One percent. Doesn’t seem that much, does it? And, in truth, it really isn’t that much when looked at on its own. If you send out 100 client emails per week, 1% extra means you send out 101 instead. If you work 50 hour a week on your business, 1% extra means you work 50.5 hours. If you spend 10 hours per week on social media doing nothing in particular, reducing it by 1% will be insignificant at first.
So, many people will look at this and say, “what’s the point?”, “Why put in the extra effort for little extra in return?”. I can understand that. I don’t agree with it, but I can understand the sentiment. The problem is, I’m a numbers man. I thrive on analyzing data and seeing how tweaks to work processes can affect outcomes. How doing something a different way can have a direct correlation on something you want to improve. My mantra is the age-old Einstein quote ““The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
Oh, here we go again, another motivational blog that is full of inspirational quotes and advice that has no real application in the real world. I know, I know. It may seem like that although it is definitely not my intention. I do want to motivate you to improve your creative business. I don’t want to fill your head with crap that has no substance or real-world application.
Obviously, 1% is a pretty arbitrary number. But to me, it’s a start. It’s a simple representation of how increasing your effort by a small amount in many different areas of your life can accumulate to make a bigger change in total. It is the sum of the 1 percent’s combined. That is what can make a real difference. For inspiration, watch this video to really get you pumped up!
Remember, there is always someone else out there who is willing to go the extra mile. They are willing to wake up earlier, stay up later, run harder, call on more people, spend extra time on a clients brief to make sure it they completely understand it, submit more auditions, spend more time on their auditions, train more, read more. These are the people who are willing to do what it takes to be successful in the creative field that they have chosen. They don’t make excuses because they know if they let up during the climb, someone else will be working harder, doing more to get ahead.
If you search through history, the majority of people who have made a success of their lives, have one simple truth. They wanted it more. From Richard Branson to Ricky Gervais, Tony Robbins to Tony Romo, Kevin Hart to Kevin Durant and Matt Damon to Matthew McConaughey. It is no surprise that they think their success is due to the hard work and determination they put in.
Take the time and write down what your most important processes are. Think about them carefully and write down how much time they take and what they include. As a voiceover, my list would be:
1. Marketing
a. Researching and reaching out to new clients (10 emails per day)
b. Keeping in touch with existing clients (10 emails per week)
c. Creating content for website (blogs, videos etc.) (1 blog and 1 video per month)
d. Networking in person (1 network group per month)
2. Recording in the booth
a. Recording booked jobs (10 hours per week)
b. Recording auditions (10 hours per week)
c. Recording practice sessions (1 hour per week)
3. Admin
a. Accounts (1 hour per week)
b. Planning and scheduling (1 hour per week)
c. Time tracking (2 hours per week)
d. Analyzing data (2 hours per week)
e. Keeping contact list and CRM data in good order (2 hours per week)
4. Learning and development
a. Training with coach (1 session per month)
b. Taking part in script groups (1 session per month)
c. Researching voice over related news (2 hours per week)
d. Going to voice related conferences (1 conference per year)
This is a basic list as an example, and you can get as granular as you want. The most important thing is you have the data and you’re not just making it up as you go along. You NEED a baseline to start with. Then you need to work out where you can get that added extra from. And remember, it’s not just about working harder, it’s about working smarter.
I was reaching out to 10 new clients per day, but it was using templates and group emails. In 2020, I am going to be more focused and send 5 personal emails and only after I have researched what kind of company they are and how they do things. I am going to increase my blog from once a month to twice a month and stick to creating 1 video blog a month as I have been slacking on this lately. I am aiming to increase my script work outs to once a week. You see where I am going with this. Little tweaks to how I run my business.
An then I can do what I do best! Analyze the data. How many new clients do I get per month compared with 2019 (through more targeted emails)? Has my audition to like ratio increased (sending two takes with all auditions)? Has my bookings ratio increased (due to more script group practice or increased coaching sessions)? Have I received more replies from emails that are personalized? Have these turned into bookings? I can’t wait! And don’t get me started on creating graphs for it all!!!!!
Don’t make excuses. Use 2020 as a reason to change it up. It’s a new decade and it’s got a really good ring to it. We’re back in the roaring twenties baby! This is the time to put a plan together and work harder, smarter and better. All the best to you all for 2020. It is going to be an amazing year!
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