Why Aren’t You Leaving 15 Minute Long Voicemails?

Image downloaded from Pixabay.com

Because that’s absolutely insane, and most voicemail services don’t allow you to leave a message that long. 

Obviously I’m speaking in hyperbole here, but I have listened to some of the craziest voicemails. Some of them were left for me, and others were ones I witnessed being left. It’s cringe-worthy to hear some of the voicemails that are being recorded in the world - even as you read this article! 

With customers and prospects being busier than they’ve been before, they have much less time to be on the phone with salespeople. 

Keeping in mind that the average adult attention span is only 8 seconds, a short and intriguing voicemail is your second best chance at getting in contact with your prospect or customer. 

If you want to get more call backs, all you have to do is… 

Keep It Short and Sweet - KISS

All jokes aside, you really shouldn’t be leaving lengthy voice messages for people. The chances of them actually finishing the message after 10 seconds are slim, and that will just be a waste of your time and theirs. 

Rather, you should aim to limit your message to 10 seconds. 

Keep in mind that you need to introduce yourself and the name of your company, so really, you only have 7 seconds to pique their interest. 

You are not going to pitch them from their voicemail inbox. 

You are not going to dive into what you want to discuss with them. 

You are going to leave a message that will actually make them interested in giving you a call back to hear the rest of what you have to say! 

Ask For Their Opinion 

Just like with email subject lines, I think it’s a good idea to ask the prospect or customer a question in your voice message to them. Again, people generally feel compelled to answer a question that is asked of them, so it’s worth a shot here! 

Plus, since we only have 7 seconds to get their attention, a simple question is probably the best way to do that! 

Except, on a voicemail, we don’t want to ask just any question. We also don’t want to ask a yes or no question. 

Why? Because if you present someone with the opportunity to say, “no”, they will! 

My favorite “question” to ask is for their opinion, their expertise, or their general reaction to something. Generally speaking, people are opinionated, and they love to voice their opinions. So, why not give them a chance to voice their opinion, if they have one about your product or service?

For example, let’s say you provide a service that helps companies bring their product concepts to market and conduct all the market research. 

You could say, “give me a call back because this is a rather unique service available in your industry and I’m curious what someone with your seniority in the industry thinks about it”. That isn’t in the form of a question, but it’s asking for their expertise and opinion. 

Assuming the prospect actually checks their messages, there is a good chance they will call you back to find out more about the service so they can give you their opinion. And if and when this does happen, you’re actually pitching them your product without them noticing it. 

In fact, since they were the one to ask about the product, they are much more willing to listen to your product details and will be much more engaged with you. 

This also gives you plenty of additional opportunities to ask for their expertise. I call it, “picking their brain”. You can easily do this by asking them to elaborate on something they said, or by just asking them curious questions in general. 

Be Enthusiastic 

Generally speaking, you always want to be enthusiastic about what you’re selling, and that enthusiasm should be 100% organic. If your products don’t make you feel enthused, then your customer isn’t going to care about them either. 

Aside from feeling enthusiastic, you want to sound enthusiastic as well. 

Your tone says a lot about you, in regard to first impressions, and you want to make sure you sound just as enthusiastic as you feel. For some people, this may take some practice! Not everyone naturally has that “made for TV” voice, but it can absolutely be learned. 

Enthusiasm can be contagious, and it’s definitely something we want the customer to catch! 

Besides, if you listened to a voicemail from a monotone person who is clearly reading from a script would you call that salesperson back? It’s rhetorical, of course you wouldn’t. 

Your goal is to get them to call you back, so leave a voicemail that would interest you enough to call the person back to at least have a conversation. That’s the ultimate goal here, right? 

CONCLUSION

The chances of getting a call back from a prospect are extremely slim. 

Better those odds by leaving a short simple message that will make them feel compelled to call you back and hear what you have to say! 

Stay positive, be enthusiastic, and even have a little fun with it!