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INCOME/FEES Savvy Biz Idea For Your Canadian Clients: Offer Rates At Par With Canadian Dollar September 4, 2015
 By Rick Gordon Voice Talent & Owner
CommercialVoices.com & e-LearningVoices.com
You must constantly be on the lookout for new clients while keeping your existing ones happy. And competition is fierce. It seems that anyone with $300 and a Radio Shack nearby is in the VO business. We’ve got to get a leg up and offer something new, something different. Being a nice guy or girl alone just doesn’t cut it anymore. Clients are looking for professional, courteous service with an iron clad guarantee, and of course, at least a fair to cheap price for your product. And if you’re lucky they will call on you again! LOOK NORTH ... Here's an idea - something different, memorable. And it at least will paint you as a nice savvy business person if nothing else. There’s a place called Canada, which can be a whole new client base for business for you. Have you been keeping track of the Canadian dollar? Well, it’s in a heap of trouble right now when compared with USD. The good old Canadian Loonie ($1.00) now comes in at 70 cents USD. That’s a whopping 30% less. And this news is going to get even worse for us Canuck VO guys. Word is, the Loonie will be going down to 65 cents USD very soon. This means Canadian VO clients will have to pay 30 to 35% more for their favorite voice residing in the Excited States! That is a hefty increase, eh? (We all talk like this....eh?) HERE'S THE IDEA ... So (finally he gets to the point), why not offer Canadian businesses your USD rate at par with us? WOW. Yes, you will be taking a 25 to 30% hit on your rates, but what a nice person you will be. And who wouldn’t take a hit for a new client? This may only be a temporary measure, but I doubt it. We kinda like it this way. You see, we can get more bang for our services and products when we make a 25 to 30% uptake compared to selling to Canucks, right? On the other hand it costs us way more money to visit the U.S., but you guys really win big. Your dollar today, is worth $1.25 to $1.30 Canadian. If you ever yearned for a nice vacation in Canada, the time is right ... right now. So throw the gang in the SUV and zip on up here! We love tourists and we have a lot to offer. 'CAD AT PAR' Finally, my suggestion to all this is to just put a little note on your personal website and on any other websites you might be promoting on, that "I will accept CAD at par.” That is wonderful news to Canadian businesses, and who knows - maybe down the road, if you come up for a visit, your new Canadian client will take you out for a Moose dinner! --------------------
ABOUT RICK Rick Gordon is a
veteran voice talent based in Canada, and is also the founder and owner
of two major online voice-over marketplaces: CommercialVoices.com and e-LearningVoices.com.
CommercialVoices.com was created 15 years ago as the website where
voice talents are "hit and heard." e-LearningVoices.com was introduced
in 2008 specifically for e-Learning voice over projects.
Email: rgordon@commercialvoices.com
CommercialVoices.com: www.commercialvoices.com e-LearningVoices.com: www.e-learningvoices.com
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There are plenty of English speaking talent in Canada they could hire. If Canada wants to seek VO talent based in USA, they know it will cost more. Geez. Before too long one of these articles is going to say "just give it away for free."
Not that anyone asked for my opinion but...I guess you've caught me on a day when I'm tempted to say NO! Heck no.
This is an OK idea in general, but not "across the board," and certainly not broadcast to the world. At this particular time, ANYTHING that cuts rates in any sector of our business; is a bad idea.
As for our Canadian associates and customers, I can certainly empathize with their situation (BTW..ours here in the US, in actuality, is at least as bad, if not worse) and I would gladly "Help out" on a case by case basis...which is true to any established Customer, at any time... but I believe this is NOT a good idea.It Sets a "precedent" and all that, just for starters.
Big Picture? We as a community of small business owners need to be doing everything we can to turn rates upward, for everyone....to at least 1990 levels. I would ask anyone to consider this idea A LOT (both short term and long term) before making a choice in the matter.
My 2 cents worth...which used to be a Quarter BTW. :-)
dc