If you have a career in sales, chances are that you leave more voicemails than you do anything else. The fact is that sales reps spend more time leaving messages than closing deals. I believe if that is what you do most, then that is what you should do best, especially if a voicemail is the first impression a prospect has of you! Unfortunately, not many of us are voicemail pros. In my opinion, way over 95 percent of all sales voicemails are horrible! Even from the “experts.” We are still falling short.
I have read many blog posts and articles talking about what to do or what not to do when it comes to leaving a sales voice message. And to my surprise, there isn’t enough quality content out there on this subject! I found only incomplete checklists, inconsistent facts or common-sense practices presented as if they were earth-shattering reveals. Even Salesforce and HubSpot, two companies whom I respect a ton, missed the mark on this one!
So let’s start with the obvious:
The Name Drop
The cardinal sins when talking to a prospect or lead on the phone also apply to leaving voicemails!
This includes using a full name, for example, Michael P. Smith, use a shortened name like” Mike.” I’ve even had more fun with it and left messages saying “Mikey” or “Johnny.” I would do this as one of my last voicemails at the end of my sales cycle, and by doing so I did get some callbacks. Sometimes they didn’t like the nickname, other times it broke the ice and set me apart from everyone else calling them (and that’s just what we want).
Use Common Sense
Don’t ever pitch someone over a voicemail! Also avoid the “or else,” such as, “Please call me back by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.” I know many sales tactics preach sacristy, but don’t do it on a voicemail. I’d also avoid leaving the time that your office opens and closes. Use common sense – if you heard someone leaving you a message like the one you just left, would you call yourself back?
I highly advise leaving a message for yourself and playing it back when you get home to see your true progress. I’d advise doing this while you are trying to perfect your voicemail. This is also a good practice to do to keep yourself in check.
Keep it simple and don’t get overly creative. Gimmicks and being evasive will only piss people off. Don’t try to disguise what you are calling about. Everybody has a Caller ID and chances are the prospect is screening the call and that’s why you are getting their voicemail. So by only saying your name and not the name of your company in your opening or waiting to bait them into listening to more of your voicemail before you reveal who you work for really doesn’t matter. So say the name of your company, and you should be proud to do so! If you don’t believe that the product you are selling can greatly benefit that person, or if you feel that they don’t need your product, you are either wasting your time by calling the wrong prospect or working for the wrong company.
Now the not-so-obvious:
It’s Not What You Say but How You Say It
Even if you leave 200 voicemails a day, it shouldn’t sound like it! You need to make sure each voicemail sounds like it is the only one you are leaving that day. You will know when you start doing it right because you will be exhausted by the end of the day. A piece of you needs to be left in each voicemail. If you are rushing through the voicemail just to get on to the next call, it will sound just like that and you won’t get a callback, and even worse, when you do get them on the phone, they will hang up. You must speak clearly and in a normal, positive and confident voice tone. I also advise saying your name and callback number twice. You need to be positive and upbeat – nobody want to talk to Debbie Downer. Use inflections in your voice tones to get a response. Don’t go overboard or else you’ll sound like a nut job. Each voicemail should sound unique, even if it’s scripted. Again, you should be leaving a piece of who you are on each voicemail. They need to sound sincere, unique and genuine.
Don’t “Leave a Message” at the Tone
I’m not advising to avoid leaving messages and hang up on voicemails. What I’m referring to is talking to that person through the voicemail.” Simply put, your message should be natural and personable. Remember, you’re leaving that person a message, they are people the same as you and I, so show them respect and don’t fill up their voicemail with something that sounds super sales-like. You must leave a message with the same voice tonality, tempo and verbal style as you would respond to. Would you call back Mr. Roboto sounding like super sales voicemail guy? Hell no!! But would you call someone who is talking to you on your voicemail using great tonality and a personalized message? Yes!!
Depending on what you are selling and how the lead was acquired, the message would be created around that. And you shouldn’t be leaving the exact same message every time you call. Your voicemails need to follow a progression that is followed up with your emails; this ultimately sets the table for your pitch. This is what I refer to as the Complete Sales Dialog. This is what most of my clients hire me to help them develop.
Putting It All Together
The message should be concise, direct and to the point (20–30 seconds). Use a positive professional yet personable voice. Be you, not another salesman calling. Even if you are reading a script. don’t let it sound that way. Make each message personal for your prospect. Speak clearly and “talk to the person” via voicemail and don’t leave a message. This means that you call the person by their first name and do it a couple of times throughout the message. Let them know why you are calling. I’ve had a lot of success with saying that you need a “quick callback” or you need to “ask them a quick question.” They will be more inclined to call you back if they see the value of calling you back. Also, if they know you’re not going to keep them on the line for an hour-long hard-sell call, they will be more receptive to speak to you in the future. If you want to be successful, the focus should always be on what you can do for the client, not what you can sell them. This can be expressed in your tone. If the voicemail sounds sincere, you are accomplishing all of that without saying it.
With the information I’ve shared with you, you will be able to dramatically improve your sales voicemails. Just like deals, there are some people that can’t be closed. There are some people that will simply never call you back. When you apply correctly what I just went over, most of you will start to see an increase in callbacks.
The main goal in leaving proper voicemails is to get the prospect to stop screening their calls and to pick up the next time you call. What really happens is your voicemails disarm your prospects and they start answering your calls. The prospect will feel as if they know you. And that’s because of the psychological factors in how your messages were left. At some point in time you will be taken off-guard by the prospect answering the phone calling you by your first name. I love it when a prospect answers by saying, “Hello JJ, I’ve been meaning to call you back.”