings about that approach only because I I’m afraid it.
Louise: Been able to come up with one for yourself.
Louise: Yeah I feel like saying voice actor and all already creates a lot of curiosity. So is it really I mean it’s not like you’re saying you if you show up at one of these events. Your.
Brad: Exactly Yep Yep, exactly.
Louise: Yeah, you’re going to be unique just by virtue of what you do as a profession. So um, maybe we don’t need to do that as voice actors in these other kind of situations or at these conventions where there might not be any other voice actors I know that just. I know that? yeah, just even just speaking to you know like that the the woman that I met at the dog park that I talked about in the last episode you know that just saying I’m a voice actor people start to ask questions right away because you’re not like I’m a bank Teller like.
Brad: That’s exactly yeah.
Brad: Um, yeah, like yeah I’m a plumber. Well right.
Louise: Not no offense to bank tellers I mean I I almost became a bank Teller so I you know, but um, yeah, nobody’s really probably yeah, we know what a bank Teller does? Yeah yeah, yes.
Brad: Yeah, we all know what a bank Teller does we all interact with bank tellers. Yeah, we all know what a plumber does we all know what a a mechanic auto mechanic does. But yeah so I think just saying your voice actor automatically creates that the same sort of thing I also feel like sometimes that can feel a little contrived right? Like if you like what do you do. Just because I’m afraid I would sound super pretentious saying you know I’m the story weaver you’re the the what now.
Louise: Yeah, and I think as an introvert the interesting part about that suggestion in that book is like here here is the number 1 surefire way to attract potentially negative to yourself is like going on with like a weird as.
Brad: Um, yeah because I hear they yeah so because I hear that like the actual conversation. How I think it would go. You know what do you do? I’m the pipe master. First of all that would be terrible but you.
Louise: So ah, idle.
Brad: The what now I’m the pipe master when people have a problem with their plumbing. They come Oh so you’re a plumber. Well yeah, but I’m the pipe man. Yeah I can just see that being yeah does but but I can just see that being a very awkward.
Louise: Worse on adult I know it sounds pretty naughty.
Brad: And an ingenuous. No disingenuous I was disingenuous approach so I have thoughts about feelings about that.
Louise: Disingenuous, Yeah, yeah, yeah, and that’s ok and I also think that it’s great to you know to read read these books and and get you know outside perspectives on.
Brad: Of f.
Louise: The thing that you might be struggling with and and take what works for you and you don’t have to you. Do you know to do every single thing. It’s like when people Poo Poo The the sort of the self-help world I mean I do think there is a component of like toxic positivity and stuff that goes with it sometimes that could be you know heavily critiqued. But um, you know we don’t have you don’t have to swallow everything. It’s not dogmatic. It’s like it’s just suggestions. Whatever resonates with you. You can you can try right? yeah.
Brad: Um, yeah.
Brad: Yeah, yeah, that’s right and I’m you know I’m not saying I would never be opposed to trying that. But as yeah I came to the same kind of conclusion that you just had just pointed out that just telling someone your voiceover automatically almost unerringly without exception leads to them being interested.
Louise: Yeah, yeah.
Brad: Wanting to know more having questions because they want to know more about it but taking that and and taking you from this book. How do you answer that question. Do you say you know I I tend to say oh you know Um, you know they say well what kind of voiceover. Do you do or they’ll ask have I ever heard you in anything. Right? That that’s what that’s the first question I always get and that’s like that’s one of the most frustrating questions because that that implies that if you haven’t heard me in something that I must not be very good at you’re right? Yeah, ah.
Louise: Um.
Louise: You just start listing businesses that you’ve done voicemails for have you ever called one eight hundred local plumber guy. Yeah.
Brad: Right? But I I think this gives me something to think about for a better way to respond than oh you know I I do a lot of e-learning in kids books. Well what is e-learning. Yeah you know what? I mean to so to to couch it in terms of a problem that I’m solving for people through a story that I tell.
Louise: Um, yeah.
Louise: Yeah.
