 |
||
 |
||
|
|
||
Advertising, Sales and Marketing
|
|
Leaving
Voicemail Messages Two days ago I picked up a wireless communicator, or is it a cellular phone? Maybe the better term is digital phone these days. It’s the first one I’ve owned in about 7 years. Stop laughing! Just because I tell you about communications doesn’t mean that I have to use all the accoutrements of the trade. Einstein never used a Palm Pilot, so there! So as I’m sitting in a four-hour delay in the Pittsburgh Airport, gate A-4, I look up and see a weird site. About 70% of all the people walking in my field of vision have a similar device stuck to the side of their heads, talking into it, listening, nodding. It was surreal. One dude sits down next to me and is listening intently without speaking. Every now and then he reaches up and touches a button on the phone, then listens some more. After 5 minutes, he finishes and my curiosity takes over.
One of those cartoon dialogue balloons that means I was thinking appeared over my head with “A-HAH!” in all caps. A communications challenge on the horizon.
You see, folks, the more technology we introduce to help us communicate, the less we actually communicate. The businessman at the airline terminal will only return 20% of his messages. Have you ever felt like part of the eighty percent sent to digital purgatory? Voicemail has taken over auditory communications technology, so if we want to avoid endless frustration and productivity loss, we need to learn to leave messages that get returned. Here are my top 7 tips on leaving messages that demand a response: 1. Be brief and get to the point. Don’t begin your voicemail with small talk, jokes or other needless filler words. Remember the fellow at the airport? Your message may be one of many, so he may be tired of listening when he gets to yours, so get right down to business. Identify yourself and the purpose of calling.
2. Put the call into context. Say something immediately after your greeting that puts you and your importance in the mind of the listener. She may not remember you if you just met once or twice, so give her a reference. The listener is always thinking, “Who the heck are you and why should I return your call?” If they asked for the call, make sure you say so.
3. Given the listener a reason to reply. What does the call recipient get if he gets back to you? Pleasant conversation? A special offer? Offer something compelling that makes the listener want to get back to you for his own good. Everyone wants to know what’s in it for me, so provide the listener with an answer to that question.
4. Time stamp the message. Most voicemail systems have automatic time stamps, but don’t rely on them. I never listen to them because the electronic voice is annoying, and many answering machines don’t have a time stamp. Let the person know the day and time you called and more importantly, when she can call you back. Provide a window for the return call that is accurate but not too restrictive.
5. Let the listener know how to reach you. Simple right? Give the listener a phone number for a return call and an alternate like a digital phone that’s always with you. If you’re never around and don’t have a mobile phone (like me for years), use the convenience of email technology to let her know an email address that she can reply to that you can be sure to get.
6. Provide Instructions. Tell the listener exactly what you want him to do. For business calls, discussion isn’t good enough. What is this person needed for? The “I need” phrase is the most powerful two words in the English language, so use it.
7. Explain the consequences of not calling back. This is a great call-return-getter that most people don’t use. Think of the cruise example earlier, with the implied consequence of losing the trip reservation unless a return call was made. If you can, be explicit.
You can use these seven techniques immediately to dramatically improve your rate of callbacks when you leave voicemail. What you’re doing is enabling the recipient with enough detail and reasons so that calling you back just makes good sense. Email me at voicemailtips@speakingconnection.com and I’ll give you five great phrases that will up your call return-rate even higher. If you chose not to use these methods, I’ll assume that you do not wish to have your messages returned and just like speaking into electronic recording devices. Karl Walinskas is the owner of The Speaking Connection. He provides seminars on a wide variety of topics, and also acts as a coach to other speakers, beginner or professional. Karl authored the Selling Solutions audiotape program, which has 5 star ratings on Amazon.com, Borders.com, and BarnesandNoble.com. Visit his web site at http://www.speakingconnection.com/ or email him at TopSpeaker@pobox.com.
|
|
