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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Leanne Hoagland Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales success or one of the many who have failed to change? So what are you doing to change those results? Let’s be honest, with companies moving globally and at lightening speeds, the traditional business solutions are outdated and dead. My approach moves your business out of its comfort zone and secures your competitive advantage now. If you are seeking to increase sales, build customer loyalty, create a culture of great attitudes or just achieve some sleep filled nights, then we should talk because my clients have experienced exactly those types of results. Learn more about customer loyalty at http://www.processspecialist.com/customer-loyalty.htm Give me a call at 219.759.5601 for a free strategy session. P.S. If you are seeking a motivational speaker, sales trainer or small business expert that will leave your audience smiling and remembering, please feel free to contact me at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland Smith's Website |
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Dave Kurlan
Dave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development.
Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit.
He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine.
He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball.
He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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