Today I got a telephone call from a high level executive at one of the world’s major airlines. (No, “high level” is not a pun.)
As one of their frequent flyers, I had a problem that was caused by the airline, and I’d been told by their “Customer Service” department that, with luck, they’d be able to straighten it out within 2 or 3 months.
But until they got around to straightening it out, I wouldn’t have my 2 Million Miler status nor any of the perks (preferred seating, early boarding, etc.) that come with it.
I was not satisfied with that response. So yesterday I sent a personal email to the airline’s CEO.
No, I don’t know the CEO, and I think it’s a safe bet the CEO never heard of me.
But I wrote the email in a manner intended to prevent its being kicked downstairs to some bored young Customer Service rep who would reply with an off-the-mark form letter offering me some lame flight discount voucher for my inconvenience.
And I crafted the Subject line in a manner intended to make sure the CEO personally read the email.
Yes, I should teach a class in How To Get Big Shots To Read And Respond To Your Emails.
The CEO did read my email, and he turned it over not to a lowly Customer Service rep but instead to the high level executive you met in the first sentence of this posting. Let’s call him Stan (not his name).
Stan explained that the CEO had asked him to fix the problem for me, and he was certain he could do that much more quickly than I had been told to expect.
And then he said, “By the way, are you the radio consultant?”
“Umm….Yeah, I guess I am. Why do you ask?”
“Before I called you, I googled your name to see who you are, and the first Dan O’Day I found lives in Los Angeles and according to your frequent flyer account you live in Los Angeles, so….”
“Well, yeah, I guess that’s me. I’m not the photographer or the dance studio guy.”
“Talking to you makes me feel a little self-conscious,” Stan said.
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t have a very good voice. It’s kind of tinny and nasal, and I know I talk pretty fast.”
“Stan, that’s silly. Look, I make my living coaching radio personalities. Here’s what’s required to have a ‘good radio voice’:
“You need to have something worth communicating to another person. And it must be important to you that the person you’re talking to you hear and understand your message.
“That’s it. It’s not about the voice. It’s about the message and your desire to communicate it to another person. When you called me, you knew exactly what you wanted to tell me, and you expressed yourself quite clearly and immediately got my attention.
“You’ve got a good voice. End of story.”
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This is perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions of radio personalities, is that you have to have that Don LaFontaine voice (no offense to Don or his family, he is a true hero of mine) Howard Stern doesn’t have a big booming voice, neither does Ryan Seacrest or Rick Dees or Larry Lujack, but yet as a voice actor, I get audition requests asking for that big deep baritone voice of God type voice.. Why? Why does the client think that a big deep voice will sell their product or convey their message any better than a real, conversational, articulate voice actor?
Same goes for radio personalities, and I totally agree Dan, if you can articulate your content in a manner that gets the person you are trying to reach understands and relates then your job as a “Radio Announcer” is complete. Same goes for commercial voice actors, I’m real, conversational and yet I DON’T have the big deep James Earl Jones voice.. (again nothing against James or his voice acting abilities).. End of my story and my .02 for what it’s worth
People compliment me on my “radio voice” and I graciously say thank you. But what I’m thinking is, do I entertain you, give you something to think about, or make you laugh? And then there’s Ted Williams…
That’s precisely what I tell clients who come in to record their own commercials. No matter how deep and resonating MY voice would sound presenting their message (and mine is barely deep and mildly resonant), I tell them that as long as the message sounds like it’s coming from their heart – not-precisely-read-off-the-page-that-is-before-them – their credibility level jumps way ahead of anything I could do. I want to hear what is so incredibly cool about their product that it’s what made them want to go into business in the first place — to help people who could really have their lives changed for the better, immediately, if they just knew about it! Regular guys, helping people, at a worthwhile price. Sometimes it takes a bit of editing, but I tell them to be patient and understand that it’s my job to make them sound engaging and real.
so when does,The” How To Get Big Shots To Read And Respond To Your Emails” Class start ? will you record it?
Good read, but the whole time I just kept wondering what someone puts in the subject header to get a CEO to respond O_o?
@David: I believe my Subject line was, “Your PayPal account has been suspended.”
No, actually….
I use the same psychology I use when writing the opening line of a radio commercial.
I ask myself, “What would make the targeted listener say to anyone around him, ‘Shhh! I want to hear this!'”
For an email Subject line, I ask myself, “What types of emails is this person most likely to open immediately?” and then I look for a way to blend the intent of my message with that type of Subject.
I know that’s a nebulous answer. But it’s a start….
Dan,
Today I participated in the “Young Worker Program”. Twenty 9th graders came to the station to learn about our jobs. One asked how to learn “the radio voice”. I told her politly that if she talked like a typical radio announcer, I’d help her work to correct it. Love Don Cherry, but no one talks like him or Harry Reasoner anymore.
It took me weeks to learn how to “talk” like a disc jockey. It’s taking me decades to learn how not to.
I agree with everything that’s been said about the phony-sounding, contrived, hand cupped over the ear, Gary Owens delivery style. I’ve found that a nice, soothing voice with a pleasant, conversational delivery is far more appealing. Again, apologies to Gary Owens, who is a radio legend and became a caricature of himself on “Laugh-In.”
I don’t have a classic radio voice, but I’ve been making a living in radio for over 30 years. In fact, at one point in my career, there were a few clients that didn’t want me on their spots even though I was a full time employee at the radio station. It has been my experience that some of the guys with the big voices are a little lazy, that is they rely solely on their ability to make car speakers rumble and not concentrate on their content or other aspects of their development. For me, I’ve had to work on all aspects of my game because I can’t make speakers rumble, yet I do get compliments time to time on my “nice voice.” It’s like the difference between the pitcher with the 98MPH fastball and Jamie Moyer.
Hey! Let’s not pee on the pipes!
I have been in radio since 1978. I still work at a Country station today. Being born in Texas has killed my chance to make it big in radio. Even most of the staff at the station I work for do not like the way I sound. Other stations I send air checks to, tell me I have to much Texas in my voice to work for them. Radio is a life long dream. How can I get that break to a Major Market????