Because I have kids now, I don’t attend nearly as many networking events as I once did. But there is real short-term and long-term benefits to attending business-focused networking events, no matter what the count.

I also once played putt-putt with my son, his friend and his friend’s father, which resulted in new business from the other Dad. So networking isn’t always related to business focused events.

People have told me that networking events are easy for me, because of my personality. While I think there is something to that (shy people don’t initiate conversations very often) I also think there are some basic tenets to business networking that I have learned over the past two centuries (see what I did there?) that can work for anyone – even voice-over talents.

Listen – If you want to offer the best non-verbal cue to another person that you are focused on what they are talking about, that you are engaged in the conversation, be an attentive listener. Another what of saying this is: don’t talk too much. Listening is the most important sales tool ever. Ever. Period. OK? Good

Don’t Sell – Networking events are not a sales call. Have a conversation – ask THEM questions about THEM. If they ask what you do, have a few thoughtful, impactful sentences to say about your business and some examples how it helps business (maybe like theirs – maybe apply a story you just heard them tell you about an aspect of their business) and leave it there. If you’ve done it right, THEM will ask YOU some follow up questions. You’ll be having a conversation.

Share – Be open to giving you insights on business issues (not politics, not religion) – keeping it all conversational. But don’t come cross as a know it all. And don’t try to impress…that just comes across as phony.

Be Real – and speaking of phony, don’t be. You probably aren’t and wouldn’t be but but when folks get in business situations, they can get nervous and try too hard, if you know what I mean. So as a rule of thumb, remember this “friends prefer to do business with friends.” So in business networking, be friendly.

Tags: commentary, networking, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Carl Romey at The Bridge Recording Studio inGreen Bay, WI

This will surprise you: I was on a plane on Thursday.

And when I landed in Chicago on my way to Green Bay, WI, (with no weather related travel hassles mind you…zoinks!) I got an email from my voice-over agent Erik Shepard from Voice Talent Productions.

It seems a client I’d done work for recently changed a couple of sentences in their script and needed some pick-ups done. I’d advised Erik that I could do it once I landed in GRB. He wondered why I always traveled so much…did they not feed me at home? Was I trying to join a commune? I told him I eat too much, I’d get the lines done and that he was going to make someone a wonderful wife someday. 😉

Recording new projects on the road is not a problem with my laptop and my Sennheiser 416. But this instance was unique because I had recorded the bulk of this project in my acoustically studio with a Neumann TLM-103. Now the client would have to prospectively match that studio audio with new pick-up audio recorded in a hotel room (pillows and blankets and noise floors, oh my) on my 416. It had the potential to be an awkward audio match and an inconvenience for the client.

So I made a call.

You see, whenever I travel, I make it a point to know where any local recording studios are. I believe it’s just smart to have a back-up plan and sometimes you get to make new friends. I’ve been amazed to find some cities (towns, hovels) don’t have ANY recording facilities (- try the AM radio station…they have 60 year old egg cartons on the wall for sound absorption’) so if you want to be audio king pin in Ottumwa – email me and I’ll get you directions.

But in Green Bay some years ago, I was introduced to Carl Romey by my friend, fellow voice talent and FaffCon Stand-up group member Kelly Klemolin. Carl runs The Bridge Recording Studios in Titletown. While Kelly has her own ISDN and ipDTL equipped studio, she often records at Carl’s studio; Kelly is a very in-demand voice talent (and a whiz on QuickBooks).

Carl’s studio is terrific and he’s a prince of a guy (hence the blog post title). So I called him Thursday when I landed and told him what I was trying to accomplish. He told me to stop by early Friday morning (today) and he’d fit me in. His studio is always busy – Carl is a very popular producer.

Voice Talent Peter K. O’Connell recording at The-Bridge Recording Studio Green Bay WI

So up to his 4th Floor studio I flew and banged out those pick-ups in nothing flat. As you might expect, he couldn’t have been more gracious or accommodating. I was happy, Erik was happy (or as happy as he gets 😉 and I believe the client was happy.

Thanks Carl. And thanks Kelly. Green Bay is full of good people. And good football.

Tags: commentary, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Ta-Da Voiceworks Holiday Party (l-r) Tanya Buchanan – Ta-Da Owner/Senior Agent; Darryl Hogan – Agent/Director of Education and Ta-Da Roster Voice Talents Peter K. O’Connell, Bill Hunt, Graeme Spicer and Debra Scott

Friday night the weather was not frightful but the traffic was (hey, it’s Toronto, there’s always traffic) — none the less it was a great night for my awesome Canadian voice-over agents at Ta-Da Voiceworks to host their Christmas party.

I love the idea of hosting a holiday party in January because December is so socially nuts for everyone. Further, few other months really need a party as much as January, especially in the northeast and especially THIS winter.

So in addition to seeing voice-over friends like Bill Hunt, Graeme Spicer and Debra Scott (all of whom I know through Ta-Da Voiceworks, FaffCon and the terrific VO in TO meet-up ((which is hosted by the super duo of Patrick Sweeney and Jodi Krangle – who in spite of her tasty marketing never actually has anycake with her, like ever)))- I got to see the new, bigger Ta-Da offices that opened in November.

Darryl has built a really nice voice-over booth right in the middle of the office so talent can do auditions there or clients can host auditions. He did a really nice job on it.

Folks at the party make too big a deal of me being willing to drive 2 hours from Buffalo to come to this very nice party in Toronto. I don’t see it as a long drive but rather as an opportunity to support my team.

My agents are part of my sales and marketing team and I am a part of theirs. Whenever possible, if they host events, I want to support them just like they support me out in the marketplace on a daily basis. That’s what business teams do.

So thanks to Tanya and Darryl for inviting me. I think a spring/summer open house would be great too!! 🙂

Tags: commentary, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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So in my years of travel and voice-over meet-ups, I have never happened up a voice-over meet-up that was taking place when I happened to be in town.

But when I contacted my friend and fellow voice-over talent Terry Daniel to let him know I was coming to Minneapolis to see if he wanted to get together, he said he was doing a voice-over meet-up group that night and invited me to tag along.

It was a great night visiting with many established and newly ordained voice-over talents who were very welcoming and friendly.

My thanks to Terry and everyone at the Twin Cities Voice-over Meet Up group who were so kind to me.

Tags: voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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The Voice Over Cafe made its way to Charlotte, NC, for FaffCamp and recorded its latest episode there….what a blast.

Female Voice-Over Talent Trish Basanyi and Male Voice-Over Talent Terry Daniel have been hosting and producing the Voice-Over Cafe for a while and it was a special treat for me to be invited on to this live recording session as there was a room full of interesting people with whom they could have spoken. Terry and Trish are supported in their production by the lovely and talented Sean Caldwell, Tom Dheere and Peter Bishop – each a bad ass voice-over talent in their own right and all loyal Faffers to the core.

The episode stars Amy Snively and features Bob Souer, Liz deNesnera, Dan Friedman, (movie star) Melissa Exelberth, Connie Terwilliger and Cliff Zellman.

You can listen here. And I hope you will.

Tags: commentary, community, Faff Camp, faffcamp, faffcon, podcast, podcasting, voice over podcast, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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My friend Sean Caldwell is known best as one of America’s premiere promo voice talents but he’s also pretty handy with a camera.

He was kind enough to share this shot of my friends and fellow voice-over talents Amy Snively and Lauren McCullough who, along with Dan Friedman and Natalie Stanfield Thomas (and about a billion other folks), put together Faff-events.

I am very blessed to be included with all these talented people.

Tags: commentary, Faff Camp, faffcamp, faffcon, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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