Making Sales Using Voicemail: It Can Be Done

Michael Halper

Founder and CEO

SalesScripter, LLC

• 20 years frontline sales, marketing, and customer service experience

• Founder and CEO of Launch Pad Solutions and SalesScripter

• Author of The Cold Calling Equation – PROBLEM SOLVED

• President of the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals Houston Chapter

• ICF Certified Professional Coach

• MBA University of Houston, Masters of Science University of Texas at Dallas

Your Biggest Challenge

Getting Prospects on the Phone

Prospects simply don’t answer their phones:

• Prospects able to screen calls with Caller ID• The decision makers you are trying to reach are in meetings all day and away from

their desk• When the prospect is at their desk, they are too busy to answer the phone• The prospect gets cold calls from sales people all day and cannot answer any

incoming calls or they would talk to sales people all day

You can spend more than 50% of your time reaching voicemail messages.

Key Assumption

Prospects will not call you back.

This is a safe assumption for four reasonable reasons:

1. The prospect is not interested

2. The prospect is too busy

3. The prospect assumes you will call back

4. The prospect does not listen to your message

Importance of this Assumption

Fully embracing this will help with:

1. Determining when to leave a message

2. What we say in our message

3. What we do after leaving a message

4. Our expectations after leaving a message

Building Voicemail Messages

Voicemail Core Concepts

• Goal is not to get a call back– Educate and reinforce your other communication efforts

• Message should be between 15 to 30 seconds

• Create multiple voicemail messages – Allows you to leave something different on each recording– Allows you to build on your previous messages

• Maintain control of next step– You will call the prospect back

• Leave contact information clearly– Talk slowly– Leave twice

• Send an email after every voicemail messages– Easier for a prospect to respond to– Easier for a prospect to extract and save your information

Inte

rest

The Pillars of Sales MessagingV

alu

e

Pai

n

Qu

alif

y

Cre

dib

ility

Ob

ject

ion

s

Sales Messaging Strategy

Cold Call Email

Website Presentation

Introduction

Networking

Alternative Approach

What is Value

• Transfer of an intangible attribute from one party to another that has a positive net worth

• Could be at a personal level:– Making someone laugh– Teach someone how to do something– Being a good listener– Providing security– Making someone’s day easier

• At a business level:– Helping a business to save money– Helping a business to make money– Proving valuable information– Making someone’s day easier– Helping to save time

• It is not your product, it is what your product helps your clients to do or to achieve

Three Levels of Value

Technical Value

• Processes• Systems• People

Automation of manual processesImprove performanceDecrease time to perform workImprove reliability

Business Value

• Revenue• Costs• Services

Improve revenue / market share / close rateDecrease cost of goods sold / labor costImprove delivery of services

Personal Value

• Income• Career• Workload

Increased bonuses, commissionsRecognition and promotionsDecreased/increased workload

What is Pain

• Something not working well – Causing a negative impact

• Something could be working better – Results are not as good as could be

• Are things great, good, ok, or could be better ?– Great or good: probably no pain– OK or could be better: likely pain

Three Levels of Pain

Technical Pain

• Processes• Systems• People

Slow, broken, or manual processesPoor system or employee performanceLack of reliability

Business Pain

• Revenue• Costs• Services

Low revenue / market share / close rateHigh cost of goods sold / labor costPoor delivery of services

Personal Pain

• Income• Career• Work Environment

Low bonuses, commissions, compensationNo recognition, no promotions / career pathHigh workload, poor work–life balance

Establishing Credibility

• Name Dropping

• Storytelling

• Lack of Availability

• Lack of Neediness

• Picture of Consensus

Voicemail Message Examples

Focus on your value:

Hello [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company].

 

Purpose for my call is that we help [your technical or business value]. I actually do not know if you all need what we provide and that is why I was calling you with a question or two.

 

I will try you again next week. If you would like to reach me in the meantime, my number is [Your Number].

 

Again, this is [Your Name] calling from [Your Company], [Your Number].

