WHY Negotiate Voice Over Rates?
"How do I set and negotiate proper voice over rates?" That's one of the most common questions I get from newer voice actors.
In fact, just this week I had one of my students in the VO Freedom Master Plan ask it in just this way. “I also feel like a huge obstacle for me is pricing knowledge. Knowing how to price myself and how to justify my prices, I don't want to do cheap work in many businesses I've reached out to directly have told me they just use places like Fiverr to buy cheap VO. Drives me nuts."
Well, it drives a lot of people nuts. So let's get into it.
So the first question is, “Why do so many newer voice actors find it so difficult to set and negotiate proper VO rates?”
I think there are two reasons for this:
They're not aware of the GVAA Rate Guide, which you can find at VORateGuide.com.
The GVAA Rate Guide is the holy grail of voiceover pricing in North America. It lays out industry standard pricing for 11 different genres of video and has a bonus section for editing, fees, pickups, etc. I'll put the link in the description. And now that you're aware of the GVAA Rate Guide, issue number one is not a problem. There are other rate guides for folks who live outside of North America.
For example, in the U.K., there's the Gravy For The Brain rate card. The cogent concept here is to make sure you're using an industry-standard video rate guide for the country in which you live.
2. Even when talent are aware of the GVAA Rate Guide, it's a little daunting, right? It's a little tough to put into practice. It's a bit complex.
And the reason that it's complex is that it's modeled after traditional SAG/AFTRA rates. There are 11 different voiceover genres and wrapping your head around that can be a little challenging at times.
By far, the best thing about the GVAA Rate Guide is that it establishes acceptable industry-standard rates for voice over pricing. It will cover 95% of all the jobs out there.
If you think voiceover rates are wild, try being in one of the other freelance creative arts like graphic design, photography, editing, or writing. No other creative industry I know of has such a powerful and useful resource to provide both service providers and clients with industry-accepted rates and a benchmark for pricing.
This is why the Fiverr and Upwork crowds make me crazy.
Our business has standardized, accepted, appropriate rates. To intentionally charge below those rates is to intentionally sell out other voice actors for your own personal financial gain. Worse yet are the so-called teachers who intentionally teach Fiverr and Upwork and shitty rates.
It's irresponsible. It hurts our business. And it pisses me off.
All right. Back to my point. The GVAA Rate Guide is a little complex.
It takes a little practice to get used to and to put into practice. But I promise when you do, you will have the utmost confidence quoting rates. You have an entire industry behind you, and you can look your clients in the eye with confidence in knowing that you're providing reasonable and appropriate and acceptable rates and not pulling them out of thin air.
In fact, when prospects ask me about rates and don't always give me the information I need to provide a quote, I'll send them the link to the GVAA rate guide and I'll tell them, Look, I normally quote with an industry-standard, GVAA rates in the U.S. and the more I know about the job, the usage, the duration, etc., the better quote, the more accurate quote that I can provide you.
Now, the second and more powerful question probably is, "WHY negotiate voice over rates?"
And the blunt answer is, in the majority of the cases, don't.
I'll say it again: For most jobs, don't negotiate.
Why? Because if a client begins to haggle with you from the jump, it's very clear that they value price over quality and they're not going to make a good long-term partner anyway.
You, my friend, are a professional. By your training and your customer service, you command professional rates and you do not trade on price. And clients that nickel and dime you are always the most high-maintenance. They will suck the time and the joy and the life right out of you. They'll ask for the sun, the moon, the stars, all of it for free and all of it the next day.
Our colleague Paul Strikwerda says this: "I rarely discuss my rates anymore. I just tell my clients what they are. If you want to know what's been one of the biggest time savers for me, this is it. No more haggling, no more trying to convince the client, no more worrying if they're going to accept my quote.. Those worries have more to do with my level of confidence than what the clients can or cannot afford."
In other words, if you're confident in your work, be confident in your pricing,
Paul says. "I know my rates are as reasonable as the one my dentist charges," and he's right. You don't get a discount on your first cleaning just because you promise to bring all your dental work back to that dentist.
The rates are the rates.
If a prospect tells you they just use places like Fiverr and Upwork and others to find cheap VO, thank them for their time and move on. They trade on price and price only. They don't care about quality or collaboration or value and you are never going to convince them otherwise. Move on.
Are there times and cases where it makes sense to negotiate?
Absolutely. But they're not the majority of the cases.
Here are a few examples.
When a client has multiple projects they need quoted.
When a client has regular recurring work.
When you have a fantastic client/partner relationship and you occasionally want to do something nice to help grow and deepen that relationship.
It's reasonable for a prospect or a client to expect an appropriate discount on a volume of work, but do not give a discount for the "promise" of future work.
This is a common tactic of lowballers. "Hey. Yeah, do this one for 50 bucks and I promise you will be a lot more work down the line." Down the line never comes.
Let that prospect know that your rate is your rate. And if and when they have a volume of work or recurring work, you'll be happy to discount given that entire volume of work.
Another question I get a lot is, "Should I give discounts to charities?" That is a personal decision you'll have to make on your own. I personally have two rates: my full rates and free. If I'm closely aligned with or really believe in an organization, and I really want to help them, I may choose to give them a 100% discount on a project.
That's a personal choice. I do not do that for a high volume of work or for recurring work because at that point now I'm sacrificing too much of my time and only a strong business can be charitable responsibly.
Here's the worst reason to give a discount or cut rate:
You're a newer voice actor.
You don't get to undersell your colleagues just because you're new.
If your level of training and expertise and competence is not up to par, get more training. Do not cut rate. Be a professional. Provide real value as a service provider and as an artist. And get paid pro rates.
We cover rates and negotiation much more in-depth in our VO Freedom Master Plan, our signature program to take voice actors from part-time income, often relying on the pay to plays, not having a plan and a system, to having a system to grow relationships at scale that lead to more consistent booking business and revenue.
For more information on the VO Freedom Master Plan, click the link, and to subscribe to our Move Touch Inspire Newsletter for voice actors, which comes out every Thursday, click that link as well. If you learned something from this video, if you found it valuable, then help us get the word out to other voice actors with a like, subscribe, or smash that notification bell on YouTube so you'll be the first to know when we publish a new video.
As always, I'm deeply grateful for your support. We'll see you back here soon. Thanks for reading.