I want to put this in writing as a companion to the video, because I keep seeing good people lose business over bad voicemail habits.
I just had a series of conversations with telemarketers who were nice young ladies, but they’d been seriously misguided on how to leave voicemails that actually get results.
What follows is exactly what I teach in the video, organized into a simple blog format you can skim and apply.
Why most voicemails do not get returned
Most voicemails fail for one basic reason, the person listening does not know you, and they do not know why your call matters. A lot of callers talk like the listener already has context, but they don’t. If your voicemail does not quickly make those two things clear, it blends into the background.
So don’t assume familiarity. Don’t assume relevance. Start from the truth, you are unknown to them until you prove otherwise.
Quick answer in two sentences
A sales voicemail gets callbacks when you assume the listener does not know you yet, give one specific reason your call matters to them, and ask for a simple next step. Keep it tight, one idea and one ask, then leave your number slowly twice.
The two assumptions you must make before you speak
When you leave a voicemail, I want you to assume two things every single time.
First, assume the company or person you’re calling doesn’t know anything about your company.
Second, assume they don’t know what you stand for, or why they should return the call.
Those two assumptions force you to speak clearly instead of vaguely. They also keep you focused on what the listener needs to hear first.
What a voicemail is actually for
A voicemail is not a mini sales pitch. It’s not a place to explain everything you do. The purpose of the voicemail you leave should be to establish who you are and give a clear reason the listener should call you back.
Think of it like a doorway. Your job is not to deliver the whole house through the doorway. Your job is to get them to open it and talk to you.
A simple voicemail structure based on the example I give
Here’s the structure I model in the video, laid out so you can repeat it.
Identify yourself and your company
Example line: “Hi Sam, this is John with Biz Success School.”
– Say your name and who you’re with, plain and direct.
Give one clear reason they should care
– Pick the single most relevant reason for the listener to call you back.
Support it with quick credibility
– One short proof point is enough to make the claim feel real.
Ask for the callback and give your number clearly
– Make the next step easy, and repeat the number slowly.
That is the whole framework. One message, one reason, one next step.
What not to do
Here’s the mistake I was correcting in those telemarketer calls.
Don’t list everything you do
- Don’t just spill your guts and list all your products and services. You don’t know that any of that is relevant to the person receiving the call.
Don’t sound generic
- A long list makes you blend in with every other caller they’re ignoring.
Focus on one relevant point and make it easy for them to act.
A voicemail script you can plug your business into
This script is derived straight from the structure I teach. The wording is yours, but the slots are the same.
Plug and play script
Hi, this is [Your Name] from [Company].
I’m calling because [one clear reason related to them].
The reason you should call me back is [one simple credibility point].
If you want to talk about [the specific outcome], call me at [number].
Again, that number is [repeat number slowly and clearly].
Thanks, and I look forward to speaking with you.
Keep it focused. Keep it relevant. That is what gets returned calls.
Mini FAQ
How long should a sales voicemail be?
Aim for about 20 to 30 seconds, long enough to be clear, short enough to respect their time.
Should I leave my number twice?
Yes, people often grab a pen late, repeating it makes the next step frictionless.
What is the single most important part?
Relevance, if they do not hear why the call matters to them, nothing else saves it.
Final wrap
If your voicemails aren’t getting returned, it’s almost never because you’re not trying hard enough. It’s because the listener doesn’t know who you are, doesn’t know why your call matters, or can’t see a simple next step. Assume you are unknown, give one strong reason to care, back it with quick credibility, and do not list everything you do. That small shift changes results.
If you want to see exactly how I say this in the video, and explore the other trainings that we have built, you can browse the full course list here. Below is the full transcript that this blog is based on.
Transcript
0:01
Good morning. This is John Heinrich speaking from the Small Business Success School. I just had a series of conversations with telemarketers who were nice young ladies, but it occurred to me that they’ve been seriously misguided on how to effectively leave voicemails that’ll actually get business for their companies.
0:27
And what I wanted to do is comment a little bit on that because first of all, when you leave a voicemail, you ought to assume that the company, the person you are leaving the voicemail for, doesn’t know anything about your company. Secondly, they don’t know what you stand for, or why they should return the call.
0:48
The purpose of the voicemail you leave should be to establish that you are Alma calling back. I’ll use the one I used this morning because I called her back and she said she’d take it up with her boss. This is Alma from A1 Fire Alarm Services. And the reason you should call us back is because we’re the best fire alarm company in the valley.
1:12
We’ve got 98 consumer reviews to prove it, and you really ought to return the call if you want to talk about getting better alarm security. And here’s the number, 1-800… blah, blah, blah. Don’t just spill your guts and list all your products and services because you don’t know that any of that is relevant to the person making or receiving the phone call.
1:40
So, we’re probably going to do a longer course on that. We already have a telemarketing course that emphasizes this, but here’s a way to use it to leave voicemails for people. So take it to heart. Give us a call at (480) 200-5678. If we can help you in some way, it will require your corporate management to rethink many of their marketing propositions, which will be expensive.
2:13
But in our experience, we can help ’em in one conversation, which is gonna cost them 99 or 100 bucks if they call in on the business-guru side of our business. Anyway, that’s all for now. Take it to heart, and we hope you use it successfully. Thanks again for taking the courses and listening to the video blogs.
Bye-bye.