This document discusses best practices for leaving effective sales voicemails. It provides tips on providing context, offering clear value, directly asking for what you want, repeating contact information, projecting energy and enthusiasm, keeping messages under 30 seconds, automating voicemails, optimizing call times, and testing different voicemail scripts. The presentation includes examples of good, average, and poor voicemails and discusses measuring voicemails based on clarity, conciseness, conversational tone, credibility, cadence, consistency, customization, and compelling nature.

1. July 31, 2014 #SalesVoicemail
How to Leave the Perfect SalesVoicemail
Webinar with RingDNA and RingLead

2. Howard Brown
CEO, RingDNA

3. Some Voicemail Stats

4. Great Voicemails Earn More
Than Just Call Backs
Email
response
Website
Visits
Social
Engagement Content
Engagement
Brand
Awareness

5. Poll: How often does your sales
team use voicemail scripts?
RingLead & RingDNA #SalesVoicemail

6. Always Provide
Context
“I wanted to thank you
for accepting my
LinkedIn request, and
tell you how...”
”You recently
downloaded our latest
eBook, and I was just
wondering if I could
help you...”
1

7. Offer Clear Value
“I can help you improve...”
“I’d love to show you how you can increase...”
2

8. Cowboy Up –
Ask For What
You Want
3

9. Say it Twice
ü Name
ü Company
ü Phone Number
4

10. Project Energy& Enthusiasm!
5

11. Keep It Under
30 Seconds6

12. Automate7

13. Source: TAS Group, 2013
Test Variables
TITLE PERSONALIZATION VALUE
PROP RESPONSE
RATE
VM1A eBook
download Prop
A 22%
VM1B eBook
download Prop
B 27%
8
TITLE PERSONALIZATION VALUE
PROP RESPONSE
RATE
VM2A ROI
Calculator Prop
A 24%
VM2B ROI
Calculator Prop
B 19%
TITLE PERSONALIZATION VALUE
PROP RESPONSE
RATE
VM3A Free
trial Prop
A 21%
VM3B Free
trial Prop
B 33%

14. Optimize Call Times
Best:
Wed-Thurs.
6:45-9am, 4-6 pm
Worst:
Monday 6am-noon,
Friday afternoons
9
Source: MIT Lead Management Study

15. Donato Diorio
CEO, RingLead

16. A
walk
in
the
woods

17. About Me: I Save Bad Voicemails

18. The Problem
First time outreach response is plummeting

19. •11% of calls get a response on the 1st attempt
•22% of calls get a response the 2nd attempt
•33% of calls get a response by the 3rd attempt
Every connection is an additional touchpoint on the journey to a
conversation.
Once You’ve Identified a Prospect...

20. • Less time planning
• Less time with people
• Less free time
• More tech distractions
• More time to find info
• More time scheduling
• 3X more time dealing with
unwanted communications
• 1/2 the free/unscheduled
time
• 2X more time after hours
9.7 hour day
Sales tasks in minutes 2014
8.5 hour day
Sales Day 2004 vs 2014
Sales tasks in minutes 2004

21. The BIG Idea
•80% of calls go into voicemail
•90% of first time VM are never returned
•You must be good at VM
•It can be measurable, coached & improved
Voicemail is here to stay
“the glengarry leads”

22. Wait, Isn’t Cold Calling Dead?!
At some point you need to have a first engagement.
•Content builds brand recognition
•Marketing automation fills the funnel
•Webinars educate your prospects

23. A Tale of 3
Voicemails

24. Straw: A Voicemail Disaster
Hi,
Mr.
Diorio,
this
is
Sarah
Smith
from
the
Sales
Training
Center
and
I’m
just
calling
you
to
let
you
know
about
our
new
sales
training
product
that,
um
may
be
of
interest
to
you.
If
you
could
get
back
to
me
at
414-­‐555-­‐1212,
I’d
like
to
set
an
appointment
with
you
to
discuss
this
great
new
product
in
detail.
Thank
you
and
I
look
forward
to
speaking
with
you.”
Score: 10
I’m
just
calling
may
be
of
interest
I’d
like
to
If
you
could
get
back
to
me
um

25. Stick: An Acceptable Voicemail
Score: 50
Mr.
Diorio,
thanks
for
attending
our
webinar.
We’ve
increased
sales
at
companies
like
Donnely
Technology
by
25%
using
our
new
sales
training
program.
This
is
Sarah
Smith
and
if
you
are
interested
to
see
if
we
can
do
the
same
for
you,
let’s
connect
and
I’ll
explain
how
we
did
it
at
Donnely.
I’m
with
The
Sales
Training
Center
and
can
be
contacted
at
414-­‐555-­‐1212.
Thank
you.
and
if
you
are
interested
thanks

26. Mr.
Diorio,
thank
you
for
attending
our
webinar.
Sales
grew
25%
at
Donnely
Technology
using
our
proven
sales
training
program.
In
the
next
few
minutes,
I’ll
be
reaching
out
to
network
with
Gregg
Thaler
and
John
Kostorus.
This
is
Sarah
Smith
and
I
can
do
the
same
for
your
team.
When
we
connect
I’ll
explain
how
we
did
it
at
Donnely.
I’m
with
The
Sales
Training
Center
and
can
be
contacted
at
414-­‐555-­‐1212.
Thank
Brick: A Solid Voicemail
Score: 83
network
with
Gregg
Thaler
and
John
Kosturos.
I’ll
be
reaching
out
to

