The Scenery's Great Along the Extra Mile
Vegas Backyard with CourVO
So. I took the risk. Had to be in Las Vegas for a couple of days (mostly weekend, plus one Friday), alerted all my fast-turnover clients, and hit the road without travel recording gear. C'mon, it was a family wedding!
Well, wouldn't you know it. One client who'd said all was well suddenly needed a revision in one paragraph. And, even tho I love my travel mic, the sound needed to match my home studio as closely as possible. So even if I'd packed it, I'd need to get to a Neumann anyway.
Sigh. What to do?
CourVO to the rescue! Thanks to the generosity of the wonderful Dave Courvoisier, (and the fact that my husband and I had a rental car, whew) I was able to go the extra mile for this client (well, technically for my client's client...) and get the revised file to her in time to make us all look good.
See, when you go that extra mile...when ever you can...sure, the end destination is a bit further away. However, the arrival is that much sweeter for the extended journey - and, if you're lucky, you will see some awesome new scenery along the way!
For us, here's what we got as a bonus for pleasing that client:
Personally: I got to visit Dave, see his home and VO studio, learn about hisfamous grandfather's Poster Art (see the book I'm holding in the pic!), and deepen our friendship.
Professionally: My client was really happy, and grateful. And a happy client is a repeat client - and a good relationship!
The Extra Mile
Professional Bonus: My client looked good to her client. She sent me the following e-mail:
FYI, I informed our client what you are doing to go above and beyond to re-record the audio, and his response was: "Wow! This is extraordinary news - we appreciate this!!" Perhaps letting him know this will also help him realize what an effect it has on others when he submits last-minute changes that he assumes are "minor" to correct. Sometimes we just don't realize how much our actions affect others. ;)
So the extra mile extended beyond that one paragraph. I am so glad I traveled it - and grateful that I was able to (not always possible, but always worth the try!)
And by the way, of course I recommended Dave to my client as a terrific male voice. But that was icing on the cake. Dave would have helped me anyway. That's just the kind of guy he is. And the community we have. So, if you're ever in CT...
So go the extra mile if you can. The scenery's great!
And, oh yeah, she insisted on paying me for my time. :)
