Every week I call wholesalers at a host of firms, in virtually all channels, and I continue to be astounded how few take advantage of voicemail as any kind of selling tool.
In fact sometimes I’m not even certain that I have reached their business line – a function of the wholesaler failing to mention the name of their firm.
Why not tackle this one business building idea that is relatively painless and takes mere moments to implement.
1. Set the right tone: Boring, somber tones of voice don’t make me look forward to the real you. Accurately represent who you are in your message. It can be as simple as making sure you smile while you record the message. Yes, it sounds odd – and yes, it always works.
2. Reference your firm name and, optionally, your region: Yes, it’s basic – and folks frequently still don’t do it.
3. Give the caller a taste of something that represents your unique brand statement: Our Wholesaler Masterminds clients know that we always emphasize having a uniqueness (their PVP-Peerless Value Proposition®) that defines them well beyond their firm and product. Why not incorporate this into the message?
4. Preview a product that is of interest: Tease callers with a sound bite regarding a product feature that they might want to hear more about when you do speak live.
5. Highlight a service that will get attention: This could be an upcoming Road Show, seminar series, or portfolio manager call.
6. Let folks know what to expect: Outline when callers can expect to hear back from you. And for heaven’s sake don’t screw this up or your credibility will be shot.
7. Tell them what you need to get from them: Ask for their number (even if they know you have it) so you can keep freeway collisions caused by looking up numbers to a minimum. Why not also ask for the best time to call? Getting that information will help reduce exhausting games of phone tag.
8. Give callers the opportunity to opt out or bypass message: Frankly I am iffy on this one. It flies in the face of some of the other suggestions – and yet if you have nothing valuable to offer in your message it’s a nice feature for the caller to have.
Here’s a sample message using the points outlined above (underlined):
“You’ve reached Rob Shore with Foonman Funds in LA/OC. If you’ll leave me your number and best time to call I’ll get back to you by the end of the business day. When we do speak, remind me to tell you about the three critical client acquisition strategies that my most successful advisors are using. Looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming Business Building Road show at the LAX Marriott!”
This message is jammed full of information and lasts all of about 15 seconds.
When I was carrying the bag I was known in the region for the quotes I left on my voicemail. I would change them every week and frequently had reps comment that they often called simply to hear the message – which also helped explain the volume of hangups!
Wholesalers are supposed to be excellent communicators – so why do they leave this obvious tool out of the communication equation?
At Wholesaler Masterminds we work with some of the brightest and best in the industry – and we get results.
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Kirk Faustman says
great article