The advancement of technology has strengthened the nexus between buyers and sellers. A few clicks on LinkedIn bring reps face-to-face with millions of people in their addressable market.

Ad sales intelligence tools can pinpoint the right person to contact and craft the perfect pitch.

These digital tools will continue to offer sales reps a straight line to buyers—and that’s a good thing.

A McKinsey survey found that more than 75% of buyers and sellers prefer virtual sales meetings over face-to-face interactions.

That said, sellers shouldn’t discount the power of a good old-fashioned phone call.

Despite most prospects being fond of emails, only 8.5% of all outreach emails get a response.

The response rate of other digital channels isn’t always much better, especially given the volume of outreach the average buyer swims through daily.

In 2023 and beyond, a phone call will be a key cog in any well-oiled sales machine.

The problem: Most calls go unanswered.

The solution: Leave a voicemail that demands a return call.

Here are 6 tips for leaving effective sales voicemails this year.

1. Have a Verbal “Subject Line”

Much like an email subject line, give your prospect a reason to continue listening beyond your introduction.

When leaving a voicemail, it’s important to immediately present the value of your company to the prospect. Construct an opening talking point with the same intentions you would use to write an email subject line.

If you were emailing a prospect, would you include your name and company in the subject line?

Of course not.

It’s helpful to treat voicemails the same way. Make sure you hook the listener first.

Sales emails opener ideas

• Company research, i.e., “I saw your company recently did X.”
• Prospect pain point, i.e., “Are you experiencing X challenge?”
• Competitor insight, i.e., “Your competitor is doing X.”
• Strategic suggestions, “Have you considered X solution to improve your strategy?”

Relate to their needs from the start. Start with them. Wait to introduce yourself.

2. Avoid Information Overload

Information overload is real.

Like, very real. In fact, 80% of global workers experience information overload.

Therefore, avoiding giving your prospect too much information in your voicemail is very important.

If you’ve done the proper research during the prospecting stage, you should have a good idea of your prospect’s needs and how your product can help them.

Focus on a single subject or need, and speak directly about how you can solve it.

This is a way to be very specific, concise, and powerful.

In fact, keep your sales emails to around 30 seconds.

If you can get your point across clearly, and in less time than that, terrific, but try not to creep beyond that threshold. This is enough time to include essential information and make your message clear in the era of the 8-second attention span.

3. Be Personable

It’s important to take advantage of your ability to verbalize your message.

As we stated earlier, voicemails are like emails in the sense that, when constructed, they’re a one-sided affair – meaning, there’s no immediate conversation.

However, leaving a voicemail allows you to use the tone of your voice to be more personable. Take advantage of that.

If you possess a friendly, confident, and excited tone when leaving a voicemail, there’s a better chance that your prospect will remember your message. It’s one thing to relate to them on a business level, but it’s another thing to relate to them on a personal level.

That said, don’t open with, “Did I catch you at a bad time?”. It may seem personable, but it could decrease your success rate for booking a meeting by 40%.

4. Be Natural

This one is easier said than done, but it is extremely effective when done correctly.

You shouldn’t sound like a robot when leaving a voicemail, nor should you sound like you are reading from a script. You shouldn’t be overly pushy either, especially if you’re leaving a voicemail for the first or second time.

If your sales tactics are aggressive or pushy, you could drive 84% of buyers away.

The closer you are to sounding like yourself in your voicemail, the greater the chance your prospect calls you back.

If you sound like a robot, your prospect may assume that your pitch to them is the same pitch you give to everyone. You’ll get the same negative response that templated InMail messages receive on LinkedIn.

5. Have a Voicemail Ready for Every Call

In the current state of ad sales, avoiding “cookie-cutter” selling is essential. Your pitch should be different for every prospect; thus, your voicemails should differ for every call.

It might seem easier to prepare for individual conversations and have just a single voicemail as your fallback. Avoid that.

For every call, do the necessary research to build conversation talking points and a voicemail outline.

Just because there isn’t a person on the other end of the line doesn’t eliminate the need to personalize your message.

In the new age of ad sales, reps must take voicemails as seriously as they take emails, phone calls, or other forms of communication.

Impressing a prospect across multiple communication mediums could make all the difference in turning them into a client.

6. Don’t Give Up

Let’s be real: Most of your voicemails won’t get a response—and that’s ok. But don’t give up just because the prospect is giving you a proverbial “no.” In fact, 60% of customers will say no four times before they agree to a deal.

Keep this in mind if your prospects don’t call you back. They’re busy in their personal and professional lives, so getting to them may take a few tries.

That said, don’t sing the same tune each time. If you have to leave more than one sales email, craft a slightly different message each time—think of each voicemail as an opportunity to continue the story.

Each one should build off the next.

Leaving the Perfect Sales Voicemail

Just as sales reps are extremely busy, so are their contacts. This means that there will be plenty of times when the phone rings… And rings… And rings.

And no one answers.

Instead of looking at this moment as a missed opportunity, however, sales reps need to look at a voicemail simply as another chance to impress their prospect.

Many sales teachers focus heavily on saying the right things during a phone call. In many cases, voicemails are looked at as a more concise version of what the phone conversation would have been.

Preparing for a voicemail is actually a very different process, however, because it is, at the moment, a one-sided affair, like a presentation or an email.

While using the right research tools when planning your next voicemail is essential, it’s most important to use the right techniques to ensure your prospect feels the need to keep in touch.

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