Too many reps are the inside sales equivalent of chatty grandmas—pitching solutions, discussing features, and offering value propositions over a voicemail.
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
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Voicemail is an automatic answering service offered by your phone service provider. After you subscribe to this service, your phone service provider’s voice mail system answers calls for you when you are unavailable to answer the phone or when your line is busy. When a message is recorded a notification is displayed.
So, you diligently practice this presentation, yet when you call, all you get is a voicemail. You will have to decide whether to leave a voicemail – it is debatable. Try your own experiment to see what works. I recommend leaving voicemails.
Arguably the most intimidating factor when leaving a voice mail is the fact that once you leave the message, "in one take," there is no taking it back. That is why, especially in the business world, an overwhelming amount of people revert to email rather than leaving a voice mail message. Especially in a technologically advanced world, email or text messages are now used as a primary form of communication. Although there is a good argument behind opting for the written word over the spoken one, an email can lack the human touch, the emotion and enthusiasm in a voice, that can often times generate a better response. In fact, there is no impact that compares to delivering a clear, concise, professional message through your own unique human voice.
This voicemail is simple, packed with value, and straightforward. It also sets the tone for what doing business with you is like. But delivery is everything. So, take a look at these tips for implementing your voicemail script like a pro.
For example, instead of saying, “Hi, I was wondering if you’re looking for different web hosting,” you could personalize it by saying, “Hi [name]. I wanted to pick your brain about the web host [company name] is currently using. What are the challenges or successes you’ve had with it?”
Hey guess who this is? You guessed it. Guess what you have to do now? You guessed it.
“Hi _________, this is _______ ________ again with (your company). For some reason we haven’t been able to connect since I sent you (your demo, proposal, etc.), and believe me, I’ve been sales long enough to know what that probably means. I’m assuming you’ve either found another solution or this has been put on the back burner for now. Either way, that’s fine.
Before any selling can begin, it is your job to engage and connect with the person on the other end of the line. So, push to build that relationship first. After all, the point of a voicemail message is to create a call to action and have it returned.
Rehearse your greeting a few times before you press record. Plan your pauses and select natural places to take a breath. If you are recording directly into your phone don't hold it to your ear like you are talking on the phone. This can produce a muffled tone. Hold the phone out in front of you a few inches from your mouth for the clearest recording. This may require some trial and error. So playback your greeting and make necessary adjustments on your re-record.
Additionally, you will want to close out your voicemail by (re)stating your contact information and name and purpose of your call. This is another little trick of leaving voicemails - people tend to remember the first and last things you say more so than the middle, so by summarizing the important pieces of your message at the end, what you said is more likely to stick.
4. Enter your voicemail password. If you have set a password lock for your voicemail account, you will be prompted to key it in. Use the dial pad to do so.
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
By default beginning April 2017, voicemail transcription is available for all Phone System in Microsoft 365 users. When you receive a voicemail, the message will be transcribed in the body of the voicemail email you receive in your mailbox. If you do not want to have transcription for your messages, ask your admin to disable it for you.
I’ve got you covered. I’ve compiled some of the best voicemail greetings you can use for virtually any situation you’ll come across.
I always end voicemails with my phone number. The reasoning? First, it's his cue to wrap up. It keeps him from rambling and gives the prospect a clear call to action: Call him back.