Does anyone leave voicemails anymore?

Absolutely you should leave a voicemail. A well crafted message positions your firm for future conversations. Many of my clients have received call backs from VPs, Directors and CEOs after leaving messages such as this.

"Eric. Jane Kerry calling. 123-456-7890. In researching your company, I saw that a key strategic bjectives in the upcoming year is to drive sales of your new products.

"I have some ideas on how you can shorten time to revenue. Let's set up a time to talk. I'll send you an email with a couple options. Again, it's Jane Kerry. 123-456-7890."

Not only have my clients landed appointments with these direct, well-researched and targeted messages, but they've also closed big deals in very short time frames.

However, I truly believe in a combined e-mail/voicemail approach to capture a prospect's attention and get that meeting set up.

i suggest my clients not leave voice mails, as folks who you don't know have no reason to return the call, and you're left waiting for x amount of time to see if they will call back. i try to get to speak with the assistant and have the assistant set up a phone appointment.

when it's vital that i do leave a v.m. or when i've tried early a.m.and late p.m., i use my Buying Facilitation(R) model as part of the v.m. I say:
My name is Sharon Drew Morgen, and I am the developer of a visionary sales model. I'm making a cold call to you. I'm wondering how you are currently adding new selling skills to the ones you're currently using, and if you and your Buying Decision Team are considering adding new skills, what you would need to consider to bring in a visionary tool kit. If you are considering options in the area that I would love to have a conversation. Thanks for your time.

I'm actually using the model ON them - I'm doing what I'm selling.
but i would never, ever leave a voice mail that leaves a pitch - then you'll only get a return call from people who will put you in a price war because price is the only differentiator.

hope this helps.
sd

Always a raging debate. We encourage the use of voice mail throughout the sales process. Not leaving a voice mail is like getting all dressed up to go to a party, driving to the address, standing outside the door and never ringing the doorbell. You didn't get in because they never knew you were there. But, I guess you could dress up, drive over and stand outside till they happened to open the door.

But seriously, great voice mails are succinct, engaging, relevant and arouse curiousity. You aren't selling a product over voice mail you are selling the next step in the process with you which is a conversation. They take work and thought but integrating voice mail as part of your sales process can pay off.

Great discussion! My $.002 from how I handle the cold calls I receive:

1) I hate when people "hot" dial me. I can tell you have tried me 4 times today. I have caller ID too.

2) I cannot remember the last time I picked up the phone with blocked/unknown caller ID. What is my incentive?

3) If you leave me a voicemail, I will listen to it up to the point you lose my interest.

So the geek went and did a LinkedIn Poll. Results were as I expected.

60% of C/VPs surveyed delete the voicemail immediately
33% delete after listening

I know I'm firing up this debate, but I think it deserves it.

RT: @damphoux The Voicemail Debate: Lead Generation Tip - Don't Use A Voicemail Script (Results from C/VP Poll) http://ow.ly/sKz2 #sales #b2b

Outbound marketing and dialing the phone for opportunities has changed in the past 10 years. Some executives don't even use their desk phones, some ignore them, some don't even have them - they have find-me-follow-me forwarding calls to cell phones.

When it comes to voicemails, where ten years ago it was a primary source of communications, today it's a burden. It can take twice as long to listen to a phonemail as it does to scan an email. That, and transcribing names and numbers is a task.

I predict you would have more success just dialing them multiple times and trying to connect with them live. There's nothing better than getting the warm body on the other end of the line. It's worth the patience of waiting. A voicemail is in someways switching from a hunter to a gatherer.

Lastly, when was the last time you took action on an unsolicited voicemail?

All that said, if you want to use voicemails, or feel it's necessary, here are some recommendations:

DO: Once you have already engaged with a prospect, you can leave a voicemail
DO: If you've sent email and not recieved a response in a timely manner, leave a voicemail
DO: If you have a good referral, don't just leave a voicemail, get the referral into your first breath "John, I was referred to you from Frank Albee. This is Mike from Green Leads. Could you give me a call at 555-1212. Thanks."
DO: In any case that you do leave a voicemail, keep it short and sweet, like the example above

DON'T: Sell during a voicemail
DON'T: Leave a voicemail if you haven't already tried numerous times to reach someone. Wouldn't you rather be persistent and then catch them live?
DON'T: Leave a second voicemail on the same topic. Send an email next. Alternate.
DON'T: Bother with all the sales expert's advice on how to craft a valuable phonemail with pain and benefits. Keep it short and sweet and save the selling for when you get them live.

