Professional development educator Dr. Ray Lauk sent us this great piece of advice, which he credits to veteran sales trainer Stan Piskorski:
Tip: If you’re not sure how to leave a good voicemail, check out the most effective voicemail script ever and how to end a voicemail that keeps the sales conversation open.
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Through personal experience and research, I’ve been able to identify the most effective voicemail script — along with the keys to implementing it — so you leave voicemails that generate an incredible response every time.
16. "Hmm. Gryffindor … No, Ravenclaw. Yes, you definitely belong in Ravenclaw. *Pause.* Okay, you haven't reached the Sorting Hat — it's the voicemail of [your name]. Please leave your name and number (and just for fun, the Harry Potter house you think you belong in) and I'll return your call as soon as possible."
The attendant menu for your main contact number may be the first form of contact that a customer has with your business. Make sure your greeting is clearly articulated. Provide an option to speak with an operator if the caller has a question that is not addressed by the menu options.
"The phone number early in the conversation is key," advises John Crossman, CEO of real estate firm Crossman & Company. "If it is a long message with a phone number at the end, I may not even listen to it."
Let’s be honest, you (hopefully) set up your voicemail when you first got your phone, and it probably hasn’t changed since then. If you’re about to start job-hunting, now is the perfect time to refresh your professional voicemail greeting.
Most cell phones show the number and voicemail duration when a call is missed. So if the recipient sees the message is from an unknown number and only a few seconds long, they'll assume it's not important and hit delete. Since the message doesn't appear to be substantive, they're not prompted to listen.
Happy [Monday!] You’ve reached [Jessica on the Business Development Team at LinkedPhone]. I’m presently out of the office [for a meeting until late this afternoon]. Please include your name, number and the reason for your call and I’ll get back to you ASAP. Thank you and have a fantastic day!
For more general advice on voicemail messages, read our tips and examples for business voicemail greetings.
Before you make any calls, start with setting a goal. Will you be working on your tone? Your passion? The length of the message?
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This message is for Ms. Smith. This Laura from Dr. Tracy’s office calling about your last appointment. We’d like to share some details regarding your visit with you. You can return my call at 444-444-4444 anytime, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Have a good day.
If you’re making several calls, make sure you document your messages so you can be on top of it immediately if/when your call is returned. Nothing worse (or more stupid) than getting a returned call and having no idea who it’s from.
Practice your spiel so you can speak with authority. This lets the caller know how confident, qualified, and prepared you are. The goal is to sound like you’ve been doing this for years, not a few minutes.
A compelling sales voicemail won't be particularly effective if your prospect has no idea how they should respond. You can't just rattle off what they stand to gain from leveraging your product or service and then hang up. Always offer some next steps or insight on what they should expect next — like another phone call or a follow-up email.
Note: If necessary, delete an existing greeting (limit of 2 greetings) to make room for the new greeting: Tap the Menu key, tap Delete greetings, tap the check box next to the desired greeting, and then tap Delete. Tap the Record icon to record your greeting. Tap the Stop recording icon to stop recording.