The Right Voice-Mail Message Will Get You Through
Categories: Featured, Prospecting, Sales Strategy
Written By: SOCOM Sales
Today, nobody seems to be around to answer their phones. You spend time cold calling, and all you get are voice-mail messages. You know people don’t bother calling back if they think it’s a sales call.
Because I kept running into this situation, I decided I had to leave a voice-mail message that would encourage prospects to call back. I found the best results came when I called people who are members of identifiable groups like the Chamber of Commerce. I could reference the group and gain some legitimacy for my call. My message goes something like this:
“I was looking at the Chamber membership list and saw your company’s listing, and I was wondering exactly what your company does. Please give me a call back.”
Most prospects can’t resist this opportunity to talk about their favorite thing–their company–so they call me back. Now I’ve made contact, and my next task is to build rapport. I ask several questions about their company,what they do and how they do it. I never start talking about my company’s products and services unless they ask. I keep the focus on the prospects. By the end of the conversation, one of three things has happened:
- I’ve established enough rapport so I can call these prospects back and be reasonably certain they will take my call.
- The prospects express interest in my products and services, and I may be able to sell them something right away.
- The prospects give me a referral.
From: SalesDoctors Magazine | January 1999
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