How to Get Over Voicemail: Business-to-Business Appointment Setup for Sales
The way we communicate in the business world has changed dramatically in the last 40 years. Before the late 1970s there was no voice mail. Voicemail systems were developed in the late 1970s by Voice Message Exchange (VMX). They became popular in the early 1980s when they became available on PC based boards. In September 2012, a USA Today and Vonage report stated that voicemail was on the decline. The report said the number of voicemail messages dropped 8 percent compared to 2011 due to the rise in text messages and other forms of communication. Checking voicemail seems to be considered an even bigger task than leaving a voicemail. Retrieved voicemail fell 14% among Vonage users in the same period.
Fewer and fewer companies even have a live human answering the phone on their main number. Most of the time you will hear an auto attendant that will give you the opportunity to call several departments with a particular number or you will be able to dial an extension or dial by a person’s first or last name. Once you dial the last name, 98 percent of the time you’re sent to another personalized automated voicemail with a happy greeting asking you to leave a message and they’ll call you back. Of course, anyone who makes outgoing phone calls to secure meetings with new or existing clients gets a roll of the eyes because she knows they’re not talking to ‘YOU’.
There are some tips and tricks to get around corporate voicemail systems. First of all, if you’re setting an important goal that you’d really like to be up front for sales, it’s best to try several times at different times of the day before leaving a voicemail. A little before or after the start of the day or possibly right at the end or just after the end of the typical work day for your type of prospect. For example, a vice president of information technology is most likely to be a very early or late worker, or both. By dialing them directly or typing in your name to be transferred directly to them, the odds are much higher that they will pick up the phone because your administrative assistant may be gone for the day or hasn’t shown up on screen yet. your call.
If you’ve tried several random times during the day and decided to leave a voicemail, please leave a brief message clearly stating your name and phone number and we’ll follow up with an email. You’ve provided a business case to send that follow-up email and do it right away. This will give you the ability to follow up on your initial action later. An excellent tool at this point is to follow up in a few days and when you get the same voicemail, hit zero. Many times a person at that level will have an administrative assistant to whom you will be transferred. Tell him specifically the purpose of your follow-up, and be sure to get his name and take good notes. Many times you can work directly with this person to get them on the Mr./Ms. calendar. VP. If you get an operator, ask if the VP has an administrative assistant and see if you can talk to them. If you still can’t reach a ‘live’ human on the phone, many times you can call back, press zero for the main operator. Explain that you are following up and that you might talk to someone in the general department you are addressing. With this example it would be the Information Technology department. Often times, if you’re diligent, you can find a human being in the right department and possibly direct them to someone on the VP team who is more directly involved in the specific area you need to be in to start your sales process.
Leaving a voice message should not last more than 20-30 seconds. As stated above, you should clearly and slowly say your name, the name of the company, the purpose of the call, if possible, and this is of great help to you, who referred you to them, and slowly say your phone number. phone and follow up with an email. 1 percent of the people you call will have a need or interest and will call you back. 99% won’t. Clearly, you should never expect a call back. If you make a mistake on your voicemail and mess it up completely, remember the voicemail rules. Almost all allow you to start over and delete the message and record a new one before hanging up and allow you to listen to it before sending it. Pressing the # key once you realize it probably sounded awful will bring up a menu of “would you like to send this message now, delete and re-record, mark as urgent?”, etc. There’s no guarantee they’ll listen, but if they do, at least take some comfort that you left the best you could.
As more forms of communication evolve, such as texting, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks that allow you to connect with business people, voicemail may decline and you’ll find even more creative ways to reach your potential customer. This article should give you some fresh ideas on how to stand out when calling businesses and trying to reach your target audience. Good luck and good selling!