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The telephone is still a great prospecting tool, despite what some naysayers might want you to believe.

Voicemail is a great extension of it and can get you connections you’d never get any other way.  In my new book High-Profit Prospecting, I devote  several chapters to the discussion of the telephone and voicemail.

Here are 11 things you need to know when using voicemail as a prospecting tool, which I cover in far more detail in my book.

1.  Only include three things: a greeting, a call to action, and contact information.

2.  Never let your voicemail go longer than 18 seconds and strive to keep it as close to 12 seconds as possible.

3.  Give the prospect information they will value and want to receive.

4.  State your message with confidence and a full voice.

5.  State your phone number twice and say it slowly.

6.  Do not leave your website address or say when you’re available.

7.  Use a headset to allow you to speak with your hands.

8.  Note in your CRM what message you left, so you never leave the same message twice.

9.  Leave your subsequent messages on different days of the week and different times of the day.

10.  Use the person’s first name twice.

11.  Use voicemail along with other prospecting tools.

Pros of Voicemail
  • Prospect can listen to your voice and feel your confidence and energy.
  • You can leave a tight and concise message that demonstrates you respect the prospect’s time.
  • You have a chance to build awareness with the prospect. Your messages serve as a form of advertising, helping the prospect become more familiar with you.
  • You can leave messages at different times of the day, which shows the prospect you’re willing to work hard.
  • The prospect can listen to messages at a time convenient for them.

Cons of Voicemail

  • Learning how to leave a good message takes time and practice.
  • Depending on your CRM system and the tools you have, the information you leave might be harder to get into the system.
  • There is a risk of the prospect not listening to the message; however, this risk is no greater than with any other prospecting tool you might use.
Will these be the same pros and cons five years from now? I don’t have an answer to that, but I’m not going to worry about it. My goal is to make this quarter’s number, and I know voicemail works for reaching that goal.

High Profit ProspectingCopyright 2016, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.

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