When following up with leads, it’s important to have well-practiced voicemail scripts in place. You will leave a lot of them so do your best to come across as helpful, friendly, and professional
So, how do you protect your information? There are a few settings and privacy apps that can help.
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You need the caller to feel like they’re responsible for taking the next step. “Call me back” is too generic (and can come off as a little desperate, too, which is a turn-off), and saying you’ll follow-up with them completely removes any responsibility on their part.
Increase the odds of getting a call back by mentally composing your message before each call. And remember, people hate it when callers state their name and phone number too quickly in voice mail messages – no one wants to listen to a message ten times to comprehend simple information. Begin by saying your name and company (if applicable). Then assume the person you’re calling doesn't have your number, so say your phone number twice. If your name is at all unusual, spell it the first time you say your phone number. Talk slowly like you were writing it down yourself. The second time you say your phone number, you can say it at your normal rate of speech. A gracious phone message is no longer than 30 – 45 seconds. Be pleasant, but also get right to the point. Keep your voice mail message to two points maximum. If you need to share more information, then say you will send an e-mail message with the rest of the details. Leave a specific message. There’s nothing more frustrating than a voice mail that says, “Hi, it’s me. Call when you can!” Even if you’re just calling to say “Hi”, tell them that in your message. End on a high note! You don’t necessarily need to say “Goodbye” at the end of a voice mail, because you didn’t really talk to anyone. Instead, try something like, “Look forward to talking* with you!”
Fortunately, this is a skill that can be learned and perfected. In this article, we'll discuss why sales voicemails are important, eight tactics you can use to craft better messages, and three simple voicemail scripts worth stealing. Let's get started!
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Only leave this voicemail for interested prospects. If you're talking with someone who isn't really invested in fixing a problem or implementing your product/service, they probably won't want to read an article you sent on the subject either.
Your research should include finding other people in the prospect’s organization. Selecting the right people, such as the prospect’s manager or department head, facilitates the ability to build rapport and adds a sense of urgency when you mention them in the voicemail.
Professional development educator Dr. Ray Lauk sent us this great piece of advice, which he credits to veteran sales trainer Stan Piskorski:
6. "Hi, this is [your name]. I'm either on a call or away from my desk. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you. Thank you."
Have you ever called someone and been redirected to an answering machine or a voicemail box? Thanks to technology, now you can leave an audio message on some
My ass and I are out for a walk. So as soon as I can get my ass back in the house, I’ll give you a call. Leave a message till then.
In today’s world of digital messaging, email, and text messaging, your business answering machine message might be an afterthought. However, you’d be surprised how many people still prefer to use phones and speak to a person directly or leave a voicemail message that can be returned at a later time.
State your name first. You would think this would be so basic that it shouldn’t even be mentioned. However, I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten voicemails where people go on and on and I don’t even know who’s talking to me until the very end. Pretty annoying.
7. For extra security, back up your newly recorded voicemails to a storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive, both of which offer free space. The Leadership Brief. Conversations with the most influential leaders in business and tech. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check here if you would like to receive subscription offers and other promotions via email from TIME group companies.
Note: you must already have a personalized greeting recorded before being able to access your voice mail remotely. Sorry to hear about that. Contact Intermedia support at (800) 379-7729 or Open a support ticket online Help us improve our knowledge base. Send Feedback Cancel Sign In My Account Manage Account Digital Magazines Help Center Sign Out Subscribe for $15 Subscribe The Man the U.S. Didn't Mean to Kill in Afghanistan Close My Account Manage Account Digital Magazines Help Center Sign Out Sign In Tech How-To How to Save Your Voicemails Forever By Alex Fitzpatrick