Leave me a voicemail: the winning 5-step formula!

Posted by Laura Bergells

March 16, 2007

If you leave me a voicemail and you want me to call you back, it is a great idea to leave me your phone number! Seriously!

Over the past year, I hear at least 10 voicemails from people who sound very nice — people I would probably love to work with — but they bobble the “call me back” part.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, they tell me their phone numbers. In fact, they sound so accustomed to leaving their phone numbers, they rattle them off at top speed! Last month, I played back a voicemail message five times. I got the area code – but after that, it was all a blur.

I think I actually heard a sonic boom in the middle of the phone number!

I asked a colleague if he could decipher the number. No luck. He tried a couple of times before he quit.

Of course, many times the dubious quality of cell phone-meets-voicemail can sometimes leave a warble or a “digital burp” right in the middle of the phone number! That’s why repeating the phone number is kinda important!

So that’s my sales advice for the day: when you leave a voicemail, slow down. Here’s an easy, five-step template to follow:

Take a deep breath.
Tell me your name and company name. Tell me your phone number and extension (slowly).
Tell me briefly why you are calling and when you would like me to call back.
Repeat your name and number (slowly) just in case I didn’t have time to write it down the first time — or if your cell phone or my voicemail scrambled or hiccupped the first time through.
Say thank you, bye-bye — and hang up!

I like people who tell me their names and numbers right away. That way, if I have to hit “playback” to get your number, it’s right there: I don’t have to replay your entire message. It’s also polite to introduce yourself before you start telling me what you want me to do!