Leaving Voice Mail – Yes or No?

Short of talking in person or on the phone, VM is the next best way to make a first impression. I often use the phone in tandem with email, and VM can be an effective - and legitimate - follow up to email. These prospects don't often respond to email, and a well articulated VM can steer them there if there's info you really want them the read. A VM also shows persistence, which is a mark of professionalism.

You can't always assume an email will be read - or even delivered past a spam filter - and is far more personal. There are so many nuances that come out with VM that will never come across in email, and if speaking is one of your strengths, by all means, you should use VM to showcase this.

I will initiate my comment with the dreaded: "Yes and No".

Yes: For me the voice mail never gets a return call but infuses a "bit of humanity" to your outbound touches to a prospect and improves your chances for an email reply or a warmer connect. I always make it no more than 30 seconds and give the listener the option to reply to an email which I let them know in the voice mail they will receive immediately. I tell my reps to leave 3 voicemails over the course of 8 days, all followed by emails. Now, you won't get a call-back (the odds are too low to set that expectation) BUT you may get an email reply which you wouldn't have received without the voicemail.

No: There is a limit to voicemails without looking like an idiot. You have to keep your self-respect. However, lets face the facts some people expect you to engage with them and will not reply. Believe me, that does NOT make them a bad buyer, it may make them a busy buyer which is why they have a job. You should intersperse war-dialing efforts in between voicemail and email communications. A war-dial means you dial but don't leave a voice-mail. You just want to get them on the phone. Want proof this works: Ask the outbound appointment setting organizations -- they don't leave voice mails AT ALL, yet they have reps who can set up 10 appointments in a day or more.

Here is an example of how I might approach an outbound campaign:
Day 1: VM/Email
Day 2: Late day war dial
Day 3: VM/Email
Day 4-6 War dial
Day VM: Final VM/email

There are many variations, but this should give you an idea. Create a queue in your SFA for war-dialing and just run through every once in a while. Set a connect goal and see what happens.

Tibor,

Great question, and one that I think every person in sales struggles with, and fears....

When I cold call at the C-level, I will often leave a message, but not one that I come up with on the fly. I have a well prepared and rehearsed script (that sounds natural) that includes my value proposition or mini-USP, a qucik qualification statement that says that I am qualified to call at that level, and a promise not to waste their time.

I have found that being prepared with your voicemail script makes all the difference in the world. I know from experience that every time I "wing it", I don't get the same, if any response.

Tibor:

I appears we have consensus - leave a VM. I, too, agree. Most particularly, I agree with Rob T. and Gary. Leaving a VM, even when it's your first contact with the individual, starts the process. My practice is to start a series of contacts using appropriate media. It is all planned and orchestrated, and, as Rob points out, even scripted. The process is flexible so that each subsequent step is triggered by whatever happens with the previous one.

And, as Gary indicates, getting the know the gatekeeper is critical. That person can become a true ally providing you with information about your prospect, best way to contact, best time to contact, how they like to be approached, etc. Heck, they can even just put you on your prospect's calendar.

Hi Tibor,

To paraphrase your question, if you had an opportunity to warm up a 'C' suite executive with a voice mail, a letter or an introduction, would you do so?

'C' suite executives don't like surprises or their time wasted.

Any opportunity to warm up a senior level decision-maker should be taken to create awareness and consideration prior to connecting.

The goal is not to generate a return call but to initiate a series of touches that build on each other.

Best,

Robert Lesser
www.directimpactnow.com/blog

Tibor, If I made a cold call, I would leave a message introducing myself stating that I will try back. However, when cold calling without an introduction or referral, I prefer beginning with a call to their assistant, making friends, and soliciting their help scheduling an appointment by telephone. Gaining the gatekeeper's support is a mini endorsement that carries tremendous weight.

These days with executives going from one meeting to another it is difficult to get to talk to somebody right away. Leaving a voice mail adds a touch point and, as mentioned in the previous responses, may warm up the lead and give a positive impression provided that you have a good script.

I can think of some voice mails that have lead me to look up the company's website or to forward the voice mail to another more appropriate contact within the company.

Regards,
Kirsi
http://pronexus.com

I agree with all of the previous comments. I particularly like Gary's response - get to know the gatekeepers. They know the best time to call. Always be prepared to leave that well scripted voice mail; keep it short and relevant. Also good to include your company's web address.

I too am from the leave a message camp for all the reasons stated above, and because you do get people calling back. I get about 5 call backs for every 10 voice mails I leave, and they lead to long term cliets to boot.

Could not agree more with the pro-voicemail crowd. A carefully thought out and personalitzed voicemail is a great ice breaker. Audio (voicemail) combined with text (email) compliment each other well.

Keep in mind that voicemail can backfire too. If you use it for a self-centered product pitch, you're dead.

Jeff Ogden, the Fearless Competitor
Find New Customers "Lead Generation Made Simple"
http://www.findnewcustomers.com

Agree with all of the comments but would extend the "touch cycle" out for about ten days. Craig's example is a good one. We use navigation dials (make sure we are talking to the right person, make sure they are not dead, otherwise gone or on leave - believe it or not we do find contacts that have not just left the company but have left the world), dials early and late, dials and voicemails followed by emails (and, in some cases, direct mail) and multiple cycles of the above (3 - 4) over a period of time to optimize each prospect. Ten - thirty percent of the opportunities we generate for clients are as the result of a call back.

Charles' answer was a great case for leaving a message. If you use vm to screen calls and no message is left - one assumes it is SPAM. But a great personalized voicemail using the person's name and something you know about her, will really warm up the prospect.

The moral: Leave voice messages but plan them carefully.

This question first appeared on October 31, 2010 … almost a year ago! That we still see responses indicates the matter remains current and relevant.

As advisors and trainers re Business To Business By Phone®, here is our guidance:

Decide what you want to happen … the actual verb(s) … as a result of your contact hearing the message. That is, what do you want the recipient to DO? May not be a callback! Many phone messages do not include such, leaving the recipient with an empty feeling and the marketer or sales person without progress.

Actually write and rehearse what you want to say. This is crucial because checking phone mail usually is Task No. 2 of the business day. (Task No. 1 is e-mail.) So your message has to sound distinctive in a favorable way, and the content has to at least keep the recipient’s finger off the “delete” key.

In most cases, do indeed leave a phone mail message. But as others have suggested, do not pitch! Rather, make the case for why a conversation is merited, based on something in their business life, not yours. State when you will try again to have the communication, and offer options such as the best time to reach you, your URL, etc.

Finally, recognize that there is no phone anonymity any more. Because of Caller ID, they know who you are and how many attempts you make, whether or not you leave a message. So a wise mix of contact media and timing almost always beats a phone-only approach and keeps you from sounding like a stalker.

Go gettum!