Got Voice Mail?

POST AN ARTICLE

Featured Sales Blogs

In Partnership Wth:

DiversityJobs.com

JustJobs.com

MAIN MENU

Got Voice Mail?

Written by Lydia Ramsey

More Gravy
At The Sound of the Beep

I always get a big chuckle when sales people call my office to prospect for new business. I’m amazed at the fundamental lack of research, amused by their haphazard preparation and surprised that they actually believe their approach has any chance of working.

Here are a couple of actual winners I’ve recently received. The messages you are about to read are real. The names have been changed to protect the guilty. See what you think:

Hi, this is Ken with Hopeless Inc. We purchase used office telephone equipment and PC’s. Our number is 214.555.1212. If you’ve recently switched systems or plan to in the near future please give us a call at 214.555.1212.

Not much of a compelling reason to return this call. What is the potential value in doing business with Hopeless Inc.? It looks like the classic numbers game…make enough calls and eventually you find someone who has just “switched systems” and wants to get rid of the junk sitting in the closet. I couldn’t do that for a living, and I’m glad I don’t have to!

Here’s another example. Maybe it looks familiar to you.

Good morning Kim, this is Barbie with Clueless. We produce the business to business database called Insight Online. I’m following up on your email inquiry to see if you have any questions about our product. Please give me a call at your convenience. My number is 888.555.1212 extension 1234.

Well for starters my name isn’t Kim. Yes, I did make an email inquiry, and I’m pretty confident that I didn’t misspell my name on their form. Barbie says she wants to see if I have any questions on their product. Maybe it’s just me, but if I had a question I’m thinking I would pick up the phone and call them. What if Barbie was calling because she had ideas to share on how Insight Online has helped other sales speakers improve their business? Think I would return that call? You better believe it!

So what does it take to craft a better voice mail message? How can you improve your odds of getting a call back? Here are five questions that will help you start creating better messages now…

#1. Who is your target market?
Specifically, what is the title of the decision maker you want to do business with? And, if you are leaving a message for me, I want to hear that you work with professional sales trainers and speakers. I’m not interested in a one-size-fits-all approach. I’m interested in talking with someone who knows something about what I do (that’s why it’s called research!).

#2. What are some of the specific challenges that you solve? What are some opportunities that you help create?
Be as specific as possible. This is the classic pains & gains stuff. Re-visit these ideas often… that is why they are called classics!

#3. What emotions (frustration, disappointment, concern, optimism, hope) does your target market experience with the challenges and opportunities you outlined above?
Remember that emotion plays a big part in buying decisions, yet most of you sell using too much logic. Ever see someone driving a Lexus or wearing a Rolex? Help me understand the logic behind those decisions.

#4. What are some of the competitive alternatives available to your target market?
Yeah, I hear you screaming “never bring up the competition!” Do you really believe your prospect is only going to consider you without checking out someone else? Think again! And remember, doing nothing is a competitive alternative.

#5. Why, based on all of the alternatives available, should they do business with you?
What are your compelling differentiators? Be careful here, because most of you are thinking “great products, awesome service, solid reputation and a competitive price.” If most of you are thinking this, then it really isn’t a compelling differentiator… is it?

{sidebar id=7}Now just plug and play!
Fill in the blanks, read, revise, get feedback from your peers and you will have crafted a message that is purposeful, powerful and on target.

“I specialize in helping (target market) who are (feelings/emotions) with (specific challenges) and want proven solutions for (your specific benefits). (Quantify number or use names) of clients have already discovered that unlike (competitive alternative), my solution is/does (compelling differentiator).

My goal is not to make a sales call on you, but if these issues sound familiar and the benefits are important to you, then it might be worth ten minutes for us to have a brief fact finding conversation.”

I can’t guarantee that this process will work for you, but I can guarantee that it works. I’m hoping you will take some time to review and improve your current library of voice mail scripts. If you aren’t getting all the callbacks you want, you don’t have much to lose!

There's not anybody who really cares about using voice messaging the way I envisioned it." According to Gordon Matthews, the inventor of voice mail, he never anticipated that his automated message system would be used to confuse and frustrate business callers. He didn't foresee how many ways businesses could devise to misuse his system.

When asked what aggravates them most about modern phone communication the majority of people will say that it is voice mail. Pressed for details, they explain that it is the automated answering process that companies use to screen and direct calls that bugs them, not the basic messaging-taking function.

Companies are spending large sums of money to antagonize their customers and it only seems to get worse. When a person needs help with a problem and can't reach another human, the situation deteriorates rapidly. Using the numbers on your touch tone pad is fine when you want to verify your bank balance, pay a bill or have a dry newspaper delivered; but when your pipes are backing up, your new computer just crashed, or a tree just fell on your brand new SUV, call processing may not be the answer.

There are advantages to an automated system. It saves money in salaries and benefits. It prevents old-fashioned phone tag by allowing people to leave detailed messages in their own voice with clear and correct information. Voice mail crosses all time zones so people can leave and retrieve messages at their convenience.

The disadvantages are that people can hide behind voice mail, often the prompts are confusing, working through the menu can be more time-consuming than speaking to a "live" person, and some people just don't like talking to machines.

If your company uses an automated system to process calls make sure it provides the best customer service by following these suggestions:

1. Keep your greeting short and sweet. (No one cares that your menu options have changed. They only want to know what options they have now.)

2. List your menu options according to popular usage.

3. Tell callers how to reach another human early in the process.

4. Think twice before using voice mail for customer service issues.

5. Survey your customers from time to time to see how they feel about your voice mail system.

6. Try calling your own system occasionally and find out first hand what your customers are experiencing.

Voice mail can be either an incredible asset to your business or an incredible pain for your customers. Don't force innocent people to spend their valuable time in your voice mail jail.

Lydia Ramsey
		About the author:
		Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of Manners That Sell - Adding The Polish That Builds Profits. She has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Investors' Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman's Day. For more information about her featured presentations and products visit www.mannersthatsell.com. .