What do I tell my appointment setting team? "Voicemail is for Wimps!" But that's just me ;)

I believe leaving a message is dependent on the reason for the call - and the problem is that a great deal of outbound telemarketing is pushing an unwanted 'solution' on to an unsuspecting recipient.

As Michael asked above "...when was the last time you took action on an unsolicited voicemail?"

Why would I be making an unsolicited call? I would to gather and/or verify information so that I can begin developing a relationship. And leaving the message would be part of a multi-channel approach as described by Sarah - something along the lines of..."John Smith, my name is Pat McGraw and I am calling to follow up on an earlier email I sent to you concerning SUBJECT. I will call back later so we can discuss specifics."

Then I would send another email, referencing the voice message.

In this example, I wouldn't expect the individual would return my call based on a voice message - but the voice message might spark them to look for my emails...

Calling and not leaving a message is not necessarily a good practice.

I did some extensive research and questioning on LI and discovered that decision-makers want to make effective time choices. If you call and don't leave a message they don't know who you are or if it will be profitable to speak with you.

Thus the next time you call they are interrupted and irritated by your call as they have no decision criteria from which to decide if they should take the call.

By not leaving your message and letting the decision maker evaluate taking the call you put yourself in the position of an irritation.

If you don't have a good selling proposition, you shouldn't be calling. If you do you should let the decision maker know so they can make a decision.

I can assure you that using the "no message" technique" has more down side than up.

I say you usually should leave a voice-mail, but it MUST be personalized, brief and compelling. And you need a series of voice-mails -- vary and keep them fresh.

Voice-mail is a key tool in the sales bag, if it's used properly.

Jeff Ogden, President
Find New Customers
http://www.findnewcustomers.net

In today’s corporate enterprise environment business communication tools have evolved from even a few years ago and, at times, it appears most prospects are overwhelmed with marketing messages and communication including voicemails. Too many emails, too many voicemails, too many stacked meetings for them Decision Makers to respond to internal communication let alone external communications. It’s pretty common to hear a prospect mention they get 6-8 voicemails a day from potential vendors.
However, voicemail can sometimes still be an effective tool if it is intelligently utilized, tracked appropriately and simplified and, critically, not leaned upon as a marketing strategy (i.e. one where we ‘hope’ the person will respond to our fanciful voicemail). More importantly it seems to be much more relevant to understand when to reach the prospect throughout the day so you can begin to present the business value proposition you are trying to present. I would estimate that unsophisticated cold calling results in voicemail after voicemail being left at similar times with potentially the wrong decision maker and where the prospect is not re-approached for three to five additional days. The first question should be: Is this the right targeted decision maker? If so, how can I make an immediate impact on getting this prospect into a conversation as efficiently and effectively as possible? Sometimes avoiding leaving voicemail can be very valid. It may take more calls to reach the prospect but most inside sales professional’s greatest strength line in their conversational communication skills (their gift of gab) not their voicemail leaving skills. Finding the right prospect and laser focusing on how to reach them, live, seems to still work very effectively.

After reading all of the previous responses, I'm convinced that the answer to the original question is a resounding "Yes." I'm also convinced that the questioner REALLY wants to know if anyone who gets voice mails responds positively to them, and the answer to that question is "well, that depends."

A voice mail is less like an e-mail message or sticky note, and more like a mini-presentation. The tone of your voice, your level of enthusiasm and your ability to communicate clearly and succinctly are all on view, to mix metaphors a bit. So if it's your 1,596th cold call of the day, you might just want to hang up and try again tomorrow when the voice mail system answers. And if you aren't crystal clear on who you're calling, why you're calling them and why they should take your call, let alone call you back, you shouldn't even be calling yet, let alone leaving voice mails, scripted or otherwise!

As someone who leaves and actually responds to voicemail, I say it is something you still need to do if you desire to communicate. I know we are all reduced to 140 characters now, such a shame, but that being said, as many have pointed out, leave a voicemail only if:

1) You really have something that is of value to the recipient (I would not have responded to the "I am fishing for information" voicemail, not as an executive, that belongs in a lower category call)

2) Be brief, my rule of thumb is the person listening will give it about 5-7 seconds to decide whether or not to listen all the way, which should not be more than 1 minute. They are listening to hear the WIIFM what is in it for me, message.

3) I agree with telling them you will try again and I add, if there is a better way to reach you, please let me know (adds a sense of you really need to chat with me).

Keep it brief, be relevant, sound like you really believe you can help and don't over-call.

"or press the 3 key to delete the message"

Wow...differing opinions are great!

