Leave your message after the tone. After weeks of intensive contact via LinkedIn, you have finally obtained your prospect's telephone number. As a sales professional, you are ready to sell your product or service with full conviction. You dial the telephone number, but unfortunately... no answer. To avoid seeming pushy, you don't want to call again, but you still want to let someone hear from you with a voicemail. But what exactly are you going to say? How do you ensure that your story is so strong that you get a call back from this important prospect? This is Kenneth Smit's voicemail, leave your message after the tone and we will call you back as soon as possible about 5 tips for the perfect sales voicemail.

1. Research

A missed call from an unknown number and a voicemail. This combination literally and figuratively rings a bell for the prospect: someone is trying to do something to me sold. In fact, as a sales professional you are already 1-0 behind, especially if the prospect also hears a strange voice while listening to the voicemail. Your challenge is to turn this stranger into a well-known voice, the only question is how? The answer is research. For example, check whether your prospect is on social media and look for mutual interests. Perhaps you are a huge golf fanatic and so is your prospect: connection has been made. Or research colleagues on LinkedIn, especially those in senior positions. Mentioning a manager's name provides recognition and greater urgency. Finally, research the company's products and/or services and look for pain points. The prospect will notice that you have done your homework, which will increase the likelihood of a response.

 2. Never start with your own company name

Every voicemail starts the same: “Hello, this is Kenneth Smit from company X..”. Nine out of ten voicemails that start this way are deleted because the prospect knows exactly which company you work for and what you want to sell. If the prospect does not know your company, he or she will soon be uninterested. Therefore, start your voicemail with “Hello, this is Kenneth and the reason I am calling is..” and then explain what the added value is for your prospect. The goal is to quickly identify the benefits for the prospect and not to brag about what your company does. Not mentioning your company name will take some getting used to and the voicemail will become a little bolder, but you have to stand out from the list of voicemails.

3. Testing

Just like all your other sales techniques, it is recommended to test which voicemail works best. For example, do you get called back more often when you leave a voicemail in the morning or afternoon? Or when you close with your name and company? Create variations of your voicemail, track the results. You will notice that you are called back more often and leaving a voicemail becomes a lot more challenging because you sales techniquesimproves.

4. Never mention previous contact attempts

Nothing is more annoying than someone who tells you that he can't get through to you and has already called you many times. There's a reason why the prospect isn't answering, and mentioning your contact attempts only encourages the prospect to delete your voicemail.

5. Send an email

Always mention your name and telephone number again during your closing, but do not ask to call back. Instead, refer to the email you have sent or are about to send.

Want more tips for the perfect sales voicemail? Then check out this one tips from sales strategist Marc Wayshak.