Let's get back to performance anxiety. Our fear of being judged negatively fuels our performance anxiety in any situation. When it comes to voicemail, we are being judged on our tone of voice and the clarity of our information.
Maralee McKee is dedicated to helping you become the person you most want to be and to live a confident, kind, and generous life! She is a contemporary etiquette, manners, and people skill expert and the founder of the prestigious Etiquette School of America. She's in the top one percent of experts in her field, and her etiquette skills blog is the most read in the United States. Maralee presents business etiquette seminars to corporations large and small and coaches individuals one-on-one virtually and in-person. Her book on how moms can teach their children to become the best version of themselves (Harvest House Publishing) earned the prestigious Mom’s Choice Gold Award for excellence in parenting books.
.
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.
First look: Lucid Motors starts production in Casa Grande with first deliveries expected in October
“Hello! You’ve reached the voicemail of [your name], [your job title]. I’m currently either away from my desk or on the other line. Please leave your name, telephone number, and a short message after the beep, and I’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as I’m available.”
And it isn't like you're wasting their time with the longer message. This person called you, which means that they set aside, at minimum, about 5 minutes for their call and they were mentally prepared to spend at least a minute on polite "Hi Bob, how are you and the family?" chit-chat, so a message that is 10 seconds longer is NOT an imposition.
Customer experience is today’s business battleground. At a time where it’s common for even the most established businesses to deliver poor service, incompetent support, and just outright bad communication, how do you stand out? As big companies fail in the customer experience department, doors open for small business owners and entrepreneurs to distinguish themselves.
If you can, try to keep your message 20 to 30 seconds long — max. This is the sweet spot for sharing just enough information without going overboard, potentially getting cut off by the recipient’s voice mailbox system, or having the listener hang up early because your message was simply too long. Speak clearly, avoid rambling, and get straight to the point.
You should script out your greetings, rehearse, and find a tone of voice that is reflective of your professionalism and your company’s personality. If applicable, your tone and your message should take into account that certain industries and companies are more conservative than others.
After a prospect finishes listening to your email, they should be very clear on what the next step of the sales process is. Whether you ended the voicemail asking a question they are prompted to answer, left your contact information instructing them to call you back, or told them to look out for a follow-up email, the message recipient should know exactly what’s coming next, and how to behave accordingly if they are interested in the deal.
Friends and colleagues speak to each using first names only. So do people of authority. They do not call each other and leave voicemail messages asking for Mister, Miss, or Mrs. Therefore, when you call a person you want to do business with and you leave a voicemail message, refer to them by their first name only. Don't say mister, miss, or misses. Don't say their last name. Begin your voicemail message by saying only "hi/hello" followed by the person's first name. Or, you can even forget the "hi/hello" and just say the person's first name. That is how you show confidence and authority and separate yourself from weak salespeople.
Choose a greeting—Default or Custom; if you choose Custom, you can record a new greeting.
1. Change your iPhone voicemail greeting using the Phone app on your device. The Phone app is the one with the white phone icon in a green box. For many users, this icon is one of the four permanent apps on the bottom of the screen.
15. “Hi, Thanks for giving us a call! Sorry, but we are closed right now. Please leave us your name, number and the best time to reach you and we’ll get back to you within the day. Thank you.”
You can do so by logging in to your carrier’s website or contacting customer service for assistance. Some network providers also let you do so via their mobile app. Go to Settings → Phone → Change Voicemail Password.Enter the new password.
At the same time, if the prospect can’t hear or understand you, all of your work is wasted. Drink water, clear your throat, and invest in a good headset or phone. Be aware of your accent or the way you say words or numbers. And, avoid sales speak and buzzwords.
Logging in after leaving a message: After you get the greeting for another user's voice mailbox, you can press #R to log into your voice mailbox. Press *R immediately or leave a message and then press *R. This feature is useful for long distance or pay calls because you can leave and get messages with one phone call.