Brad: And he’ll so he he says you know start to explain the promise say oh I do I do e-learning narration Actually let me give you an example right? So you start to give them a literal explanation and then you interrupt yourself and you build a story. An example of a of a of a of a. Of a time when you solve the problem and then that leads into how you might be able to then to them asking. Yeah it it is I. Definitely definitely recommend it. Ah and um, definitely recommend the audio book because.
Louise: Um I love it. It sounds like a great book I’m going to check it out.
Brad: Personally not a completely unbiased opinion I think people should listen to more audio books but um, but but the narration I was really I was really and I this I I don’t always like Audiobook narrators let me put it that way which anyone who does something isn’t.
Louise: Um, um.
Louise: Yeah I can be hit and miss and there you know you everybody has their own sort of personal likes and dislikes in terms of what they want to hear I I do find that for things because I also pay for me it I think it depends on how you best learn.
Brad: Yeah, exactly.
Louise: Like what kind of learner you are like if auditory learning works for you then great for me a lot of the time reading something hammers at home more so I don’t know that I would I wouldn’t necessarily be inclined to reach for an.
Brad: Yeah, that makes sense.
Louise: Audiobook for something that was nonfiction or that I that I want to learn something from.
Brad: Yeah, yeah for me, it’s It’s ah as much a matter of convenience as anything else if I have to rely on finding time to sit down and read I’m just I’m just not going to get back to it like I have our real hard time with that. But if it’s an audio book I I listen while I’m mowing the lawn.
Louise: Um.
Brad: Shoveling the snow or driving or um, yeah, any any spare minute I have I can yeah yeah.
Louise: Yeah, I’m definitely listening to I Definitely listen to a lot of podcasts while I’m multitasking for sure but a lot of the time they’re you know, not anything super helpful in life mostly true crime. Actually. So.
Brad: Well, that can be helpful just not for your business. But yeah, yeah, which is which is important for your business. So there you go.
Louise: Staying alive. Just basically so yeah, yeah, don’t be the victim of a serial Killer or it’ll also kill your business and that’s a wrap now.
Brad: That’s right. So yeah, we price should wrap up here I think we’re oh boy apologies to everyone for that. Yeah I am too.
Louise: Ah, yeah, we’re ah we’re going over 45 minutes now so but so I don’t know we started out feeling pretty salty on Monday um, ah I’m feeling a bit better. Actually.
Brad: I Probably won’t be after the call. But after we’re done talking but I’m yeah yeah, yeah.
Louise: Well at least it was a nice break for the day I guess yeah I’m feeling a little better I just feel a bit more more positive and I don’t want to you know, be 1 of those toxic positive people people because I think you know you can also be salty that’s fine. Um.
Brad: Yeah.
Brad: Yeah.
Louise: But yeah I I definitely feel a bit more energized and um, it’s good to bounce these ideas around and share struggles too like that helps let’s helpful when you’re working alone. You know you’re in a bubble you’re in a dark room by yourself.
Brad: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Brad: Well, and maybe if anyone maybe anyone listening to this. Maybe we can just pretend like you’re on the call with us and we’re all just having this conversation. Ok well, let’s some We still don’t have a good closing tagline.
Louise: This is helpful.
Louise: Yeah, exactly.
Brad: Um, how about.
Louise: Inside Voice giving you the inside scoop ah on the voice over I don’t know I.
Brad: Um, yeah.
Brad: Ah, how about just that we’re just trying these. They don’t have to be right giving you the inside scoop wait. Let’s try that again. Let’s try it again. I wasn’t ready giving you the inside scoop. How’s that.
Louise: It So inside voice Nice inside voice. Oh that was like yeah as a very that was a very voice over a voice.
Brad: That was that was that maybe not a casual conversational read.
Louise: Giving you the insights now it’s yeah, throw it away next time. Let’s get take 4 inside voice inside voice that was better. Okay, all right? Well um, have a great week.
Brad: Okay, giving you the inside scoop. Okay.
Brad: All right? you 2 all right sounds good by Luis and.
Louise: And I’ll talk to you next week Bye Brad.