04 Nov
You connect with a prospect and you’re ready to start talking about the offering. It’s a service or product that can change lives. You take a deep breath.
“Hi, I’m not home right now, but at the beep…”
This scenario is played out thousands of times an hour at call centers across the country. You may wonder what the next step is, especially if you were counting on reaching a live person.
Sales Calls: Voicemail or No Voicemail?
If you have an established relationship and are making a follow-up call, there are a few reasons why you should leave a call voicemail:
- It helps you stack communication: In your voicemail, you can mention that you will email that person shortly as a follow-up. This helps them anticipate that form of communication.
- Everyone communicates differently: Some people prefer a friendly voice while others prefer to receive an email, text or even a hard copy of a marketing message. By leaving voicemails and using other forms of communication, you are reaching customers the way they want to be reached.
- It keeps sales relationships alive during busy times: When your customers are too busy to contact you or pick up the phone, they can still hear about what you can do for them if you leave a voicemail.
Should You Leave a Voicemail When Cold Calling?
When you’re cold calling and can’t get through to a live person, consider leaving a voicemail. The benefits of doing so include:
- It helps you practice: Talking about your offering again and again with different words helps you refine how you address potential customers. You may even want to leave a voicemail for yourself to see what you can tweak in your pitch.
- It keeps you from looking suspicious: Have you ever seen a number come up multiple times on your phone, only to find no voicemail or just hear hang-ups? Consider what you thought. That’s probably what your prospect is thinking, too.
- It increases your chances of a callback: Give prospects a reason to reach out to you. Realistically, no one will return your call if you don’t leave a voicemail.
How Do I Leave Effective Voicemails?
You can improve your voicemails by:
- Having it all planned out: You’re going to be sent to voicemail often, so you need to have a sales script for that, too. Practice it so you can speak with confidence.
- Getting to the point fast: Start by explaining why you’re calling, not who you are, and present the most compelling reason to call you back. “We stage homes” is not really compelling. “We helped stage your neighbor’s home last week and the house sold for 10% above asking price. Call us for information on how to stage your home” is more likely to get a reply.
- Using technology: Yes, leaving voicemail messages can take time, especially if you get a lot of direct to voicemail messages. Use programs that leave a pre-recorded message, so you can move on to the next call.
Calls and the Call Center
If you’re making thousands of calls, you need user-friendly phone dialer software, business phone systems and other solutions. To get innovative features and the communications software and technology you need, contact EVS7 to learn more or sign up for a free trial.
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