BILL FARQUHARSON The Sixty Second Voice Mail Sales Call Whether warm or cold, a sales call by phone can be a powerful sales step in our tool belt. But what happens if you get through to a voicemail and need to leave a message that results in a callback? Let’s explore four variations; some VOICEMAIL MESSAGE ONE: “Can I get thirty minutes of your time? My name is Bill, and I sell signage. I’d like to talk to you about my company and the many ways we can save you money. I’ll fill you in on our background, equipment list, and company philosophy and discuss myriad success stories. A PowerPoint presentation displayed on my iPad will bring the world of sign and display to life. Oh, and I will want to know something about you, what you do, and what you buy so that I can provide pricing. What do you say? Do you have thirty minutes for me?” Response: Quite honestly, no. My job as a business owner is all-consuming. With fewer people working here, we need to finish more in less time. Unfortunately, the idea that I would have thirty minutes to give anyone is ludicrous. I barely have time to do my job and still find time to see my family and relax. Back in the ‘Old Days’, we set time aside each month for the specific purpose of meeting new vendors. But those were different times, now that we have Google. I do get it. I understand that your job is to sit in front of people like me and extol the virtues of your products and services. Chances are overwhelming: I’ve already spoken to someone like you —if not two people —and they have acceptable products and pricing. Seeking out another source is not a priority for me. So, no, I do not have thirty minutes to listen to you talk about printing or signage. 42 OCT/NOV 2022 are exaggerated for effect and the likely response of your lead when they hear it. VOICEMAIL MESSAGE TWO: “Hi, me again! Can I get twenty minutes of your time? Again, my name is Bill, and I sell signage; did I mention the branded merch? I’d like to talk to you about my capabilities and my differentiator. I see that you are in the healthcare field. We work with many companies in that space, helping them to optimise their marketing spend through innovative online ordering solutions. We have big pieces of print equipment with lots of lights and buttons. I’ll tell you all about it, as well as hear more about your plans for growth and how we might be able to help. Do you have twenty minutes to spare?” Response: Not really. It does interest me that you have some experience in healthcare. Thank you for mentioning that. It drives me crazy that I must spend part of my busy day explaining to people what we do when it is publicly available information. From time to time, salespeople sit in front of me on a first appointment, completely unprepared. They know all about their company and their industry but nothing about mine. Once I realise how one-sided this conversation will be, I shut it down faster than a bad first date. Your voicemail provides some glimmer of hope that you have a general knowledge of the vertical market we inhabit but does little to persuade me to fit you into my busy day. I am slightly more tempted than before, but only slightly. VOICEMAIL MESSAGE THREE: “Ten minutes. Just give me ten minutes. I promise to respect your time and keep the conversation about the technical part of printing to a minimum while carefully preparing a bevy of open-ended questions based on the extensive research I will do before walking in your door. If I am still in your office past ten minutes, it’s because you have kept me there to discuss something we had hit upon of mutual interest. Got ten minutes?” Response: Perhaps. I like the heavy emphasis on me, my needs, and the company’s future. I like that you have stripped away the parts about you that I can assume to be true and that if you have a piece of equipment so unique, you’ll talk about what I can get rather than what it can do. Otherwise, it will go without saying that you are competent, deliver on time, are ISO certified, and that people buy from you because of your excellent customer service and so forth. Though, ten minutes of face-to-face time is an interruption in my day. We both know it’s not going to be ten minutes. You will arrive and be escorted to the conference room, where I will join you. We will chitchat for a few minutes, and then you will give your presentation. Neither of us will keep track of the time, and thirty minutes will have passed before we know it. So while I’d like to say yes to a ten- minute meeting, I know it will be longer, so I have to decline. Photo Credit: Icons 8 (Unsplash)
