11 Tips for Voicemail Greatness

Leaving an effective voicemail message isn’t hard, but there are a few important things to keep in mind. Here are a few tips that may increase your callback rate.

1. Perfect your tone. You want prospects to know that you respect their time. You also want to convey that you’re not a cyborg. Maintain a tone that’s both businesslike and warm:
• Be upbeat (but not disc-jockey upbeat)
• Be professional (but not stuffed-shirt professional)
• Be friendly (but not Velveeta-cheese friendly)
2. Develop a script. But don’t practice it on prospects. Deliver it in front of the mirror and/or coworkers until you can recite it with calm, natural ease. (In other words, make sure it doesn’t sound like you’re reading a script.)
3. Keep it short. We all hate voicemail ramblers. This is what a ramble says to a prospect: “Hi, I‘m disorganized and flaky and don’t care that I’m wasting your time with this message … Howzabout giving me your money!”
4. Speak slowly and clearly. You may be in a rush. You may have a thousand calls to make today. Nonetheless, slow down. You want to convince your prospect that he or she is the most important person you’ll call today—not that they are just another name on your call list.
5. Include the relevant information. State your telephone number twice—at the beginning and end. And do it slowly. We’ve all had to listen to a message six times in order to finally get the number. Annoying, isn’t it? Also, give your first and last name and tell them why you’re calling.
6. Don’t be mysterious and skip the gimmicks. There’s no silver bullet for getting your calls returned. Some so-called cold-calling experts suggest piquing curiosity by leaving only a name and number or using canned phrases like “This will be the most important call that you return today.” One word: lame.
7. Be yourself. (Unless you’re a cyborg, wannabe disc jockey, stuffed shirt, or cheeseball.)
8. Don’t expect a call back. One option is to leave your number and also let the lead know that you will call him or her back. This takes the pressure off the lead and gives you the green light to be persistent. It also gives the consumer the option to call you.
9. Listen to this podcast from 43 Folders. Good information and funny.
10. Don’t get into your sales spiel. The first goal in leaving a voicemail message is getting a callback, not selling a policy. And by delving into your sales pitch you will inevitably violate the ‘keep it short’ rule.
11. Create a great outgoing voicemail greeting. If a lead calls and gets your voicemail, what will he or she think? Does your greeting help or hurt your cause? Tone, brevity, clarity and relevance matter as much in your voicemail greeting as they do in your voicemail messages. [Follow tips 1-7, 10]