Most importantly, have fun with it. If you don’t enjoy leaving a voicemail, you might not be in the right job. Voicemails can add value, whether or not a prospect calls you back right away. Even if it triggers an email response or call-back six months down the line, it’s valuable. The better your voicemails, the more likely you’ll get a response. This article was originally published on Hubspot. It has been republished here with permission.
If you are ready to record your voicemail greeting, you should already have a solid script. Whether you include your mission statement, some fun personal details, or a favorite quote, making your voicemail greeting personal is a great way to set your business apart. Write down what you're going to say, but try to avoid reading it verbatim as you record, or it may start sounding robotic and rehearsed. When listening to your voicemail greetings your callers shouldn't feel like they're listening to an impersonal recording. Keep it conversational. If you need help achieving that conversational tone, check out these tips.
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An alltime classic technique was offered by Thomas J. Elijah, III, of Elijah & Co. Real Estate, at a SalesMasters meeting. He said to leave a partial message that includes your name and phone number, then pretend to get cut off in midsentence, as you’re getting to the important part of the message. “Cut it off in midword,” Elijah says, “it works like a charm because the prospect can’t stand not knowing the rest of the information, or thinks his voice mail is broken.”
Find out WHY a professional voicemail greeting is so important: Why You Must Have a Professional Voicemail Greeting. Hello, thanks for calling (name), I’m unable to answer your call at the moment. Please leave a message and I’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thank you.
In order to leave an effective professional voice mail, there are crucial techniques to master: The way you sound is the most important thing to remember. You want to leave a good and lasting impression on the person you called. People respond better to positive and energetic tones, keeping in mind to use an authoritative voice. People tend to respond and feel more comfortable if you have a mutual friend, contact or co-worker in common. Mention it! If possible, finding a creative link makes yourself memorable. No one wants to listen to a rambling voice mail especially in our fast-paced business culture. Sometimes upon retrieving voice mail messages, a recording tells you how long the upcoming message is. If it's too long, you will probably be deleted before you have even been heard. When you focus your message on one clear and confined topic, you will most likely get a call back. Open ended voice mails are unfavorable among clients. The point of a voice mail is to get what you need answered. Tell them what you want them to do, e.g. "Call me back." "Check out my website." Say your contact information clear and slow. Most of the time people are listening to their messages on-the-go, so try to eliminate the potential of having them repeat the message over. Leaving your email address as contact option is a good way to come across less threatening
Here is an example of how to leave a Voicemail message for the property agent called Han Solo:
Once you have accessed the voicemail system, you will have the following options: Press 3: Advanced Options Press 5: Repeat Message Press 6: Next Message Press 7: Delete Message Press 8: Forward Message Press 9: Save Message Press 0: New Messages Press 1: Old Messages Press 2: Work Messages Press 3: Family Messages Press 4: Friend Messages Press #: Cancel Press 1: Record Unavailable Message Press 2: Record Busy Message Press 3: Record Name Press 4: Record Temporary Greeting Press 5: Change Password Press *: Main Menu How do I record my voicemail greeting or name? Option 1 – Unavailable message Option 2 – Busy message Option 3 – Record your name Option 4 – Temporary greeting
I phone my parents back in England every week, but whenever they're not home and the answerphone kicks in, I hang up.
Call your home phone number. Depending on your location, you can press #, * or 2 to interrupt the greeting, and then enter your PIN. Follow the prompts to listen to your messages.
We actually know a top insurance sales guy who did a sales motivational message every day just like this, and people used to call just to listen to his thoughts.
Nondeliverable: Messages that could not be delivered, usually because the intended recipient's mailbox is full. You can listen to, re-address, and re-record these messages.
So, the greeting I used was: “Hi, this is Luke Skywalker, I am not available right now, please leave a message after the beep. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you”
In the U.K. and most of Europe it is considered good manners to leave a slightly longer answering message as it gives the person time to adjust to the fact that they've been put through to an answering machine, compose a message in their head and then get ready to speak. It also leaves the caller with the impression of someone who is calm, composed, polite and not rushing around like a chicken without a head.
If you’re contacting the same people with marketing voicemails and emails, you shouldn’t repeat information verbatim. By mixing up your approach, you make it more likely to get a response to at least one method. Also, your voicemails should be more personalized than your emails. For example, you could send an email to a contact – and 500 others – asking for feedback about a specific product they recently bought.
You may wish to record a personalized voicemail greeting on your Intermedia phone. For detailed instructions click on the specific phone model.
When you know something to be true, when you have an opinion that needs to be shared, be more assertive and powerful in your word choices. Here are 3 simple ways you can do that.
It’s no wonder so many voice mail messages get deleted and never called back! If ever there was a situation that begged to be scripted, it’s your voicemail message. Isn’t this the time you want to sound your best, be perceived as a professional, and prepare the most polished message you can? Of course it is.