27. Phelps or Jordan?

28. Poll: How many voicemails do you
immediately delete?
RingLead & RingDNA #SalesVoicemail

29. The “Follow Up” Danger
In volley communications, it’s fine to refer to a previous non-response in
your outreach.
•Never refer to a previous outreach that did not get a
response
•Puts you on defensive
•Natural escalation at 3rd, 4th, etc.
•Every outreach should stand alone
•Do record in CRM, make determination to continue or
not

30. Path to Outreach Success
Reality
Check
CoachAssess

31. It’s about a decision point. You can’t continue to fail at
an essential part of the recruiting process.
1st place:
Cadillac
2nd place:
Steak
knives
3rd place:
Fired
Reality Check

32. Poll: How effective are you in
getting a response?
RingLead & RingDNA #SalesVoicemail

33. The Lab

34. Script writing shorthand
•Allows for a more dynamic script
•Makes peer review easier
•Quicker to modify
•Not boring - allow for creativity

35. ...
Speed up
Slow down
Pause
[] Emphasize
/ A/B
{} Influence
[Mr.
Diorio],
I’ve
forwarded
the
careers
of
many
sales
reps
sales
and
in
the
next
few
minutes
I’ll
be
reaching
out
to
network
with
{Dan
Hughes
and
Gregg
Thaler}.
This
is
Sarah
Smith.
If
you
are
interested...
to
hear
about
a
posiOon
where
you
can
further
your
career
and
make
a
strategic
impact,
let’s
connect.
I’m
with
The
Sales
RecruiOng
Center
and
can
be
reached
at
414-­‐555-­‐1212.
Again
the
number
is
414-­‐555-­‐1212.
Thank
you
and
keep
a
look
out
for
an
/email/videomail/
from
me!
ScriptWriting Shorthand

36. The Instructions

37. VoicemailTest: Instructions
•1:1 meeting with each person
•Do not give advanced notice for the test
•Do not do it in a group (favors people who are last)
•Measure all people as quickly as possible
•Give written instructions:

38. The Recording

39. •Why record it?
•Don’t get caught in “I did say” or “did not say”...
Audio doesn’t lie.
•Remember:We want a real world simulation
•You will need the recording for “The Meeting”
Voicemail Test:The Capture

40. The Measure

41. The Eight C’s
Clear
Concise
Conversational
Credible
Cadence
Consistent
Customized
Compelling

42. Voicemail Measure
Clear
•You must be understandable
•Accents are fine, but not if clarity is reduced
“The British Effect”
Concise
•Single person outreach: 17 seconds
•SOI: 5 extra seconds per person

43. Voicemail Measure
Conversational
•Don’t sound like you are reading off a script.
•The only time a script works is when you are selling
something on price (B2C): ”...save you $30 on cableTV”
•Scripts are for the first few day of sales, after that, use
bullet points or script shorthand.
Credible
•Who have you helped?
•If you don’t speak with authority, borrow it

44. Poll: Are you more likely to return a call if
someone displays knowledge about you?
RingLead & RingDNA #SalesVoicemail

45. Voicemail Measure
Cadence
•Don’t be afraid of strategic pauses
•Vary the speed of delivery
•Single cadence is boring
•A slow down allows a speed up
•A speed up allows a slow down
Typical: "My telephone is 414-555-1212 x2. I look forward to hearing
from you"
Better: "My telephone number is (Pause) 414-555-1212 (Pause)
Extension 2. I look forward to your call. (Pause) Thank you, John"

46. Voicemail Measure
Consistent
•Is your message reinforced by your website?
•Is your message reinforced by your email?
•Does your voicemail reinforce your message?
•Are you consistent across departments?
•Is your own voicemail message consistent?
•Is your mobile voicemail message consistent?

47. Voicemail Measure
Customized
•Use their name
•Beware of assumptive phrases - Be specific or go home
•Customized call to action
Compelling
•Leverage previous successes
•Use SOI to inspire action
•Refrain from cliche phrases - Be specific!

48. Voicemail Measure

49. Captures
attention
(Shock and Awe)
Multiple
touches
Message
quality
Impact
messaging
Random
success
Without multiple touches
you do not motivate
people to act
Brand
failure
Without
message quality
you don’t get a
second chance
Your message
can be
tremendous, but
if it never
captures their
attention, it is
lost
Lost in
the ocean
Voicemail Effectiveness

50. Voicemail Measure
Minimum
competency
Average
outreach
Standard
scripts
SOI
scripts

51. Poll: Have you used personalized
video in your sales outreach?
RingLead & RingDNA #SalesVoicemail

52. The fastest way to move contact
data into your database.
bit.ly/GetCapture

53. Maximize Sales Performance
ringdna.com/automated-voicemail-dialer-salesforce

54. RingLead & RingDNA #SalesVoicemail
Questions?
How to Leave the Perfect Sales Voicemail