It happened to me again this week. I checked voicemail only to find another message that left no doubt in my mind why I shouldn’t bother returning the phone call, regardless if I would even have a desire to buy what they’re selling.
The lowdown of the message was it failed in two areas. First, the tone of voice was pathetic. The voice communicated zero energy and zero engagement with me. Second, the message was clearly being read from a script. Using the word “script” to describe it doesn’t really capture what I experienced. The message being left was more like a short novel. It was ridiculous. Not only did it include the sales pitch, but also the price point and everything else that would justify me NOT to call them back.
Even if the message was about something I might have been interested in buying, there was no way I was going to buy because of how the message was left on my voice mail. If you can’t leave the message with some enthusiasm, don’t leave a message. And if you can’t leave a message with a sense of personalization, then don’t do it. Finally, the message should last no more than 8-11 seconds. That’s it. If you can’t do it in that time frame, don’t do it.
Yes, it takes experience to be able to leave a good voice mail message. That’s why I’m a firm believer when you’re prospecting to not even try to leave a voice mail message until you’ve tried the reach the actual person at least 3 times, with each call being on a different day of the week and a different time of the day.
Want more phone tips? Check out my website in the “Sales Training Resources” section, where I have a number of articles to help you sharpen your skills.
Copyright 2010, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
