Why Nobody Calls You Back

Making phone calls to someone you don't know is tough. If you're like most people, you agonize over what to say for what seems like an eternity before you finally get on the phone.

Of course, you virtually never get through to the person you want to reach so you're forced to leave a voicemail.  And then nobody ever calls you back.  Never.  Ever.

It can be downright discouraging at times - almost to the point that you might even wonder, "Why bother to make these calls?"

The reality is that everyone who works in large companies is absolutely swamped these days.  All the downsizing has taken its toll and everyone has way too much work to do.  And while your product or service may be the most important thing in your life, for most prospects it's pretty low on their priority list.

But have you ever considered that there might be another reason you're not getting in?  Like ... YOUR message!

For just one minute I want you to imagine yourself as a busy decision maker:  You just came from a meeting with your colleagues and now you have another one in 2 hours.  Your boss is upset because your big project is 3 months behind schedule. People on your staff are demanding your attention.  When you log on to get your emails, 87 new ones come in.

You check your voicemails because you're expecting to hear from a customer - 14 new messages since this morning.  Quickly you rush through them.

When you get to this one, what goes through your mind?

"Mr./Ms. Hope. This is Terry Smith.  I'm an account executive from Generic Industries.  We're a leading, global supplier of top-notch software for large organizations like yours. Our systems have been rated #1 by Krumstock Research for the past 4 years.  We've recently introduced some new capabilities that enable marketing and sales to increase collaboration on new product launches and we're really excited about all the new functionality and what it could do for your company.

"I'd love to set up a time to find out a little bit more about your needs in this area and tell you more about this new SureFire! platform that we're just bringing to market. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience to set up a time when we can get together in the next couple weeks.  My number is xxxx. Again, this is Terry Smith from Generic Industries."

So as a decision maker, what did you think?  Self-serving? Boring?  Long-winded?

Would you take your valuable time to meet with this person? I think not!  No decision maker in his or her right mind would even listen to the whole thing. After 15 seconds, this sales rep would be bleeped into oblivion.

You may laugh at this message, but this is exactly the type of voicemail left by most sellers.  I'll bet if you change a few words here and there, it would look suspiciously like one you recently left for a prospect.

And if you don't believe me, call yourself right now.  Leave  a message just like you would if you were a prospect.

Then call yourself back to listen to it. Hear it with "customer ears."  Play it again several more times.  Would you waste your valuable time to meet with YOU?

If not, it's time to go back to the drawing board.  Customers don't want to "hear" about your product; they despise adjectives full of puffery.  They don't want to "explore" how you can help them.  That's your job to figure out.

As you're reflecting on what you might say on the phone, think about:

• How your product/service solves problems or issues your prospect faces.
• Actual results you've achieved with other customers.
• What might pique your customer's interest based on your knowledge of their business and the market.
• How to incorporate your pre-call research.

The essence of good "getting in" calls includes these elements. Fail to include them and you'll fail to get your foot in the door.  Pure and simple.  Put these elements into your phone message and watch the difference it makes.

Comments

[Mike Sigers]

Jill,

Great point. I hear this every day. Thanks for teaching us a valuable lesson.

It inspired a post on my blog. I referenced your post and tried to do a trackback, but it doesn't seem to be enabled on you guys CMS.

[Ari]

Hi. A man without ambition is dead. A man with ambition but no love is dead. A man with ambition and love for his blessings here on earth is ever so alive. Having been alive, it won't be so hard in the end to lie down and rest.
I am from Ecuador and , too, and now am writing in English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "If you are in search of one way airline tickets, we are pleased to offer a variety of one way flights at reasonable one way airfare."

Thanks for the help :D, Ari.