The Perils of Voice Mail

The perils of voice mail

                                                Tim Connor

It’s a new world.  Twenty years ago if you left a message for a customer or prospect requesting a return call regarding discussing your services and benefits for them, you would have had a better than average chance of having your call returned.  Flash forward twenty years.

In an average week I make over 50 telephone calls to a variety of organizations that I believe that if they did business with me they would see this as a win-win for all.  Let me share last week’s results with you; 75 calls.  Left 60 messages asking people to call me back and zero return calls.  So, as I sit and consider these rather discouraging results I have to wonder, should I just throw my phone away and take next week off and head to the beach?

What has changed or has anything really changed?  First of all let me say that I understand the importance of an engaging and thought-provoking voice mail message and the ability to connect with someone considering their problems, challenges or issues.  So I don’t think that’s the main issue here.  What I believe is going on is a variety of issues that we can’t control.  Please keep in mind I’m not judging any of these as good or bad but just the way it is. They are;

-          People have more on their plate today than at any time in history.

-          People are relying more and more on technology to buy and sell.

-          People have more buying options to consider than ever before.

-          Due to an uncertain economy most folks are playing a wait and see game and are unwilling to act or even consider alternative solutions.

-          Time today for most people seems to be a very limited commodity.

-          Buying habits are changing due to the impact of technology.

-          People are losing the ability to have engaging and thought provoking conversations.

Yes, there are others but I believe if you are trying to sell your products and services today and you want to have an acceptable level of success as well as differentiate yourself from the competition you need to adopt a blending approach but let me reiterate – it must include reaching out to people on a one on one basis and this means using the telephone, and yes I am including cell phones in this mix.  Land lines are becoming a thing of the past but trust me the need to talk to people will never be replaced with technology.

So, what can you do to improve the dismal results I achieved last week?

One – know (be familiar with) your market, customer, prospect and their major needs and/or challenges.

Two – Take the time to develop an engaging, creative, thought provoking and informative message.

Three – Keep your message to less than 45 seconds.

Four – End the message with a question or an action statement for example; I’m sure you are busy so I will give you a return call (tomorrow) next week if you are unable to return my call. Let them know you are not going to give up and sooner or later they will need to have a conversation with you.  Question – Are you aware that (fill in the blank).

Five – Develop a follow-up call message that moves the process forward even if you get voice mail a second time.  Leave a website address for them to visit.  Leave them with a testimonial statement from a customer.  Etc.

Six – Don’t quit or get discouraged by your lack of success.  Selling takes consistent activity (the right activity) if you want eventual success.  Giving up after a lot of disappointment or apparent failure is evidence that you should consider a different career.

Take some time and consider your approach, reactions to its use and then be willing to continue to refine, tweak and improve your message.  It takes time, patience and practice to eventually achieve the outcomes you want.