Sorry, Chris and Susan aren’t here right now. Please leave your name and number after the tone. If you are calling regarding an outstanding debt, please leave your message before the tone.
Recently one of my students asked a great question about voicemail in English and I thought that you might have the same question as well.
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First-time sales outreach response is plummeting. According to sales strategist and author Jill Konrath, 97% of all business calls now go to voicemail.
"Dear [Prospect's Name], this is [Your Name]. On [Date of Last Contact], I contacted you about [Reason for Previous Call] and as I haven’t heard from you, I can only assume you're either, one, not interested and I’m simply clogging up your voicemail with annoying spam messages; or, two, you desperately want to contact me, but you’re trapped under a fallen filing cabinet and can’t reach your phone. Please let me know which one it is. I'll gladly send help if it's the latter. Just call me back at [Your Phone Number]. Thanks for your time!"
State the purpose of your call. In as few words as possible, state why you’re calling. Is it in regards to an interview appointment? Are you following up on a previous meeting?
When you leave a voicemail message, be sure to identify yourself right away. Give your return phone number at the beginning of your message so that other people don't have to listen to you twice. Speak slowly and clearly. It helps to pretend to be writing your number in the air, which will slow you down and help with clarity. Say when you can be reached.
Standard greeting with phone number: "At the tone, please record your message to [phone number]."
3. Have Some Fun. Oftentimes, your voicemail greeting is the first impression a caller gets of your personality, your brand, and your business. And as the old adage reminds us, first impressions are everything.
Continue to follow the instructions to complete setting up your voicemail greeting.
8. Let Your Callers Know What To Tell You. This tip is more for you than your callers. It’s particularly helpful if you need more information than the standard name and phone number.
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.
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.
Ayaya, your heart is racing, you’ve got a mini anxiety attack, short of breath and you are pacing around the house. Oh damn, I need to call that person again.
Give them a reason to call you back. In both voicemail messages, did you noticed how I mentioned new information they might be interested in? That will grab their attention more than simply introducing yourself, thanking them and asking them to give you a call if they have any questions. Come from a place of helpfulness by giving them something to look forward to and that will solve a problem.
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Here I'm referring to lines such as "Please call me back" or "I'll check in again on X date." Because they're generic, these asks don't increase the buyer's feeling of responsibility. Instead, I suggest posing your specific question and ending the call there.
Hello, and welcome to Answering Machines of the Rich and Famous! (your name here) can’t come to the phone right now, because he’s spending the week in his beautiful summer home on the French Riviera…