The Serial Position Effect states that the human brain is most adept at recalling the first and last items in a series. For sales reps, this psychological phenomenon means that your voicemails are much more likely to be remembered if they're listened to at the beginning or the end of the day.
In the video lesson, I shared this example for a common voicemail greeting in English:
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5.) If you’re calling a home line, and know the family, it’s nice to say a group “Hello” before leaving a message specifically for the person you called. Say something like this: “Hi everyone, it’s Maralee. Hope you’re enjoying Spring Break! Janet, I wanted to see if you and I could meet for lunch one day next week. My schedule is pretty open, and we could pick a restaurant near your office. I know your lunch schedules are tight. I’ll give you a call back at 7:00 tonight. Or I’m around all afternoon, so give me a call!” (Boy, home lines are becoming rare, aren’t they? We gave ours up a couple of months ago.)
I wish that I’d read this a few years ago. I think that we all have a few voicemails that we wish that we could keep forever, but I lost a few a couple years ago. I think that my current system stores them in a digital messaging system, like you mentioned, so they should be able to be saved. Thanks for the post!
5. On your dial pad, press “1” to listen to your messages, the most recent message should play first.
The trick is to stay on the line even if you’ve already recorded the message. Never make the mistake of hanging up, as you will never be able to save yourself! So what should you do?
You only have so much time to make a meaningful impression on your prospect. Stick to talking about the tangible benefits you can offer, and keep your language straightforward and accessible.
The body is the meat and potatoes of your voicemail. This is the section where you leave details about why you are calling and what you hope to achieve from this voicemail, which is usually a call back.
You can set up and manage your voicemail greetings in the Calling User Portal.
A special high five to Margot Howard for her outstanding research and contributions to this article. We love working with and supporting like-minded entrepreneurs who are passionate about business success strategies. Thank you Margot! ❤️
Yes, you can make an email personalized, too. But voicemail is already much more personal than an email, and your level of customization should rise to meet that. Plus, if you’ve spoken with the contact in the past, there’s an even bigger opportunity to build on what you already know and cater the message to them.
In order to leave an effective professional voice mail, there are crucial techniques to master: The way you sound is the most important thing to remember. You want to leave a good and lasting impression on the person you called. People respond better to positive and energetic tones, keeping in mind to use an authoritative voice. People tend to respond and feel more comfortable if you have a mutual friend, contact or co-worker in common. Mention it! If possible, finding a creative link makes yourself memorable. No one wants to listen to a rambling voice mail especially in our fast-paced business culture. Sometimes upon retrieving voice mail messages, a recording tells you how long the upcoming message is. If it's too long, you will probably be deleted before you have even been heard. When you focus your message on one clear and confined topic, you will most likely get a call back. Open ended voice mails are unfavorable among clients. The point of a voice mail is to get what you need answered. Tell them what you want them to do, e.g. "Call me back." "Check out my website." Say your contact information clear and slow. Most of the time people are listening to their messages on-the-go, so try to eliminate the potential of having them repeat the message over. Leaving your email address as contact option is a good way to come across less threatening
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.
But it appears I’m not alone. Here’s a portion of one reader’s letter; see whether you relate!
Hi! So sorry it took me a few days to respond. I’m so sorry to hear what you’ve been going through. There are a few recorders that we mention in the post, but if those don’t work, try the service that Bonnie mentioned on the comments (http://www.voicemailsforever.com) or try contacting ATT and see if they have any ideas for you. One other option might be a portable speaker that so many stores have now, that you can use to listen to music on your cell phone or tablet. They really amplify sound. Let me know how things work out! Laura
4. Save and delete messages. Voicemails will be deleted if the auto-save period is reached. The auto-save period can be from 14 to 30 days, depending on the type of voicemail.
The voicemail greeting is an important element of your business’ phone system because it is often the first impression of your business that customers will have. Creating a really good voicemail greeting is a unique opportunity that you can use to impress customers by putting your best face on, while increasing the chances that you’ll retain their business in those times when …