Small Business: Voice mail can be a tool

It's hard enough reaching the decision-maker at any company, but add onto that the electronic barrier created by his or her voice mail.

Often, it's one of the biggest obstacles standing between you and your prospect.

Despite the growing role of email, understanding how to navigate voice mail and use it to your advantage can mean the difference between a lost business opportunity and financial gain, say experts.

"There will be absolutely nothing that will ever replace a conversation with a human being," says Michael Sperduti, president of Emerge Sales Inc., a business growth and turnaround firm in Islandia.

The key is to stop thinking of voice mail as a barrier.

Rather, it can provide some useful insight into your prospect, says Rich Isaac, president of Sandler Training in Hauppauge, a sales training and consulting firm.

For starters, you can hear how they pronounce their name, as well as learn a little about their "behavioral style" from the message they leave, he notes. For instance, does the message get right to the point, or is it very detail-oriented?

When leaving a message, often people offer up too much information, Isaac says. Less is best at first. Like "Hi, Bob. It's Rich Isaac from Sandler. Hoping to get a few moments to speak to you. My number is xxx."

"They don't know who you are, but they don't know who you're not," says Isaac.

The message has to be ambiguous enough and/or pique the decision maker's interest enough to call you back, says Sperduti.

For instance, he might leave a message like, "Hi, Bob. This is Mike Sperduti. I'm calling in regards to GE. Please call me back at xxx." GE is actually a company Emerge has worked with. If the decision maker calls back, you can then tell them the results you had with that company, says Sperduti, who advises to leave the name of a company that's recognizable to them and that you've done business with.

Other tips include:

Tell them when you will be calling again and follow-up on that day, says Sobczak.

"There's only a few letters difference between persistence and pest, and most people quit way before they reach that line," he notes.

Just don't come off with a hard sell, says Tom Scarda, president of FranChoice, a franchise consultant in Wantagh, who leaves voice mails for prospects daily and has worked with Sandler for training.

He typically will say, "It's Tom Scarda from FranChoice. We match people with franchises. I don't know if I could even help you, but I'd love to chat for a few minutes and you could let me know if you think I can help you."

"The key is not to sound like a salesman," says Scarda.