No Free Sample! I Broke My Own Rule

[melissaharlowvo]

Well it happened! In a moment of weakness a potential buyer asked for a custom (free) sample. At first I explained it’s against my policy and why. Still this person encouraged me to comply because the client is a very large news channel in Europe. But buyers have said that before. I looked up the channel and it was legitimate. It was also early about 5:00am for me. I agreed to supply a short sample of the narration. He sent it to the channel and they loved it but needed a slightly different tone.

Now for those of you who don’t know, auditioning is common for voice over but Fiverr is different because of the price point and ordering service platform. So my mind went to the auditioning VO MELISSA and decided to comply again.

On the 4th request for a slightly different tone I finally said “this is the final tone.” I always “reserve this process for paying buyers…” I actually said that.

I asked if he was ready for an offer after the final sample was sent. He said YES. I was surprised but grateful. Then he asked could it be TODAY after I sent him an offer for 3 days because my schedule is full.

I put my big girl pants on and said if you need it the same day, I need to charge you $50 extra because I needed to shuffle things around to accommodate this project.

He accepted the offer of $200 and I went to work. We worked together to finish the project and he completed the project and gave me a 5 star review.

I can tell you that at every step of the way I felt in control because I didn’t let my emotional self feel like I was being taken advantage of. He was in it for the business and so was I.

However, I will continue to NOT brake my rule because I just got lucky this time. Although I was in control, it could have easily slipped through my fingers.

[english_voice]

We all have that little voice in our head that guides us and hopefully serves us well.

I have to say I have tremendous respect for voice overs who make a living on Fiverr. I used to offer voice services on here, but I got fed up of the large number of people who wanted free samples (no, place an order even if it’s just for $5 to make me feel loved), or who would like my profile voice sample but then want a totally different style of voice over for their own project (why ask me to record if you want something different?), or who would want several revisions because their “client wasn’t totally satisfied” (tell me you’re an agency upfront and I would probably decline working with you).

I don’t know what it is about Fiverr and voice over buyers, but it involved a lot of hassle for me. Sadly, many buyers on Fiverr do expect bargain prices but also a high quality service. I got tired of being abused as a voice over on Fiverr.

[melissaharlowvo]

We all have that little voice in our head that guides us and hopefully serves us well.

I have to say I have tremendous respect for voice overs who make a living on Fiverr. I used to offer voice services on here, but I got fed up of the large number of people who wanted free samples (no, place an order even if it’s just for $5 to make me feel loved), or who would like my profile voice sample but then want a totally different style of voice over for their own project (why ask me to record if you want something different?), or who would want several revisions because their “client wasn’t totally satisfied” (tell me you’re an agency upfront and I would probably decline working with you).

I don’t know what it is about Fiverr and voice over buyers, but it involved a lot of hassle for me. Sadly, many buyers on Fiverr do expect bargain prices but also a high quality service. I got tired of being abused as a voice over on Fiverr.

I have to say I have tremendous respect for voice overs who make a living on Fiverr.

Well NOT giving work away is one of my cardinal rules. The prices are already 100% lower than traditional service models of Voice-Over. But again, if you keep your overhead low and stick to your own rules you can make a great income. I just passed 40k on Fiverr and this month is blowing up but I have wiggle room in my life so if a slow down happens, I am ok.

I have a TRIGGER though. You know it’s when something happens and you can feel your entire body getting upset. My TRIGGER is when I feel someone is trying to take advantage of me. I the older I get, the more clear it becomes! I guess being aware of your tiggers is a good thing on Fiverr as long as you deal with them as they come along.

It sounds like dipping your toes in the voice over category just wasn’t your space for the time. I see your posts and they are always thoughtful and well put together. I am sure you don’t make decisions lightly.

[english_voice]

I have to say I have tremendous respect for voice overs who make a living on Fiverr.

Well NOT giving work away is one of my cardinal rules. The prices are already 100% lower than traditional service models of Voice-Over. But again, if you keep your overhead low and stick to your own rules you can make a great income. I just passed 40k on Fiverr and this month is blowing up but I have wiggle room in my life so if a slow down happens, I am ok.

I have a TRIGGER though. You know it’s when something happens and you can feel your entire body getting upset. My TRIGGER is when I feel someone is trying to take advantage of me. I the older I get, the more clear it becomes! I guess being aware of your tiggers is a good thing on Fiverr as long as you deal with them as they come along.

It sounds like dipping your toes in the voice over category just wasn’t your space for the time. I see your posts and they are always thoughtful and well put together. I am sure you don’t make decisions lightly.

Thank you for your kind comments. You are doing amazingly well to reach 40k.

I agree with you about that ‘trigger’ point. Some people do try to take advantage - thankfully these are in the minority. For me there is a huge difference between someone being a bit cheeky or just naive, and someone who is mean and abusive.

You’re right by saying that doing voice overs on Fiverr wasn’t my thing at the time. I did okay, but I am far more at ease with proofreading, which is the only service I now offer on Fiverr. I should add that these aren’t random gig choices - my background is print and broadcast, so these are skills I’ve used daily for 25 years. However, your comment got me thinking about our reasons for selling on Fiverr…

In my opinion the successful sellers are good and / or naturally talented at what they do. It’s the people who desperately try to find a service to sell on Fiverr - even though they might not have any natural aptitude, experience or skills in their chosen area - who ultimately fail.

I sometimes feel a bit bad for singling out the $5 logo designers - but they are a great example of this. While I would like to think that there are some genuine creative $5 logo sellers, I suspect that most of them watched a YouTube video telling them this is a simple way to make money. In other words - no skills required, just visit a template website.

Anyway, while I do sometimes have a rant on the forums - it’s also really nice to have a quick catch up with another genuine and successful seller.

[melissaharlowvo]

Thank you for your kind comments. You are doing amazingly well to reach 40k.

I agree with you about that ‘trigger’ point. Some people do try to take advantage - thankfully these are in the minority. For me there is a huge difference between someone being a bit cheeky or just naive, and someone who is mean and abusive.

You’re right by saying that doing voice overs on Fiverr wasn’t my thing at the time. I did okay, but I am far more at ease with proofreading, which is the only service I now offer on Fiverr. I should add that these aren’t random gig choices - my background is print and broadcast, so these are skills I’ve used daily for 25 years. However, your comment got me thinking about our reasons for selling on Fiverr…

In my opinion the successful sellers are good and / or naturally talented at what they do. It’s the people who desperately try to find a service to sell on Fiverr - even though they might not have any natural aptitude, experience or skills in their chosen area - who ultimately fail.

I sometimes feel a bit bad for singling out the $5 logo designers - but they are a great example of this. While I would like to think that there are some genuine creative $5 logo sellers, I suspect that most of them watched a YouTube video telling them this is a simple way to make money. In other words - no skills required, just visit a template website.

Anyway, while I do sometimes have a rant on the forums - it’s also really nice to have a quick catch up with another genuine and successful seller.

I did okay, but I am far more at ease with proofreading, which is the only service I now offer on Fiverr

I would imagine that proofreading is one of those gigs that can get those minority buyers who just need a quick free turn around for a client.

Irregardless, sticking to your professional rules will get you where you need to be.

One more point about my, “ I broke my own rules story” just today he sent me my voice over in the documentary so it was validation that my instincts were right but I still got lucky.

I will keep everyone posted on this buyer 🙂