When deciding on the best personal voicemail greeting, think about your intended listener. If you are recording the message for a business phone, start with letting the callers know they have reached the correct number before asking them to leave their pertinent information, such as their name, phone number, and reason for calling. If you are recording the message for your personal phone number, it is okay to have a little fun and show off your distinctive style. Just remember that frequent callers will hear that message many times, and while it may be cute the first few times, after a while it can grow irritating, leading the caller to hang up without leaving a message. Is Amazon actually giving you the best price? This little known plugin reveals the answer.
I have a confession to make: I haven’t recorded a new voicemail greeting since 2014. In the past four years, I (hopefully) have become more articulate, poised, and self-assured. But hear my voicemail recording, and you’d think I was still new to the work world, a little unsure of myself — and probably not an authority. Obviously I need toupdate it. And if you haven’t changed your voicemail greeting in over a year, you’re likely in the same boat. After all, a professional voicemail recording boosts your credibility, makes you seem more competent, and encourages whoever’s listening to it to continue the relationship. A relatively unprofessional one — like mine, for instance — does the opposite: It encourages prospects, recruiters, and potential connections to run in the other direction. With that in mind, I’ve written 18 unique voicemail greetings for every situation. Pick your favorite, practice a few times, then record your new voicemail.
