I get asked all the time if voicemail works for prospecting, and if it does, then how can it be done?

I strongly believe in voicemail as a prospecting tool.

Let’s not kid ourselves — the vast majority of people allow any phone call they receive to roll over to voicemail unless they recognize the phone number.

They use voicemail as a tool to screen calls. The last thing they want to do is get caught up talking to someone on the phone if they don’t really want to talk to that person.

Chances are you do the same. You value your time and you don’t want it wasted.

Below is a summary of how to make voicemail prospecting work. In upcoming blog posts, I will break apart each reason in more detail.

1. Voicemail works when used as ONE of your prospecting tools rather than the only one.

2. Keep prospecting voicemails short. Never more than 18 seconds and preferably as short as 12 seconds.

3. Your voicemail must contain something of value for the person receiving it. The message is not about you.

4. Don’t expect your single voicemail message to be returned. It won’t be! View your message as one of a series of messages you’ll be using to reach your prospect across different mediums.

5. Your message must be one that conveys energy and confidence in your voice. Your prospect is busy and they don’t want to listen to a train wreck.

By all means, don’t forget the reason why we’re trying to reach a prospect. The reason is not to sell to them, but to help them achieve something they didn’t think was possible.

When we begin looking at the role of prospecting in that manner, it’s amazing what we can accomplish!

Copyright 2015, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price.

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