Savage and Greene

Voicemail is the best invention since the root beer float. Here are some tips on making this cool tool your new best friend in marketing; but first...an homage to the voicemail lady:

Jane Barbe is the voice of voicemail...and the "time lady." Jane passed away in 2003 but her voice lives on!

Why Love Voicemail? One reason to love voicemail is because it allows you to use your voice; your very own, highly personal, verbal character. That personal touch can make a big difference when you're reaching out to prospects. Voicemail is also a very easy marketing tool to use. It requires very little planning and little effort- no schlepping to the post office or wading through an HTML course required. You should also love voicemail because it does your marketing even when your prospect is not there to pick up the phone. In order to understand this value, you need to know how marketing works, in general.

Marketing 101 First of all, marketing is not designed to MAKE people suddenly want something; at least, not since subliminal messages have been outlawed! (e.g., a picture of popcorn flashed on the screen during a movie. These actually existed before being outlawed.) Rather, marketing is designed to increase the odds that a particular company or product comes to mind when people consider buying. Marketing succeeds in this by virtue of name recognition and/or good timing. To build name recognition, you have to put that name out there a bunch of times, to each prospect. Leaving voicemail messages works the same way. You might think of your voicemail messages as a sort of verbal billboard or a radio ad, which means leaving just one message per prospect won't help-or will it?

Timing and Luck When it comes to successful marketing, luck is part of the picture: You just happen to call the right person at the right time. Since you may not have psychic powers, the only way to get luck on your side is to give yourself a lot of chances. You want to make lots of calls and leave lots of voicemail messages, so you have lots of chances to reach the right person, at the right time.

True, No Matter What The above is true, no matter what you're marketing: cold cereal, consulting, home loans, you name it. It's even true when marketing internally, to your own company. And the above is true no matter what marketing tools you use: direct mail, advertising, public speaking, networking, telemarketing, or a combination. And that, dear reader, is why you should love voicemail. Voicemails are never "wasted" because they are always marketing, and that's what telemarketing is all about.

Voicemail Script Format When you prepare for telemarketing, prepare your voicemail script, too; so you sound professional yet personable. The general format is:

Who you are.
Your phone number.
Why you're calling.
Ad.
Call to action.
Your name, and phone number.

An "ad" is a spiffy line or two about your product or service. Your "ad" might be combined with the "Why you're calling part." For example: "We've got some wonderfully low rates on our home loans and I'd like to see if one of these loans might be right for you." Or, your "ad" is something that attracts attention in a more creative way. Here are a couple examples of creative "ads" clients have used with tremendous success: "…The quote of the day is, 'Fortune favors the prepared.' Let me show you how to generate that greater fortune." (Investment advisor.) "…The first President to have electricity in the White House was so afraid of it, he made the servants turn the lights on and off. Technology has come a long way since the, so let's talk about what it can do for you..." (High tech sales rep.)

Delete the "Duh!" For gosh sakes, at this point we all know that if voicemail picks up that means you're away from your desk or on the other line! So, unless you need to leave information about your schedule or other numbers to call, use that outgoing message as another marketing tool. You'll probably find you can be even more creative with your outgoing voicemail message. In addition to using the same "ad" as you leave with prospects or using interesting quotations or tidbits, you might want to use:

Tips, such as we often have on our voicemail.

Promotional announcements for upcoming events or product releases: "To learn how to manage great meetings, attend our 'Successful meetings' course. Go to the training page on our intranet to see details."

Have some fun: "Today, Monday the 6th, I'm immersed in the total joy of meeting after meeting after meeting…sigh…Do leave your message, especially if it creates a great excuse to leave a meeting!"

Innie or Outie Whether you have your own business, sell for an employer, or work in the Accounts Payable department, you should take full advantage of your voicemail to help market. The same tips offered in this issue work in all cases; for example, let's say that you do indeed work in the Accounts Payable department: "You've reached the Accounts Payable department. Press # to skip the rest of this message. We process the checks, that pay the vendors, that bring the paper, pens, paperclips and coffee! to you. Need help? Tell us your name and number, and what's up."

Etiquette and More Tips

Script both versions of your voicemail messages. Winging it won't work as well.
When leaving voicemail: Provide your phone number after you say your name. This makes it easy for people to get that number quickly without replaying the message again.
If there's an option to skip your outgoing message, tell people as soon as possible. That way, people don't have to endure a rerun if they don't want to.
Put reminders to update and/or change your outgoing message in your calendar.
Keep your outgoing voicemail message scripts in a file so you can keep track easily.
Have some fun with it-make Jane proud!