If you leave a message, here is a collection of techniques that have gotten calls returned: First name and number only (in a very businesslike manner). It seems that calls are returned in inverse proportion to the amount of information left. Be funny Clean wit will get response. Be indirect “I was going to mail you important information, and I wanted to confirm your address.” Offer fun “I had two extra tickets to the Knights game and I thought you might be interested. (here’s the sure shot) Please call me if you can’t go so I’m able to give the tickets to someone else.” If it was positive first meeting, remind the prospect where you met. Dangle the carrot. Leave just enough information to entice. Ask a provocative or thought provoking question.
The last step is to end the recording and save your voicemail. It’s a good practice to leave your contact number once again before you end your message so that your recipient can easily call you back.

Think through what you are going to say before you place the call. When men hear the beep, they often freeze up and forget what they wanted to say. If you want to be the go-to guy at work, then you have to exhibit competence on all levels. Don’t spoil your confident image by hemming and hawing and filling your messages with “uhhhhs,” and “ummmms.” If it’s a really important call, consider writing out what you want to say beforehand. If the person picks up, great, you now have some notes to remember what you wanted to talk about. If they don’t answer, you can leave a clear and concise message.
Services like slydial allow you to bypass the dial and go straight to voicemail. Simply download the app for iPhone or Android, choose from a basic (free) or premium subscription, and start dialing. Your address book will populate automatically in the app. All you have to do is click on a contact to reach their voicemail.