1. Being surprised by voice mail.
Why do so many people ramble on and on “at the sound of the tone”?
Because for some reason they were surprised when the person they called wasn’t there.”
They were surprised when the person wasn’t there?
With past experience as a guide, why would they be surprised??
The only puzzle is why they haven’t yet learned that the person never is there!
Before you pick up the phone, assume that in a few moments you will be leaving a voice mail message.
2. Not knowing what you want to accomplish before you start to dial.
You need to know exactly what you want your message to accomplish.
To get a callback.”
Okay, that’s a good start.
But when you want that person to call you back?
What, specifically, will motivate the person to return your call?
More to the point:
Exactly what do you want the person to think when he or she hears your message?
It’s vital to learn what your prospect’s own internal motivators are…and how to use those motivators to define the goal of your message.
3. Not knowing exactly what you’ll say before you dial the phone.
I think well on my feet. When it comes time to talk, I’ll know what to say.”
Is that approach….
Foolish?
Lazy?
Typical?
Yes.
Most of the time, it’s also:
Ineffective.
You can see the difference for yourself if you ever have the chance you compare verbatim transcripts of real messages left by real salespeople with an expert’s rewritten versions.
4. Not wording your message in a way that makes the other person listen.
The average business executive listens to his voice mail messages with his finger poised over the “delete” button.
If he doesn’t immediately think, “I’ve got to return this call,” he hits “delete”…
…and never looks back.
You must learn you exactly how to command the interest of your prospect from your very first words.
5. Giving your sales pitch in your message.
The purpose of your voice mail message is not to sell your product or service.
It’s not to give a commercial for your business.
It’s to get the prospect to return your call.
Your message should not include even a single word that isn’t calculated to make the recipient call you back promptly.
You’ve got to learn what message to leave that won’t be a commercial for yourself.
6. Appearing eager.
Salespeople who seem eager don’t do well with prospects.
People who leave confident, assured messages do.
A training course or e-book devoted to getting your voice mail messages returned can give you the information, the mindset, and the very words you should use to infuse your message with an unmistakable confidence.
7. Creating a personal distance.
The vast majority of salespeople’s voice mail messages create a huge chasm between them and the prospect.
And they do so with their very first words!
They use a very common phrase that immediately signals the prospect, “This is a stranger who wants something from me. Goodbye, stranger.”
You also must learn which death-inducing phrases to avoid at all costs…and what to say instead.
8. Not knowing where you want to be on the recipient’s hierarchy of calls.
Your prospect discovers 20 voice mail messages upon returning to her office.
Does she simply return all 20 calls in the order they came in?
No.
The next decision is which of those callbacks to make first.
Her next decision is which call to return first.
An expert telemarketer has learned how to command a premiere position on the hierarchy of calls that will be returned.
9. Not making the recipient want to call you back.
The way to get someone to call you back?
By making that person want to return your call.
Think about the messages you’re currently leaving: Do they really make the prospect want to return your call?
The secret to successful voice mail is knowing how you how to make the prospect want to return your call.
10. Measuring the wrong numbers.
Selling via telephone — which includes cold calling new prospects as well as calling “old” prospects, existing clients, and for former clients — is “a numbers game.”
But contrary to what most salespeople are taught, there are two numbers that determine your amount of returned voice mail messages.
One is the number of calls you make. If you make more calls, you’ll get more callbacks.
Most salespeople (and sales managers) focus on that number because it can be objectively determined quite easily: Keep an accurate tally of the messages you leave, and you’ve got a very accurate measurement.
The other number also can be measured, but few people even consider it.
That number is the “impact rating” of your voice mail message.
With a “zero” impact ratings, no one ever calls you back.
A “100″ impact rating = Everyone always returns your voice mail messages.
Your impact rating is between 0 and 100.
No matter what your impact rating is now, you can increase it..
The choice is yours.
Would you like to make twice as many sales by making twice as many calls?
Or would you prefer to make twice as many sales from the same number of calls?
It’s all up to you.