Everyone has gotten endless sales calls whether on their cell phone or at their business number. Usually Caller ID helps us avoid having to take those calls. But when you are on the other end, it can be discouraging to leave several voicemails, fearing you will never be called back. How can you draw the customer in? How can you make the customer look forward to your next call? Ultimately, how can you increase your return call rate? This article will help you improve in those areas.
How to Leave a Professional Voicemail
There are a number of important things that go into making a sales calls. Always be prepared with a game plan for both a live conversation and a voicemail. Never assume your client won’t answer, just because they don’t usually. While you are determining what to say, you need to think about who you are talking too.
Leaving a voicemail with someone you haven’t talked to
When leaving a voicemail with someone you haven’t talked to, you probably have gotten a referral or done a little research. With these calls, keep it short. Get in, get out, and hang up. Voicemail isn’t the time to leave your two minute commercial, keep it brief. Simply, by eliminating wasteful words you should improve your call back rates dramatically. If you have a referral with the person you are contacting, quickly reference them. You don’t need to explain that you have history dating back for years.
Leaving a voicemail with someone you have talked to before
These calls are often to people who at first seemed promising, but have since disappeared. Again, don’t use the voicemail to try and sell them or as a desperate plea to regain their interest. Explain that you are trying to figure out where they stand in regard to your previous conversations and request a call back.
Things That Make You Sound Like a Salesperson:
Most of the people you will be talking to will be resistant to another salesperson intruding into their busy day. Here are some things that make you sound like just another salesperson.
- Saying “please” and “thank you” too often
- Sounding too scripted
- Worn out lines such as “how are you doing?”
- Sounding like you’re on call 39 of 40 for the day
- Assuming the client wants a meeting when you first talk to them
All these suggestions should be taken in context. For example, it is good to be polite, but be natural about it. You should have a script, but be comfortable with it, that you don’t sound scripted.
Leaving voicemails can be feel like a waste of time. But with the right approach it can become a powerful tool in your selling arsenal. For more information including example voicemail messages, check out our excellent book, Prospect the Sandler Way. Learn more about how to apply these principles from Sandler Training Solutions.
