6 Tips for Leaving Effective Voicemails for Prospects in 2023
The article emphasizes that despite the rise of digital sales tools and virtual meetings, phone calls remain crucial in 2023 sales strategies, and offers six tips for leaving compelling voicemails—such as starting with a verbal “subject line” that hooks the prospect by addressing their needs immediately and avoiding information overload—to increase the chances of eliciting a return call from prospects.
The advancement of technology has strengthened the connection between buyers and sellers. With just a few clicks on LinkedIn, sales representatives can connect with millions of people in their addressable market. Ad sales intelligence tools can help pinpoint the right person to contact and craft the perfect pitch. These digital tools continue to provide sales reps with direct access to buyers, which is beneficial.
A McKinsey survey found that more than 75% of buyers and sellers prefer virtual sales meetings over face-to-face interactions. However, sellers shouldn’t overlook the power of a traditional phone call. Despite most prospects preferring emails, only 8.5% of all outreach emails get a response. The response rate for other digital channels isn’t always much better, especially considering the volume of outreach buyers receive daily. In 2023 and beyond, a phone call remains a key component of any effective sales strategy.
The problem: Most calls go unanswered.
The solution: Leave a voicemail that compels a return call.
Here are six tips for leaving effective sales voicemails:
1. Have a Verbal “Subject Line”
Just like an email subject line, give your prospect a reason to keep listening beyond your introduction. Present the value of your company immediately. Construct your opening talking point with the same intention as an email subject line. Don’t start with your name and company—hook the listener first.
Sales email opener ideas:
- Company research: “I saw your company recently did X.”
- Prospect pain point: “Are you experiencing X challenge?”
- Competitor insight: “Your competitor is doing X.”
- Strategic suggestions: “Have you considered X solution to improve your strategy?”
Relate to their needs from the start. Begin with them and wait to introduce yourself.
2. Avoid Information Overload
Information overload is a real issue—80% of global workers experience it. Avoid giving your prospect too much information in your voicemail. If you’ve done proper research during the prospecting stage, you should know your prospect’s needs and how your product can help. Focus on a single subject or need, and speak directly about how you can solve it. Be specific, concise, and powerful.
Keep your sales voicemails to around 30 seconds. If you can be clear in less time, even better, but try not to exceed that threshold. This is enough time to include essential information and make your message clear in the era of the 8-second attention span.
3. Be Personable
Take advantage of your ability to verbalize your message. Voicemails are like emails in that they’re one-sided, but your tone can make you more personable. Use a friendly, confident, and excited tone to increase the chance your prospect remembers your message. Relate to them on a personal level, not just a business one.
However, avoid opening with, “Did I catch you at a bad time?” It may seem personable, but it could decrease your success rate for booking a meeting by 40%.
4. Be Natural
Don’t sound like a robot or as if you’re reading from a script. Avoid being overly pushy, especially if it’s your first or second voicemail. Aggressive or pushy sales tactics can drive 84% of buyers away. The more natural you sound, the greater the chance your prospect will call you back. If you sound robotic, prospects may assume your pitch is generic and respond negatively.
5. Have a Voicemail Ready for Every Call
Avoid “cookie-cutter” selling. Your pitch should be different for every prospect, and so should your voicemails. Don’t rely on a single fallback voicemail. For every call, do the necessary research to build conversation talking points and a voicemail outline. Personalize your message, even if you’re leaving a voicemail. Take voicemails as seriously as emails, phone calls, or other forms of communication. Impressing a prospect across multiple communication mediums can make all the difference in turning them into a client.
6. Don’t Give Up
Most of your voicemails won’t get a response—and that’s okay. Don’t give up just because the prospect seems uninterested. In fact, 60% of customers will say no four times before agreeing to a deal. Keep this in mind if your prospects don’t call you back. They’re busy, so it may take a few tries to reach them.
Don’t leave the same message each time. If you have to leave more than one voicemail, craft a slightly different message each time—think of each voicemail as an opportunity to continue the story. Each one should build off the next.
Leaving the Perfect Sales Voicemail
Sales reps and their contacts are both extremely busy, so there will be many times when the phone rings and no one answers. Instead of seeing this as a missed opportunity, view voicemail as another chance to impress your prospect.
Many sales teachers focus on saying the right things during a phone call, but voicemails are often seen as a concise version of what the conversation would have been. Preparing for a voicemail is a different process because it’s a one-sided affair, like a presentation or an email.
While using the right research tools is important, it’s most crucial to use the right techniques to ensure your prospect feels compelled to keep in touch.
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