Leaving a Sales Message
November 16th, 2010 by www.sellinggeek.com
Perhaps the trickiest part of any phone sales job is leaving a message. After all, not even friends return every single voicemail, so what can possibly be done to ensure a call back from a relative stranger? In a matter of principle, leaving a sales message is actually a lot like leaving a message to ask someone you just met out on a date. Think about it; you only vaguely know this person but you know that you might have something to offer them that they are interested in, only you can’t be sure of their level of interest, at least not at this initial stage. Still, in order to drive any further correspondence or eventual transaction, it is necessary to leave a message. Though this advice pertains directly to sales messages, feel free to apply it loosely to the dating arena as well. Ultimately, it is about leaving the message-receiver as few easy outs as possible.Don’t ask for a specific call back time Assuming someone can keep themselves busy for an hour or two at a time, calling you back can be justifiably avoided if you specify a time. A simple “call back at your convenience” leaves little excuse unless this person is working or sleeping on a continuous 24/7 cycle.Leave your phone number in the message Your number is more than likely available online, in the local yellow or white pages or even in their very address book, however, the “didn’t have your number” card is often played out of sheer convenience. This move completely takes the card out of the deck.Give a reason to call back Don’t expect this person to call you back just to chat, bear in mind they don’t know you that well. Leave some sort of incentive in the message, i.e. “If you want to ______, then call me back at phone .” Remember, this incentive should be something that nearly everyone wants to do, otherwise there is little reason to follow up.Use Appropriate Hours Don’t leave a message in the middle of a night. Better yet, don’t leave a message after 9 p.m.