It is no surprise that your actual voice mail greeting must be delivered in the same way: Professional, clear, brief, and to the point. In a previous blog, "Marketing Messages on Your Cell Say You Mean Business," some techniques for making a professional voice mail greeting were discussed. There are many similarities between leaving a voice mail, and producing a voice mail greeting. You want your callers and receivers to hear a confident and professional person on the other end delivering a coherent message. You should introduce yourself to a prospective client in a personal way. An email doesn't generate much discussion, nor does it necessarily show you went the extra mile in contacting the client. Generating conversation. A professional, well conveyed voice message shows the voice mail receiver that you are confident and well-spoken, and that there is a person behind the message. Emails can be prepared, edited, and revised unlike voice mail messages An email or email chain thread is documentation of a conversation that can easily be referenced In an email you can include a phone number, address, website, etc that may be hard to remember or record through voice mail communication Emails can be forwarded, CC'ed, and blasted.
While both types of messages should be customized to a given buyer, voicemails should be ultra-specific. In an email, I might ask for a referral, an appointment, or feedback on a content asset they downloaded. These sorts of classic questions -- while still tailored to the buyer -- can be customized for reuse with another prospect, or another 100 prospects.

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
When leaving your voicemail and phone number, do not say, "Please call me back at ..." Nothing sounds more like a salesperson making a cold call then saying, "please call me back at...".