Your ‘Plug and Play’ Voicemail Template to Grab Interest and Get More Responses

According to a 2016 XANT Research study on optimizing business communication, 66.8 percent of executives said they are likely to respond to voicemail at work. Another study by DiscoverOrg determined that 75 percent of decision makers have taken an appointment or attended an event based on an unexpected sales call or email.

Those numbers prove two things. First, voicemail is still relevant, and second, if you aren’t leaving quality voicemails, you’re missing out on opportunities.

Art Sobczak, celebrated sales author and trainer, revealed his proven techniques for leaving quality voicemails during his 2016 Sales Acceleration Summit session.

Pre-call research

The art of leaving a voicemail requires attention to detail.

That’s why Art emphasizes that there is no magic voicemail script that can help you win over every single person you call. Instead, he points out that what you say on a call is the result of several steps that lead up to that point, including pre-call research.

That being said, Art uses a simple template to craft prospect-specific voicemails.

Art’s proven voicemail template

This template is easily learned and can quickly improve the quality of your voicemails.

“Hi (prospect), I’m (name) with (company).
(Use LinkedIn/Smart Calling Intel/Connection/Referral)
We specialize in working with
(title of buyer/type of company/organization)
who/that
(describe a situation or problem)
and help to
(the result you provide)
which means
(further describing the end result).
(Mention specific customer/client results and move to questions).”

That may seem a little cryptic, so let’s use an example right from Art to better understand how this template works in a real-life situation.

Hi Pat, I’m Art Sobczak, President of Business by Phone. I was talking to one of your sales reps and I understand that you have an aggressive new account goal for this year, but some reps haven’t embraced it yet. I specialize in working with sales teams that have new business quotas, helping them use a proven prospecting process, which means they are able to confidently get through to and sell to new buyers. Our most recent client has already opened up 10 new accounts in a week, more than they did the past four months. I’d like to ask a couple of questions to see if I could provide you with some information.

Important considerations

The key to making this template work is understanding your prospect and setting yourself apart by letting them know you’re not just another smiling and dialing sales rep. Use LinkedIn and social engineering to get to know them, their company, their industry and find common connections.

In initial conversations, or when leaving a voicemail, be sure to address a problem and follow up immediately with a solution.

In the example above, Art states:

“I understand that you have an aggressive new account goal for this year, but some reps haven’t embraced it yet. I specialize in working with sales teams that have new business quotas.”

This establishes you as an expert and shows you understand the prospect’s needs.

Lastly, always remember that people don’t buy things, they buy results. By sharing actual metrics that reflect your success, you’re more likely to get the attention of buyers.

You can watch Art’s full presentation, or any of our other sales summit speakers, on demand by registering today.