7 years ago
February 21, 2017

3 Voicemail Tactics to Help You Get The Call Back

Here are a few tips to help you improve your voicemail skills, and increase your callbacks.

Rhys Metler

Getting a callback from a voicemail is challenging. A lot of people stop listening and delete their messages after just a few seconds, giving you a very small window to grab their attention. In most instances, their caller ID has already told them who you are, and they can probably guess why you’re calling. If they don’t hear something new and interesting in the first few seconds, your voicemail will likely be deleted without any follow up from your prospect. To get more callbacks, you have to maximize the few seconds you’ll have, and make it worth their time to listen to your message and call you back. Here are a few tips to help you improve your voicemail skills, and increase your callbacks.

Get to the Point

One of two things happens when you leave a voicemail: either they already know who you are and what you do, or they don’t. If they do, introducing yourself and your company is a waste of their time, and the voicemail is deleted. If they don’t, they probably don’t care, introducing yourself and your company is a waste of time, and your voicemail is deleted. What both parties do care about is “why are you calling me?”

Start with the exact reason you’re calling them. Whatever your value statement is, it should be made in the first few sentences of the message. Your value proposition should focus not on sales, but on what your company can do for them, and what you’ve done for other people with similar needs. This will get their attention and, hopefully, keep them listening.

Keep it Brief

We all have that friend or relative who likes to call and leave voicemails that drag on forever. The next time you get one of those, look at the timer when the voicemail is over. Chances are that voicemail that seemed interminable only lasted a minute or two. And that’s from a friend or relative-imagine how long it would seem coming from a salesperson. If you don’t want your voicemail to be deleted halfway through, keep it as brief as possible.

There is only so much information you can deliver in a voicemail. Don’t try to give them every detail, just stick to the most relevant, and attention grabbing, points. If your product can save them money, tell them that-you don’t need to explain every detail on how it saves money. You’re trying to give them enough to pique their interest and get them on the phone for a sales call. If your message is more than thirty seconds long, there’s a good chance it will just be deleted.

Don’t Sell

This isn’t a sales call. This is a voicemail attempting to get a call back. Save the sales call for when you have a live person on the other end of the line. Their voicemail server isn’t going to be impressed with your sales skills, and your voicemail is likely to be erased. Trying to sell something in a recorded message is a waste of their time, and your effort.

The brief time you have available before they give up on your voicemail means that you have to connect with them quickly. That means making the call all about them, and their needs. Your only part in the equation is being able to help them with those needs. If they think you’re only interested in making a sale, and not actually invested in helping them, then they’ll never make it to the end of the message, and they won’t be calling you back.

Rhys Metler

Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.

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