Most salespeople say they shy away from leaving voicemails because of the lack of call backs. The real reason is that they don’t like being locked up in voicejail. If you aren’t leaving proper voicemail messages you are missing out on an ultra-effective way to keep your sales conversations alive. Here are 4 steps to crafting a voicemail message that will keep you out of voicejail:
1. Start with your prospect’s first name, then introduce yourself.
Most voicemail messages left by a salesperson begin with them introducing themselves. In a live conversation, that’s obviously how you would start. However, a voicemail message is not a live conversation. When a prospect hears your voice and company name, they’re likely to delete your message. Start your voicemail message with your prospect’s first name, then introduce yourself: “Hi ___, this is ___… .” When you start off with your prospect’s first name, you’ll quickly grab their attention.
2. State your phone number twice.
In the first part of your voicemail message, after you state their name and introduce yourself, state your phone number: “Hi ___, this is ___, 555-555-1212…” Then, at the end of your call, state your phone number again. When you only mention your phone number one time, your prospect may miss it. This is a sure fire way to end up in voicejail. When you leave your phone number twice, you give your prospect ample opportunity to get what they need to call you back. This is the same strategy companies use to increase call-ins in radio and television commercials. Call backs will keep you out of voicejail.
3. Keep it short.
When it comes to leaving voicemail messages, the shorter the better. Your voicemail must be no longer than 20 seconds. If your voicemail is any longer than that, you will lose the prospect’s attention and they’ll either delete the message or not call you back. Outline the key points you want to make and practice getting it all in in 20 seconds or less. Mastering the timing of your voicemails will make them more effective and increase return calls from your prospects.
4. Give yourself permission to call back.
Too many sales people end up in voicejail because they say too much. In your 20 second sales voicemail, you don’t have time to sell your prospect. The purpose of a voicemail message is to capture your prospect’s attention. Try this: “Hi ___, this is ___ at 555-555-1212. I am going to be on phone calls for the rest of the afternoon; I will call you back first thing in the morning. Again, this is ___ and my phone number is 555-555-1212.” Giving yourself permission to call your prospect back will keep you out of voicejail.
Don’t let the lack of call backs keep you from leaving voicemail messages. Leaving the right kind of messages will keep you out of voicejail. Master the 4 steps to crafting a voicemail message and you’ll stay out of voicejail, talk to more prospects and close more sales.
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Jeff Ruby
Founder of RedRock Leadership