When executed correctly, voicemails can be an integral part of a company’s overall contact strategy. Voicemail is a free opportunity to convey your message, take advantage of it.
Why leave the voicemail to begin with? Salespeople who call and hang up screen themselves out of the process. When your number is consistently coming up as a missed call, the prospect will begin to recognize your number and avoid taking your future calls.
Length and Timing of the Voice Mail
Talking too slowly is a sign of disrespect of your prospects time and will leave them aggravated, reversely talking too fast will leave them confused. An effective voicemail can be completed within 20 to 30 seconds. Plan out your call ahead of time so you are getting all the of the relevant information in without rushing. Ensure that you are speaking in a regular cadence and slow down to add emphasis to certain elements of the phone call such as your callback number.
Increase your callback rate by calling your prospects at the right time. It is essential to assume the prospect you are calling receives a lot of voicemails, especially in B2B sales. If you plan your calls for a time when your prospects voicemail volume is expected to be lower, you will be more likely to receive a response. Aim for the morning hours before a typical workday begins or for the early evening.
Planning ahead
Fail to plan, plan to fail. In order to keep the voicemail at an appropriate length and not sound rushed, it is important to plan the voicemail ahead of time. Regardless of whether you think the prospect will answer your call, you should always plan ahead to leave a voicemail. Do your research ahead of time so you are able to sound thoroughly educated on the prospect and/or their company.
Creating your own voicemail template makes the planning process for each call faster. Taking your template and personalizing it for each call will make the process much faster and allow you to increase your number of calls per day.
Starting Strong with the WHY
Lead with the important information, avoid starting the voicemail with “Hi, my name is John from company XYZ”. An approach like this is outdated and will immediately hinder the effect of your voicemail. You want to create a more personal experience for the prospect by using your predetermined voicemail template and using your research on the prospect to make it specific to their needs.
Why are you calling them? State your purpose at the beginning of the call to show that you are respectful of their time. You don’t want your sales pitch to be a carbon copy of your elevator pitch. Your prospect will be able to tell when they are simply apart of a streamlined process. Be confident and natural. Create excitement in your prospect by showing them that you know your stuff, and ensure that you are always speaking in a confident tone.
Follow Up
Build urgency into your call. Find creative ways to make the voicemail intriguing, leave the prospect wanting to hear more. Ideally, the prospect should feel as though they owe you a response after listening to your voicemail. Let them know exactly what day and time you will be calling to follow up, this will show your accountability and determination.
The best way to sound confident is to be confident. Build confidence in your voicemail capabilities by consistently practicing and always working to be better. Our Skills Faktori helps individuals develop the skills and strategies such as being confident in your voicemail capabilities. At the Faktori we recognize the difference between the top and the bottom is effective effort and understanding. Click here to learning more about our sales training process.