I agree with Jill Konrath comment but believe an even stronger message is to mention a relevant success story.

"We worked with company XYZ to increase leads by 15% by leaving strong actionable messages like this one. When you call back ask me about our promotion that ends this month."

Each time you call leave another measurable success story or better yet leave them hanging. "Company ABC used our services and a simple change improved their response rate by 30%. Call me back to find out what it was."

Jim
http://bit.ly/JimLittlefield

If it takes multiple touches to convert a suspect to a qualified lead, a voice message adds incrementally to the mix.

Beyond giving you an opportunity to deliver your value prop in a different way, it can create some recognition of your voice when you do finally connect.

Returned calls are awesome but cumulative messaging and familiarity can be very helpful for future touches and discussions.

Robert Lesser

We sell voicemail, so we use voicemail and UC. I actually want people to hear my voice even when they are not immediately available.

The voicemail should be succinct.

If I have a current contact or a reference person, I include that in the brevity is very important.

If I also have the email address, I usually follow the v/m with an em. It reinforces the voice that they heard and starts / builds familiarity. "I have heard this person before" and "I have seen this person's name before" buys me a bit of time when next I call.

After being an avid proponent of leaving voice messages -- and utilizing my friend Jill's techniques -- I've moved more toward Sharon Drew and Michal's perspectives (also friends) unless I can say "Jill suggested I call (referral)." That said, the thoughts expressed here are right on target and probably support the idea that no one size fits all. Whether leaving a VM or not, heed Matt's point about caller ID and not overdoing it by calling repeatedly rather than spacing out the calls. Final thought: The original question here dealt with a call center. Have any of us every returned a telemarketing voice message?

I think you're asking the wrong question. People leave voicemails all the time, but the better question is "Does anybody actually get a callback from voicemails?"

Personally I avoid the phone like the plague, and most of my associates have the same feeling. Nothing also drives me more crazy than getting a sales call on my cell phone.

Great question, Jason. I usually never get calls back when I leave a voice message. However, I get responses when I follow up with an email after the call...if I have their email address. Since the texting generation began it seems harder to get a hold of people by phone, so sometimes an email is the best warm up to a phone call. So yes, I still leave voicemails and I follow up with an email.

I started my first career as an Executive Assistant to a CEO, now I am a CEO. I get tickled when I hear you don't get call backs from voicemail, so don't leave them. True, you may not get a call back, but what you aren't taking into account is who's forwarding your voicemail and why. Anyone ever get an inbound call unexpectedly and, when asked how did you hear about us, get this response, "so and so, gave me your information." That information "so and so" gave might happen to have come from a voicemail you left for someone else. I get call backs from my voicemails and our agents get call backs. We follow-up most outbound calls with an email, and then a voicemail. The key is to stand out from the crowd, be enthusiastic, add humor and reference someone you know. Keep the message short, sweet, to the point. The best way I got my foot in the door at Turner Broadcasting was by singing a nursery song about "have you ever been a fishing" and shared that I was fishing for some information, then left the value statement. The VP called me back laughing and left me a voicemail asking for the lyrics to the song, he had twin 4 year old boys, and to call his EA and schedule time with him on his calendar.

I am not in sales or marketing. As a business person it is a courtesy to leave a voicemail as to why I called who if any referred me and to let you know when I will try again. I always give the option to contact me sooner and leave a number. I keep it short and to the point.

Leaving a quality voicemail that gets results is an art, much like closing on a sale or getting approval on an important idea. It takes thought, training, and review. It also helps if you have a pleasant "trained" voice, real excitement, and a crisp message that ends with "If I don't hear from you in 3 days, I will call you back on Y (day 4) day".

To those above who hate hearing from people who sell ideas over a phone, please understand the world buys new ideas from people who sell them convincingly all the time. Often the initial contact is through a phone call. Both parties gain from the engagement and beat out competitors by not staying static. Hope you don't miss out the next time someone calls! You can always say “No thank you”.

I absolutely believe in the effectiveness of the voice mail/email process. We don't leave voice mails assuming we'll get a call back. We use it for an opportunity to make a "brand impression" with our value proposition. We carefully plan what say in the voice mail and target it just like we would target a personal email or conversation. We keep the voice mail brief (20-30 seconds max), and we follow it up with a personal email that echoes the value proposition and ties it to a need based on title, role, and research we've done on the company/prospect. Then we call again at regular intervals. While we don't get a lot of calls back, we do get plenty of email responses. And when we do reach someone, they quite often apologize for not responding to our other messages!