016 Voice Mail: What to Avoid, and Say to Get to More Buyers

Most sales and prospecting voice mail messages get deleted because they are awful. Some are in the gray area of credibility. Others are flat out deceptive.

Yet, skilled salespeople understand the effective way to use. And that’s what we cover in today’s show.

Here are the highlights:

The Emotions Created by Voice Mail Messages [5:32]

1. No Interest at all. They instantly identify the caller as a salesperson and have no interest at all in whatever the salesperson was pitching.
2. Very excited. They instantly know there is something in it for them and are excited (i.e., a potential customer calling them).
3. Curious and open. They are curious about possible value the caller hinted at. They feel there just might be something in it for them. Even though they believe it is a salesperson, their mind is more on what they might get.
4. Curious but skeptical. They are somewhat curious, but very skeptical about what the caller wanted, since there wasn’t much communicated. It might be a salesperson, then again it could be a prospect or customer. They don’t know for sure, since the message was brief, and very vague.

Possible Voice Mail Message Outcomes [10:10]

1. No call back.They might not even listen to the entire message. They would never want to talk to this person and will avoid their calls in the future. Delete. And by the way, if a bad voice mail message is not returned, damage still could be done. It can negatively reflect on that company, since the name usually appears on caller ID>
2. No call back now, although they are open and somewhat curious about the message. But they do not feel compelled enough or see enough urgency or value to call, although they might be open to hearing more. It’s like that email we let sit in our inbox to get to at some point.
3. A call back, and they become engaged in the conversation. That’s because they see some value in doing so, either confirming their feeling that they might gain something, or avoid some pain or loss.
4. A call back, and within seconds of realizing the caller’s motives, they feel duped. They feel taken… tricked because they realize the caller is a salesperson that has nothing of value for them and was deceptive with his message.

The Smart Calling Voice Mail formula.  [19:24]

1. Identify Yourself and Company.“Hi Mike, I’m Pat Stevens with Executive Financial.”
2. Use Your Smart Intelligence. “I understand that your firm is aggressively making a push this year to take on more high net worth clients…”
3. Your Possible Value Proposition.“We work with many advisors nationwide in providing unique options that are very attractive to that segment. They tell us it helps them attract more clients, as well as helping them grow their existing business.”
4. Engagement.“I’d like to ask a few questions and see if I could provide you some information…”
5. Conclusion. “I will call you again Friday morning. If you’d like to reach me in the meantime, I’m Pat Stevens with Executive Financial. My number is 800-555-9898, I’ll repeat that, 800-555-9898. And my email is Pat@EFinancial.com. Thanks.”

Resources Mentioned

[16:00] Seamless.ai.   You’ll never have to worry about finding prospects, AND their verified phone numbers and emails, and instant details about them and their companies. Sign up for a free account and see for yourself.

[15:33] The Smart Calling Sales Intel Engine. This is sales intel expert, Sam Richter’s amazing tool that takes away any excuse for doing call research. The relevant intel you can uncover within seconds is mind blowing. I recommend any salesperson who is serious about placing quality calls, and as a result, their success, invest in this piece of wizardry.

The Social Engineering Process. See Art’s step-by-step process for doing Social Engineering for getting great sales intel in real time from people close to your decision maker.

List to the Quote of the Day at [23:48]