What’s the easiest way to get a client on the air? Put them in the commercial! What’s the quickest way to make a bad commercial? Same answer!

Unfortunately, there are very few Frank Purdues, Lee Iaccoccas, Victor Kiams or even Dave Thomases out there. Most clients think they can pull off being great spokespersons. Most are wrong.

Are there ways you can fulfill their desire for 60 seconds of fame and still make a commercial that works? Yes.

If the owner is a great storyteller, or has an exceptional personality – because he’s so outgoing, (or because he sounds so deadpan), or, if her name is on the letterhead, it might make sense to use your client’s voice on the air.

For Bob’s Automotive, let’s hear from Bob – how he got started repairing cars at 14, about how he got his first fixer-upper before he could drive, how he ate, slept and breathed cars all his life, continues to take courses and makes sure he hires people with the same love of cars & trucks as he has. His name is on the door. His pride can say a lot. But make it interesting.

Do an open-ended recording with him. Get him talking about himself and record lots more than you’ll ever need. Most clients have great stories tucked away in their memories. You just have to be patient and probe for them. “How did you get started in business? What do you love about what you do? What do you hate about your business? What do you do for your customers that no one knows about? What emotional needs do your customers have that you solve for them? What’s the hidden secret you wish everyone knew about your business?” Then edit the responses into several spots.

If he can’t tell a great story, tell it for him. Just have him do the intro and outro to each spot. In: “Hi, I’m Bob and this is my story…” Out: “I’m Bob, and my name is on the door at Bob’s Automotive.”

If your client has a sense of humor, create a campaign that lets her poke fun at herself. Maybe it’s a pseudo-interview, where she never gets a word in edgewise because the announcer keeps interrupting to tell the audience what the client was about to say. Maybe customers keep interrupting, or little emergencies keep appearing that allow you to work in benefits by the way the client handles them.

If his voiceprint is deadpan, contrast him with a voice who is truly excited about the benefits his business has for customers, interspersed with just his unemotional “yup” or “you bet” comments.

Record short phone interviews with the client’s relatives about him and build the campaign around the family stories about the client, using short clips.

Or…take a “goes nowhere” story told by the owner in a flat unemotional voice, cut it apart and create an epic:

Frank: My customers are regular, consistent.

Anncr: Frank Ambrosio, owner of Frank’s Restaurant with another amazing story!

Frank: She comes in ‘bout noon on Wednesdays, orders the soup and the grilled cheese…

Anncr: Incredible! What a great combo!

Frank: Yep. That’s her favorite, sometimes a salad.

Anncr: Whoa, hard to top that one!

Frank: Well then, she has the lemon meringue for dessert, sometimes not. Guess she likes it. Always comes back.

Anncr: Another amazing story from Frank’s Restaurant!

Find ways to use your clients’ voices without making them carry the ball for the whole spot. You could end each commercial with the client’s voice delivering a tag line that embodies the client’s personality. You might record a series of comments from them like “Yes. No. Tell ‘em about our guarantee. Your next car is waiting for you. Here’s something you might not know.” Then you simply write spots around each comment.

Use the “translation” technique: Have your client describe in technical terms his product or service, in fact, have him be even more technical than he usually is. Do a translation over his voice or between each phrase, explaining to the listener in layman’s terms the benefits of what he’s describing.

If your client speaks a foreign language, this technique can work well also.

It could be someone who uses lots of jargon, vernacular: “Dude, these boards are mondo gnarly!

Anncr: These surfboards are the latest…

You’ll be totally stoked when you see our rad new rags at Quicksilver, etc…”

Anncr: We think you’ll be inspired by the new fashion looks.

In any case, don’t take the “easy” way out by letting your clients just read 60 seconds of copy. Find an interesting way to use their voices to best advantage, and build them success stories.

If you have other techniques that have worked for you using client voices, send them to me for a free gift at Hedquist Productions, Inc. Phone 641-472-6708