It tends to be one of those things that salespeople either always do or always avoid. Leaving voicemails is one of the most polarizing aspects of a sales career! While you may already lie on one side of the spectrum, you may want to give serious thought to leaving voicemails.
Voicemails are worth your time!
Sure, most professionals are unlikely to return a call from a sales rep; however, leaving voicemails can be an important part of the sales process. Gatekeepers hear from dozens of sales reps each week — at a minimum! Taking a few seconds to leave a voicemail for your decision-maker can help open the door for “real” communication down the road. After leaving a voicemail, you can reference the message in your next call. For example, on your following call, greet the gatekeeper with, “I’m calling to follow up on my message from last week.” Demonstrating a pertinent matter for follow up is more likely to land you with the decision maker than yet another cold open. So give voicemails a try!
Here are some tips to help you leave more effective voicemails:
- Don’t pitch. Refrain from leaving your pitch in a voicemail. It’s a huge turnoff to someone who is sifting through a list of voicemails, and will only result in your message being deleted. Instead, entice the listener with a call to action. Offering a free eBook or other information when the call is returned is a nice call-to-action that will increase the odds of a callback, or at least make the DM more receptive to your call down the road.
- Don’t rush. We already know many sales reps dislike voicemails. But don’t rush through your message out of haste or dislike for the task. That’s a waste of both your and the DMs time, and it will make you look unprofessional. Speak slowly and clearly in your message.
- Don’t sound like a robot. Many sales reps, especially newer sales pros, tend to sound robotic or rehearsed during voicemails. Avoid this at all costs. Nothing’s worse to a DM than a “sales-y” voicemail. Relax, take a deep breath, and approach your voicemail like you would a conversation with your boss, a co-worker, or a current client.
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