Osman SheikhLeaving sales voicemails should be easy, right?
Unlike most sales activities, you’ve got time to prepare. You don’t have to worry about anyone derailing your train of thought with an off-the-wall question or objection. All you have to do is wait for the beep, and speak confidently for a few seconds.
Then you sit back and hope your prospect is interested enough to call back. Unfortunately, most of the time this won’t happen. Most sales voicemails get deleted, but with a little though and practice, you can make each voicemail count.
Here are 7 tactics you can use to make your sales voicemails more effective.
1. Leave Something to the Imagination
Think of it like a movie preview. If you give away the whole plot, then there’s no point in seeing the movie. So you do some crafty editing, share a few juicy plot points, and always leave the recipient wanting more.
When leaving messages, only provide as much information as you need to generate interest. Try leaving just your name and contact information, while leaving out other information, like where you work, for the actual call.
When the recipient calls back to find out more, you get the opportunity you need to move things forward.
2. Leave Voicemails at The Right Times
If you only leave messages during peak hours, you risk being ignored, forgotten, or simply slipping through the cracks.
Plan your calls for times when your target’s voicemail volume is likely to be lower, and you’re more likely to get a response. Aim for the morning hours before the typical workday starts, and for the early evening.
3. Build In Some Urgency
Start your message by mentioning the date and time you’re calling, and work in a planned callback time later in the message. Even if your target doesn’t call back, you can score points by calling again at the date and time you said you would.
4. Be Confident, but Natural
The best way to sound confident is to be confident, and that takes practice. Practice leaving messages, and develop various tactics to handle your different targets. You should have a message planned before you pick up the phone.
5. Offer One Point of Contact
Don’t leave your home, office, and cell numbers. Just give them the number you want them to call. If you’re optimizing only for callbacks, stick to one phone number. If you’re aiming for call and email responses, provide one number and one address.
Make it easier for your target to contact you, and you’re more likely to get a response.
6. Automate for Efficiency
Striking the right balance of confidence, knowledge, and enthusiasm is challenging. Why force yourself to do it more often than necessary?
Look into voicemail automation tools to help you improve the efficiency and quality of your voicemails.
7. Find a Connection
Customers are instantly skeptical of messages that are pure sales-pitch. Adding context is the best way to combat that skepticism, and put your target at ease.
Did you recently attend the same event as your target, or make a connection on social media? Do you have mutual friends, or a mutual topic of interest? Look for any opportunity you can find to make a connection with your target, and do some research up front whenever possible.
Practice leaving messages to ensure that you sound confident, and automate when your voicemail load is heavy. Learn about your target before calling, and add context to your message. Increase your callback rate by calling at the right time, and building urgency in your message.
Dedicate yourself to the process, and watch your success rate soar.
Originally published on Ringio Hypersales Blog and written by Osman Sheikh.
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