Good morning!
Recently, I flew to Columbus, Ohio for a Leadership Conference put on by the Graphic Media Alliance. My wife was kind enough to drive me to the airport and pick me up the next day.
Her new car has Car Play. For the uninitiated, non-Apple product using heathens, this means all the functionality on her phone is transmitted via Bluetooth to the screen in her SUV.
At a stoplight, I noticed the number 22 in red attached to the phone icon. This means she has 22 voicemail messages.
22 voicemail messages!
Here I am thinking, “Your husband is a sales trainer. He rails on and on about people who don’t listen to voicemail and here is his wife doing the exact same thing!”
When I asked her about it, however she had a perfectly sensible response…
“My cell phone transcribes all the voicemail messages into text. So, I am getting those messages. I’m just not listening to them. I’m reading them.”
This got me thinking….
One of the biggest challenges my clients are fighting is simply making contact with someone. “They don’t return my voicemail,” you say. Okay, but what if…
What if they WERE receiving them?
What if they WERE reading them?
If you knew that, what could you put in a voicemail that would be intriguing enough to result in a little curiosity…just enough so that they’d perhaps answer your next call?
Remember, voicemail is an audition. Voicemail is a chance for you to demonstrate your style, display your professionalism, and deliver a valuable message.
A valuable message!
First, be clear. That is, enunciate your words.
Second, speak slowly. Messages can go from “I’d love a chance to meet with you” to “I’m in love with Pikachu” if you hurry.
Third, deliver that value. Use words that prove you know something about them, you understand a problem they are having, and you have some thoughts on how to solve it.
You need to believe your messages ARE being received. The fact that they are not returned, however, is both your fault and your opportunity to change.
