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20 Tips For Leaving Effective Efficient Voicemail Messages From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach

20 Tips For Leaving Effective Efficient Voicemail Messages From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach

Strategic thinking applies to all that we do in business. Our business communications are one area where there is always room to be more strategic and therefore be more effective. Take a moment and think about some of the voicemail messages you receive each day. How many of them are effective? How many of them are efficient and contain the information and/or questions you really need to respond? How many of them are rambling and incoherent? And how many of them are downright annoying and a waste of your time?

Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach has some tips to share that will help you leave more effective and efficient voicemail messages and become a more strategic business communicator. Those tips include:

Tip #1: Always plan ahead. Prepare for your call and the possibility you will be asked to leave a voicemail message. Research your subject and your clients and/or prospects before you make your call and be prepared to reference that research in your voicemail message.

Tip #2: Practice delivering your voicemail message prior to placing the call so you are will prepared to deliver a well-planned voicemail message.

Tip #3: Do your homework to get to know the person who will get your voicemail message.

Tip #4: Make it a habit to leave your contact information up front in your voicemail message. This will make sure the receiver of your message knows how to contact you if the message gets cutoff before you finished. Always repeat your contact information at the end of your message (unless you have gotten cutoff).

Tip #5: Discipline yourself to focus on one topic in your voicemail message. If you have too many topics, please consider e-mail to be a more effective communications tool for multiple topics.

Tip #6: Provide enough detail in your voicemail, without using up all the available space for your message, so the receiver has what he or she needs to respond to your message and so you will not waste time playing phone tag.

Tip #7: Always speak distinctly and clearly to ensure your voicemail message will be understandable to the receiver. You should slow down and pronounce words carefully.

Tip #8: Please spell your name and/or any difficult or unusual words if your name is hard to pronounce or unusual, or if an unusual word may be difficult for the receiver to understand over the phone.

Tip #9: Always state who the voicemail message is for since some voice mail system may serve multiple people.

Tip #10: Keep your voicemail message simple and concise. A business message should be to the point and in as few words as necessary.

Tip #11: Always correct yourself if you misspeak in your voicemail message by starting that part of your message again and repeat it correctly.

Tip #12: Never leave the same voicemail message twice. Always change your voicemail message to include another great point or piece of information.

Tip #13: Leave yourself a voicemail message and listen to it carefully. Listen to the tonality of your voice. Ask yourself if you are not speaking in a monotone and if you sound boring. Avoiding the monotone and boring speaking will increase the effectiveness of your voicemail message and will increase the probability that it will actually be listened to by the receiver.

Tip #14: Set a goal to try to keep your voicemail message to under 60 seconds.

Tip #15: Make sure to state a reason for the recipient of your voicemail message to return your call.

Tip #16: Always speak with enthusiasm when leaving your voicemail messages. You should actually smile when leaving your voicemail message since your smile will come across on the phone.

Tip #17: Always know what you want from the receiver of your voicemail message and what specific action(s) you want that person to take.

Tip #18: Always reflect the appropriate emotion in your voicemail message.

Tip #19: Never state in the message that you will plan to call them back. Again, this only gives the person an excuse to ignore your message.

Tip #20: Consider the timing of your voicemail message. Do not leave voicemail messages at odd hours of the night. Most voicemail systems offer a time stamp and the person hearing the message may immediately suspect you really did not want to talk to them. The best hours to leave voicemail messages are from 6:45 AM to 8:00 AM and from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Aggressive people are usually working during these time periods, and the person receiving your message could potentially view you as one. And make wise use of time zone changes to make as many calls as possible during the optimal voicemail periods listed in the previous tip.

Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach encourages you to fully realize the benefits of strategic thinking in making you a more effective and efficient business communicator. If you would like to learn more about how a strategic thinking business coach can facilitate and guide you in that endeavor, please contact Glenn Ebersole today through his website at www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com





20 Tips For Leaving Effective Efficient Voicemail Messages From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach - To learn more about this author, visit Glenn Ebersole's Website.

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Joe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website

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George Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website

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Cheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur.  Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well.  A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles.  She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide-  to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being.  Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com

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Dianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website

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Anne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website


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(Visit Glenn's Website) J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of marketing, public relations, management, and engineering. He is the Founder & Chief Executive of the Lancaster, PA based multi-disciplinary & strategic thinking consulting practices, J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group™. He is a Certified Facilitator and business and strategic thinking and planning coach to a diverse list of clients. Also called the "PR Doctor." At J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group™, we offer a unique approach to a wide range of strategic planning, management, marketing, public relations, and communications assignments through our team of independent professionals. We believe that our multi-disciplinary, customized and strategic thinking approach to our clients makes us unique.

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