Surfside Group

"Cold calling doesn’t work."

"Leaving voicemail doesn’t work any more."

"Phone sales is a thing of the past."

Oh, really? Those are just a few of the excuses we hear from people for why they think their sales figures are lagging.

I’ll admit, it’s more challenging to find people who actually answer their phones these days. But it doesn’t mean that selling via the phone doesn’t work anymore. You may just need to change your objectives. Of course, when a prospect answers the phone you need to know exactly what you’ll ask them to engage in conversation. However, when you get their voicemail, you have a golden opportunity to quickly attract interest so they listen to your message and respond in some way other than hitting the delete button.

Here are some ideas that could work for you:

1 - The Education Message - This is effective when you have a new product or service to offer. Briefly describe the benefits (NOT the features!) and ask your prospect to call you or email you to schedule a meeting, phone or web presentation.

2  - The Question Message - This is where you can get very creative. Perhaps you want to understand more about a particular industry. Instead of calling to try to sell something, call a list of prospects and let them know you are doing research that includes a series of 3 questions, for example. When they return your call, ask the questions (but DO NOT try to sell to them at that moment unless they start asking you questions!). Their answers will help you better understand your market and what is important to your prospects. Use the information to tailor your future messages and perhaps shorten your typical sales cycle.

3  - The Organization-wide Message  - Instead of just leaving a voicemail for your main contact, call several of his or her colleagues who may influence their decision. For example: "Hello Julie, this is Suzanne Foley with The Surfside Group at 404-240-0664. Have you had a chance to review the information I sent to you and Jim Johnson last week? Let’s schedule some time later this week so I can answer your questions. I’ve also left this message with Jim so that we can coordinate a conference call with everyone on your team who needs to hear this. Just give me a call at 404-240-0664. Thank you!" There is a really good chance that Julie will mention this to Jim next time she sees him in the hallway and you are then one step closer to making a sale.

4 -  The Out of the Blue Message  - Perhaps you’ve met someone who could be a good referral partner or even a potential client for one of your prospects. Leave a message letting them know that! Any time you can help a prospect earn new clients, they will be that much more inclined to think of you the next time they need your product or service. It can also work to call a prospect just to ask if they can recommend a particular product or service for your business. Who do they use for their shipping, search engine optimization services, office furniture, etc? You’re not selling anything to them at that moment. You’re asking for advice and therefore, continuing to build the relationship.

Here are just a few more pointers for delivering a strong voicemail that will have a higher response rate than your competitors’:

Keep it short  - If your message is longer than 60 seconds it is annoying and includes too many details. We’ve all gotten messages like this and can’t wait to hit delete! Keep voicemail between 20 – 45 seconds.

Write it down & practice out loud  - Write your message and then read it out loud before you ever call anyone. It will help you say exactly what you need to say, and since you need to time your message, there is no better way to do so than by practicing it a few times out loud.

Speak clearly - Just because you’re trying to keep the timing of your voicemail short, doesn’t mean you should blast through the message. Speak in a normal tone and S-L-O-W - D-O-W-N when leaving your phone number. If possible repeat your phone number so it’s easy to write down.

Be a little mysterious - Voicemail is not a one-way conversation or presentation. No need to tell everything to the recipient. Think about what YOU would want to know that would interest you enough to return a phone call to a sales person from your company. Then think about it again and re-write your message. 

Be positive - Even if you've left 126 messages that day, don't let it be heard in your voicemail. Stay upbeat, focused and energetic. Who wants to listen to (or respond to) a voicemail from someone who sounds like he's falling asleep on the other end of the phone?

Always be thinking of ways to improve and perhaps shorten your message. Leave the details for when you are talking directly with your prospect.