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:

Get referrals. If you can get a referral from someone they know, that's always a good way to warm up the call when leaving a message, adds Isaac. You can also see who among your LinkedIn connections might know them and be able to make an introduction.

Email, then call. Try different ways of interacting with prospects, advises Sperduti. For instance, you could write an email or send a certified letter alerting them to some important legislative change and then follow up with a call, he notes.

Phone early. Sometimes you can circumvent voice mail by calling either before the workday begins or at day's end, like 6:30 p.m., when the decision-maker might be at his or her desk and be less overwhelmed and more likely to pick up.

Customize your message. Before calling, gather helpful intelligence via their blog, Twitter feed, website, etc., suggests Art Sobczak, author of Smart Calling (Wiley; $21.95) and president of Smart-Calling.com, a sales/prospecting training firm in Scottsdale, Ariz. It will help you customize your message.

Grab their attention. Deliver a clear, personalized, value-oriented message that grabs their attention within the first 10 seconds, he says.

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.

Set a goal
For every 10 voice mails you leave, you should strive to get at least three calls back.

Source: Michael Sperduti of Emerge Sales Inc.