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It’s Only Common Sense: Leaving a Great Voicemail Message

Leaving a stellar voicemail message is one of the greatest secrets in sales and can be one of a salesperson's biggest challenges. Whenever I am working with salespeople on their cold calling to generate leads, this question inevitably comes up: “What is the best message I can leave to make sure the customer calls me back?”

Honestly, that is not an easy question to answer. There are all kinds of ways to approach the dreaded voicemail message; some of them are funny, others are creative, and while others are sincere, some are just plain begging. It all depends on the caller’s state of mind.

I heard of one salesperson pleading on the voicemail that his son was accepted to college, and he needed this sale to pay for the expensive tuition, while another confidently told the caller that he is ready to offer the best deal/opportunity/goldmine/life-changer they will ever experience. Others sound desperate: the Willie Loman, “They used to love me in Boston,” approach.

I have been asked about leaving the right voicemails so many times that I have collected and admittedly (some humorous) a tongue-in-cheek library of the weirdest voicemails I could find. Some come from people I know. Some I stole. Some I made up. And, full disclosure, some I researched online.

So, for your education and entertainment pleasure, here are a whole bunch of voicemails that I have collected over the years. Please send me some of your favorites so I can steal those as well.

Let’s start with the weirdest approach. I have a friend who will not leave a message. He claims this works because it leaves the recipient so curious that he actually gets callbacks. I don’t know about that but if he says so, maybe it’s true?

There is a woman who cuts herself off in the middle of the message. She starts with something like, “You will not believe what I have to talk to you about today. Did you ever have a product that was almost too good to be true? Well, let me tell…” She leaves it at that and claims it works.

It reminds me of someone who was so frustrated that a certain buyer was not returning his calls. He ran into that buyer in a restaurant, stormed up to him, and demanded to know why the buyer was not returning his calls. The buyer calmly looked at him and said, “Because I have caller ID.”

Here are a few of the crazier voicemails I found while building my library:

The Foodie Approach: “Hey there, just like a perfectly cooked steak, I’m here to make sure this connection is well done. Give me a call and let’s sizzle together.”

The Mystery Solver: “Congratulations! You’ve stumbled upon the enigma of the missing call. Call me back to unveil the secrets and unlock this epic tale.”

The DIY Disaster: “Tried fixing my phone’s voicemail and ended up on yours. Let’s fix this communications mishap. Give me a call.”

The Secret Agent: “I am looking forward to continuing our top-secret conversations. Give me a call back and I’ll fill you in on what is going on in the world as we speak.”

The Life-Changer: “I promise you that you have never received a call like this one. I promise you that once you call me back your life will change forever. Ask yourself: Do you even dare take the risk of not calling me back?”

The Special Exclusive Deal: “Look, we have an offer so special today that you are one of only three people we are calling. You are not going to believe what we have to offer today as long as you call me back before the end of the day in California. That’s 5 p.m. Pacific time. Do not miss this opportunity.”

Those are fun and all but let’s get more serious. When you are planning to make a call and you know you will likely leave a voicemail, be prepared. Have some information about the company and some G2 about what they are looking for. Do your homework, so you can demonstrate in your message that you know what you are talking about.

Try something like this: “Hi, this is Dick Rollins from the Always on Time Manufacturing Company. I know that you folks are having a terrible time getting your part number 13567 on time and it’s starting to affect your monthly revenues. We can help with that. We have some of those parts in stock and have successfully fabricated them in the past with 100% on-time delivery and quality. If you want to look good to your boss and your company, give me a call within the hour. Here is my number.”

That will get the buyer’s attention, and chances are good, you’ll get that return phone call and the order.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Marketing Group.