 

Thank you and I look forward to talking with you soon.

Voicemail Message Examples

Focus on the pain you resolve:

Hello [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company].  Purpose for my call is that we find that many companies like yours have challenges with: (Share a couple common pain points) I actually do not know if you all are concerned about any of those areas and that is why I was calling you with a question or two. I will try you again next week. If you would like to reach me in the meantime, my number is [Your Number]. Again, this is [Your Name] calling from [Your Company], [Your Number]. Thank you and I look forward to talking with you soon.

Voicemail Message Examples

Focus on a name drop example:

Hello [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company].  Purpose for my call is that we worked with [a name drop client of yours] and helped them to [technical benefit] and this led to [business benefit]. I actually do not know if you all are concerned about any of those areas and that is why I was calling you with a question or two. I will try you again next week. If you would like to reach me in the meantime, my number is [Your Number]. Again, this is [Your Name] calling from [Your Company], [Your Number]. Thank you and I look forward to talking with you soon.

To leave a message or not leave a message? That is the question.

Things to Consider

• Leaving messages is time consuming

• Limits your call back timing– You can call back in a shorter time

period without leaving a message– Calling multiple times in same day is

OK without a message

Call CadenceRound 1

1. Pre-call email

2. First phone call

3. Leave voicemail message #1

4. Send voicemail follow-up email #1

5. Pause (1 day, 2 days, 1 week)

Round 2

6. 5 to 10 calls with no voicemail message

7. After 2 weeks, leave voicemail message #2

8. Send voicemail follow-up email #2

9. Pause (1 day, 2 days, 1 week)

10.Move laterally and horizontally to find new contacts and start round 1

Round 3

11.5 to 10 calls with no voicemail message

12.After 2 weeks, leave voicemail message #3

13.Send voicemail follow-up email #3

14.Potentially close contact or move to drip campaign

What to Do After the Voicemail

Follow Up with a Voicemail

Hello [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company].

 

As I mentioned in a voicemail I just left you, I am reaching out to you because we worked with [a name drop client of yours] and helped them to [technical benefit] and this led to [business benefit].

 

I actually do not know if you all are concerned about any of those areas and that is why I was calling you with a question or two.

 

I will try you again next week. If you are interested in talking more about your challenges and learning about the value and insight that we have to offer, I can schedule a brief conversation next Tuesday or Thursday morning.

Go Back to the Gatekeeper

• Try to connect with someone else– Someone that does something similar from a

functional standpoint– Someone above or below in the organization– “I am trying to connect with Mary Phillips but

can’t seem to get a hold of her. Do you know who in her organization I should connect with? Is there someone else that holds the same role as her? Is there anybody that reports to her? Who does she report to?”

• Try to connect with department executive assistant– Gather information– Find additional contacts

Summary

• You will face voicemail a lot, have a plan

• Use it as a tool to communicate, not to trigger action

• Making some of the changes suggested will improve your ability to connect

• Connecting more will lead to more conversations and meetings

• This will create more leads and improve sales results

SalesScripter

www.salesscripter.com

What do you sell? ___________

How does it help? ___________

What problems do you fix? ___________

What questions should you ask? ___________

1. Asks all the key questions 2. Maps answers to document library

If You Want More Help• The Cold Calling Equation – Problem Solved

– Available on Amazon - $15.95

• Web-based training program– Week 1: Ideal Sales Process and Communicating Value– Week 2: Finding Prospect Pain– Week 3: Ideal Prospect and Qualifying– Week 4: Dealing with Objections and Getting Around the Gatekeeper– Week 5: Building Rapport, Interest, and Credibility– Week 6: Generating Leads and SalesScripter Overview– Week 7: Improving the Connect Rate– Week 8: Inner Game– Week 9: Managing Prospecting Meetings and Managing Sales Cycles– Week 10: Improving the Close Rate and Disqualifying

• SalesScripter– www.salesscripter.com – Walk-through services available

• SalesScripter Demonstration – Every Thursday