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What are effective techniques to have voice mail messages returned?
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5 Answers
Voice mail to Office or Cell? If I see a number or caller ID I know and want to talk to, I may call it back. If I'm on the phone (often) I won't respond to voice mail and when I get off the call I won't call voice mail for just one message, especially if the call I was on previously required a redirect. If you send an email or text I'll probably see it while I'm still on the call. We have UC so VM gets converted to email also: people tend to be incoherent on VMs so it might be ignored. For message it needs your name, company you represent, purpose of call, and why you need to talk to me (as opposed to why didn't you send an email). Be aware that If I return your VM, and get your VM, you won't be getting another call from me. You might get an email if you left that in your VM.
Less than 2% of all voice mail messages will get returned. That is the sad truth but a good place to set your expectations.
Having said that, voice mail is still a great way to start to build a relationship of trust. You have to view voice mail as one of many channels with which you can communicate with a potential buyer. Create a series of message to be delivered via multiple channels that build upon each other, let the buyer know you understand their business and challenges, deliver a little bit about your solution and include a call to action that is enticing.
Net/net - voice mail as a standalone is a challenge. Voice mail as an integrated communication medium that includes email, social media etc. can be a powerful ally.
PS - Better than voice mail is getting the person live. 2 things can dramatically increase your ability to do so. First is a direct dial number and second is a technology that has your number appear as a local number to the recipient. People are 80% more likely to pick up the phone if a local number appears on their caller id.
Hope this helps.
There are two things to keep in mind if you want to get your voice mail returned. (I'm assuming you're in B2B.) First, it needs to be compelling. Do not leave something mysterious, like "Hi, this is Nick. Please call me back at 123-456-7890." It should be built around your regular Initial Benefit Statement, like "Hi, this is Nick Sommer calling from Focus. We provide an online service where users can get solid business advice and solutions - worth tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars - literally for free. The reason for my call today is to tell you a little bit about what we do, find out a little about what your needs might be in this area, and see if there's a reason to talk further."
The second is to remember the Repetition Effect. So many people advocate it in advertising, but recoil at using it when telemarketing. You can't leave more than one message every other day (usually) and you should change the IBS each time, but if people need an average of six exposures to respond to an ad, why wouldn't the same theory hold for telemarketing?
Frankly, leaving a half dozen good IBSs can tell quite a story. For example, if on one you said "We had a user the other day who was able to turnaround his entire business based on one free piece of advice." And on another you said, "Another company was able to reduce their operations costs by 40% based on a comment by another user."
If you want call-backs, leave them a reason to call-back! (By the way, our call-back rate averages around 10%-15%.)
I am horrified to hear from Trish that only 2% of voice mails get returned - that is horrific. I do agree with Jeffrey that you need to give a reason, and I really like his approach. I am not one who will continue to call back if I am not getting a response as I would think that that smells of desperation. If after three calls I do not get a call back, I will move that prospect on a few months before trying to contact again. This is an interesting discussion and I look forward to other comments
Hi Nicholas! As you see in the other responses, there are no “silver bullets.” Deception and trickery are out, of course. Ambiguity is the enemy of response, so that is out. Leaving a string of messages that will likely be ignored seldom pays off but still costs time, effort, and money. So what might one realistically do to improve the reach-rate (speaking live with the person) and have actual business conversations?
First, reconsider your voice mail strategy. On a first-contact call, you may not actually want a callback from a phone message. You would be unprepared for the call and likely have to “scramble” to retrieve the customer record and determine what you truly want to talk about. Better to use the phone message to provoke a next-step … such as a visit to your web site … that would not only provide content for a subsequent conversation, but also improve the discourse.
On the tactical level, use the voice message to “advertise” the value of having a conversation. Specifically, propose an exploration of a relevant event in their business life and how your product/service might enable or enhance it, invite and encourage the next step to see if there might be a good matchup/business fit, and state your intention to call again and hear their reactions. By doing this, you distinguish yourself favorably, provide context for the conversation, and “own” the communication sequence.
And of course, you’ll know within a half dozen calls whether you have an effective message or whether you need to amend the approach or verbiage. Go gettum, sir!
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