Landlines continue to have a place in business and are in fact more prevalent than cell phones as primary telephone numbers -- at least for now.
Salespeople are often coached to sound enthusiastic and excited on the phone, thus raising their natural voice pitch to a high, unnatural tone. In my opinion, this tone of voice makes it clear to the listener that not only is this an uncomfortable call, but a generic one.
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Traditional voicemail services once offered this feature, but visual voicemail (with a visual interface that lets you access messages directly) has mostly eliminated that possibility. If your phone does not have visual voicemail, and you have to call an inbox to hear your messages, you may still be able to use this feature.
The days of “Let’s talk soon!” have evolved into, if not a text, then “I’ll leave you a message!” FREE Five-Day Challenge LEARN THE 25 HABITS OF A REMARKABLY CLASSY PERSON. Count Me In!
First-time sales outreach response is plummeting. According to sales strategist and author Jill Konrath, 97% of all business calls now go to voicemail.
5 Steps to Leaving Voicemail Messages That Get Returned: Identify Yourself. Say who you are and the company you work for up front. This makes you sound professional and transparent. S ay Your Phone Number Twice. Prospects can’t call back if they don’t have or you garbled your number. Give your contact information upfront and say it twice
Honestly this is just common sense if you stop thinking about yourself for a second and instead consider what it is like when you call someone expecting to talk to a person, and instead get put through to a machine. It takes a little time to change gears, mentally identify the key points and compose a message. lucabrasi Aug. 2, 2014 12:55 pm JST
Find a piece of connective tissue, such as an alma mater, a favorite sports team, or a common pet (I’m a dog lover, personally). This opens the conversation and shows that you’ve done your research.
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Make the last thing you say be your phone number. This ensures it's clearly visible on voicemail dictation, and makes it easy for prospects to call back. Avoid phrases like "Call me back when you get this," which can sound pushy. And, finally, tell them you'll follow up with an email. This gives the prospect two ways to return your call, which certainly can't hurt.
I do read and respond to comments shared in the comment section at the end of the lesson. That is the best place to interact with me and others in the Confident English Community. Feel free to share your voicemail example or ask a question below.
“Congratulations! You’ve reached the right person! It’s [your name]. Unfortunately, you’ve called at the wrong time. Please leave a message with all your contact information, and I’ll call you back within 24 hours.”
But it appears I’m not alone. Here’s a portion of one reader’s letter; see whether you relate!
Pro Tip: Smile while you’re recording your greeting and your voice will sound pleasant.
Hello and thank you for calling, [Company Name], where [state your short company slogan]. If you know the extension of the party you are trying to reach, you may dial it at any time. To speak with a Sales representative, press 1. To reach a Customer Support agent, press 2. To reach our Billing department, press 3. If you would like to know our regular business hours and location, press 4. If you would like to speak with an Operator, press 0, or press 9 to repeat the available options. 2. Basic Customer Inquiry
Press one if you’d like to leave a message. I’ll be glad to return your call as soon as I can. Right. And Santa will bring you toys if you’re a good little boy.
When you leave a voicemail do not use your full name because that immediately raises a red flat that you are a salesperson making a cold call. Instead, say your first name only followed by your company name. This will make your customer feel that you are much more familiar with each other than you really are. Saying your last name would defeat the whole purpose of demonstrating familiarity.