Voicemail is an under utilized marketing tool. A well planned voice mail marketing campaign can continously pay Big dividends. Since we all hate going to voice mail, let's make the best of it to our advantage. As we are each a captive "voice mail" audience, turn your position into a tactical business strategy.
Voice mail should be made into a memorable experience. This provides you with a distinct signature people will remember.
What is the purpose of voice mail? 1) For callers to leave you a message and 2) For you to leave a message - Right? . . . I don't think so. It's actually not that simple, if making a lasting impression is the goal. Using a different approach separates successful people, who truly become the movers and shakers, from everyone else. It does not take any more time to stand out and go beyond what people expect from voice mail usage.
Let's break it down.
"BAMM!!", as Emeril would say.
Kick it up a couple of notches by using good voice mail etiquette. This awesome tool can easily pump up the volume on marketing ME, Inc., if you tune your success dial to the 3 Goal channels.
Goal channel 1: Your outgoing message should provide an experience that makes people excited to speak with you as they happily leave you a message and
Your outgoing message people hear when they call you, should be upbeat and positive. Your voice tonality and words should get people motiviated and excited about leaving you a message. Make the caller feel like their call is special. Make yourself unavailable so you appear sought after by others. People want people who are in demand. Which movie stars are demand? Those that create demand. By the same token it easier to land a client or job, when you are appear to be in demand (already working).
Goal channel 2: Leaving a voice mail must give people a compelling reason to call you back quicker.
Although it may not a appear like it, leaving a voice mail is truly an opportunity to market yourself. Be upbeat and positive. Take your time leaving a message. Do not rush. Make the other person feel that you're truly interested in speaking with them, even if you are just returning their call.
Most importantly, leave your call back number twice. The first time, say your number at a slow even pace. The second time, pause between each group of numbers to give the person a chance to write it down. This adds a personal touch in showing a person that you value their time.
How often do you call someone back, if they race through the number to the point of not being understandable or you have to replay the message several times? How does it make you feel when a person talks at a million miles a minute to rush through their message. Does that person make you feel important? How about the voice mail message from a person who says "it's me, call me back" without leaving a number. Do they really value your time? Are they really considerate of your time, now that you have to take time to look their number up. Keep this in mind when leaving your next voice mail message for a friend, family or business associate.
Goal channel 3: Receive intelligence about a person's demeanor, before calling back. A good friend and business associate, Cesar Montesano, taught me this very powerful technique.
You can get valuable feedback about a person by listening to the tonality of the voice mail they leave you. Are they excited, sad, annoyed, laid back or even interested in what you have to say? This allows you to more intelligently formulate your call back strategy.
Always listen to the entire voice mail, before calling someone back, even if you know the person. This makes a person feel extremely important, when taking the time to listen to what they have to say. It also saves them and you time, because the message does not have to be repeated.
Congratulations!! By tuning into all 3 goal channels, you've created an expereince for each personal encounter that is unquely your own electronic signature. With practice, voice mail can combine high tech with a very high personal touch.
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I found people to call me back faster, while commenting on my outgoing message, using these techniques. Voice mail has facilitated longer lasting connections and helped me acqure lucrative business contracts.
For those times when voice mail kicks in, embrace it as a very cool tool for you to shine. Voice mail can make people want to do business with you quicker. It's as simple as me treating another person the way I want to be treated.
Cheers
C.E. Reid
Savvy Intrapreneur
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