What To Say On Your Second Voicemail Message

What do you say when you’re calling a prospect for the second time and get asked to leave a voicemail message instead? Do you have a plan, or do you just wing it and hope for the best?

In this article:

1. Sales Voicemail Tips from Michael Pedone
2. The Follow-Up Problem
3. How to Get People to Call You Back
4. 2 Things to Remember
5. Knockout Punch

How To Craft a Memorable Follow-Up Voicemail Message

Sales Voicemail Tips from Michael Pedone

Michael Pedone, B2B inside sales training expert at SalesBuzz.com, spoke at the XANT Sales Acceleration Summit 2016 and shared his tips for sales voicemail success.

Michael built on the ideas he shared last time, which dealt with how sales reps should leave a voicemail when calling a prospect for the first time. For round two, he explained the process for a follow-up voicemail.

The Follow-Up Problem

It would be great if all our prospects would call us back after the first voice message, but we all know that will never happen, no matter how well-crafted our sales voicemail script is.

This inevitably means you’ll need to try calling again. Unfortunately, the majority of salespeople fail to follow up.

XANT research shows that most reps only attempt between one and two calls before giving up on their prospects.

Michael believes that one of the primary reasons most people give up so easily and never follow up is because no one ever taught them a step-by-step process to follow along with what to say.

That ends today.

How to Get People to Call You Back

Michael emphasizes that if you want to leave better voicemails and be really successful at sales, you must ditch your “Captain Wing It” cape and follow a proven sales process. You can’t make things up as you go and expect consistent results.

Part of a proven sales process is knowing how many times you are willing to reach out to a prospect, as well as knowing exactly what to say each time you do.

According to XANT research, sales teams who make six to nine attempts on each lead can contact up to 90%. Grant Cardone, one of our other SAS speakers, even called following up the great sales secret.

You need to be willing to call more than once and be prepared with what to say if you leave a voicemail for your prospect.

2 Things to Remember

Instead of trying to memorize a complicated voicemail message script, Michael offers two simple things to remember when crafting your second recorded message.

First, remind your prospect of your previous voicemail message and repeat what Michael calls hot buttons, or value statements, that explain what’s in it for them.

For example, “Hi (name), it’s (your name) with (your company name). I left you a voicemail (yesterday/the other day) regarding (Hot button 1/hot button 2).”

Second, always remember to offer something new, something that will pique their interest.

For example, “I’d also like to see if _______.”

Knockout Punch

Your voicemails are always part of a larger outreach strategy. A voicemail message should accompany an email, or vice versa, and they should reference each other.

When you record a voicemail for your prospect, follow up with an email. This is where you include what Michael calls the knockout punch. In your email, provide a link to your online calendar. That way, if a prospect is willing to speak with you, they can get time in your calendar with a click of a button.

Example: If your team is due for a little tune-up in these areas, let’s schedule a quick call to see if we’d be a good fit. Use this link to schedule a one-on-one call with me.

Let them pick the time instead of asking them if a specific time works.

This knockout strategy has helped Michael increase his response rate.

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

We hope these tips will help you craft a memorable second voicemail. However, remember that a good voicemail message is just one part of a larger outreach strategy. If you really want to increase the response rate of your prospects, combine a memorable voicemail that piques their interest with an email that reminds them about it.

Have you tried to leave a voicemail for your prospective client before? Were you able to convert that into sales? Share your experience in the comments section below!

Up Next: The Anatomy of Successful Cold Calling

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 18, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.