The End of Voice Mail?

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man-earphones-medFrom Destinationcrm.com “Companies are losing a lot of business opportunities because people are not leaving voice mail messages.”

Recent statistics from Forbes magazine show that 80 percent of callers sent to voicemail do not leave messages because they don’t think they’ll even be heard.

And yet, voice mail messages that are helpful reminders or actually solve problems CAN get returned. Maybe not with just one voice mail message or two or even three.

Do they need what you can provide?

Three voice mail messages I received last year from the same person were attention getters because I needed the service her company provided.  The messages were a week apart.  I did not return the calls until after the 3rd voice mail message.  But I’m glad I did.

Why 3 voice mail messages? 

Because the caller was pleasantly persistent.  (Very important.) 

The purpose of those three messages:

It was time to renew my AAA (American Automobile Association) membership.

Why didn’t I return the call the first time? Or the second time?   Procrastination on my part. (Some of YOUR prospects may also be procrastinators and will need to hear more than just one or two voice mail messages…just saying.) 

When I finally called back after listening to the 3rd voice mail message – and renewed the membership, I was sooo glad I did because a week later, this happened.

An Unexpected Problem

It was a scorching hot August day (100 degrees) in the middle of the afternoon.

I walked out of the grocery store holding two bags full of groceries…including my favorite chocolate ice cream.

But then … my car wouldn’t start.

Instead, there was a sad clicking sound.  Ugh.  Dead battery.

Worried about how fast the ice cream would melt, I phoned triple A and – wow – they were there in less than 10 minutes with the battery for my car!

At that moment I was grateful for the 3 voice mail reminders to renew the triple A membership.  Really grateful.

“If at first you don’t succeed…”

”Some of your prospects and clients could also be grateful for receiving multiple voice mail messages from you. You may be discouraged after not getting a call back after the 1st or 2nd voice mail message, but think about the example of success after I listened to 3 voice mail messages from the AAA, returned the third call and made the purchase. Whew.

You can leave an irresistible voice mail message

This is an excellent voice mail example from page 14 of Voice Mail Tips & Scripts –

“Hi Ann. Brian Kelly with XYZ Consulting Service at (his telephone number). I noticed you’ve been making some changes to your web site AnnBarr.com and I have some ideas about how to add a few elements to your site that would greatly increase traffic. We’ve done this for (person/firm in my industry who I might know) and they’ve achieved (important results). Let’s talk. My number Is (his phone number). I’ll try getting back to you as well.”

Important:  This message was not about his company. It was about my business and my desired results. That message definitely prompted a call back.

In Voice Mail Tips & Scripts, you’ll see 12 effective voice mail messages and much more, including:

  • The 5 steps in an effective voice mail message.
  • Step-by-step worksheets you can use to create your own unique voice mail message.
  • Find out how to avoid the biggest voice mail time wasters!
  • 12 proven successful scripts for different voice mail message situations.
  • Learn the tactful way to word your voice mail message to the prospect who did not return your first call . . . and your second call . . . and your third call.
  • Discover the six deadly voice mail mistakes that will get your call deleted!

Because Voice Mail Messages are Important:

When you see the description of this 33-page e-book here, the price is listed at $9.97, but today through Saturday, Feb. 10th, your cost is just $2.97.

“The best ROI in 18 years!”

“Ann, thank you for what I would consider the best ROI percentage that I have ever experienced in 18 years. I downloaded and read just three pages in your Voicemail Tips ebook -jotted down a short message to leave at a customer I have called four times in the last two weeks with no reply and she called me back the next day!”

Steve Sheffield, President. Southwest Office Systems, Vancouver, WA

Think about it:
When you leave a compelling voice mail message for a prospect, you may be solving a problem or communicating a solution for someone looking for exactly what you can provide.

If you’d like to receive creative marketing tips and helpful ideas in your inbox a few times a month, feel free to sign up for my newsletter.  Thanks for visiting!

An Unexpectedly Awesome Email

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girl-child-happyEven though the company’s marketing is always brilliant, this email was unexpectedly awesome.

The personalized nature of the message caught my attention immediately.  Notice how many times the word “you” is used.

Here is the text, with the name of the business not included:

Subject Line: 30% Off for You, One of our Best Customers

“Of course, you’re one of our best customers so you already know that one of the best ways to clear your mind, is to live clean—that means an organic, whole foods diet, environmentally sound supplies for your home, and chemical-free skin care.

“While our blog is dedicated to education in things like healthy living and creating an eco-friendly community, our real passion is providing you with organic and wildcrafted skin care—you know you can trust our products all the way from the ethically sourced, nonGMO seed to the synthetic-free pump in the palm of your hand.

“You’ve been loyal to our line, and we want you to know it isn’t unnoticed, so we made you a 30% off coupon code that you can use for this whole month.

“It expires January 31st so you have plenty of time to use it, but we suggest using it today so that you have the chance to order again with your coupon before month’s end.”

The next day another brilliant email from the same company:

YOU’RE ONE OF OUR TOP CUSTOMERS

“Take 30% off on all full size products through January 31.

“We know for certain that we couldn’t follow our honest, wild, beautiful, path without your loyalty and dedication to your own honest, wild beauty.

“We would love to scream “Thank you, Ann!” from the rooftops but you probably wouldn’t hear us all the way in Virginia Beach so instead, we made you a 30% coupon that you can use for the entire month of January.

“Treat yourself right this year—whether it is stocking up on your old favorites or trying something new—you deserve 30% off any full size or accessory you like—just use code __________ when you’re checking out.

“We don’t offer this coupon but once a year, and only to the select few people, like you, that make our community great.

“So thanks again for a wonderful 2017, and here’s to a beautiful 2018!”

This well-written email had the effect of causing me to feel appreciated as a customer and eager to use the 30% off coupon.

An absolute success!

And… to you from me:  Happy New Year!

Ann

PS: If you have been reading my blog, you know the identity of this successful company :-)

PPS:  If you’d like to receive creative marketing tips and helpful ideas in your inbox a few times a month, feel free to sign up for my newsletter.  Thanks for visiting!

Related:

Creative Marketing Wins Skeptics

This 4-letter Word Earned the Sale

Which Works Best – Kindness or Aggression?

Use These 4 Words and Your Clients Will Love You

Three Examples of Thoughtful Marketing

3 Examples of Thoughtful Marketing

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woman-thoughtful-face-on-chin_1_50The process of marketing, when you think about it, first involves emotion.

Think about the new car you purchased and how excited you were the first time you drove the car. There was the “new car smell” and how good you felt driving your new vehicle.

Even the anticipation of buying something you really want is enough to start picturing yourself owning the thing that will fill you with positive emotions.

Successful marketing focuses on how the buyer feels about what is being sold.

Because you care – and you believe your products and services are the best available – think about how you can successfully communicate to prospects the feeling of the excellent quality and benefits you provide.  Because:

“If you have a great offering, weak marketing actually does everyone a disservice.”
– Stefanie Flaxman, Rainmaker Digital

The Importance of Feeling

“Feel” is the first of a 3-step process brilliantly described by Alexandra Franzen in her free 13-page booklet titled Feel. Know. Do.

Examples of Thoughtful Marketing

This attention-getting email I received last week from a website designer was very different from messages sent by other website designers:

Subject line: “I have some exciting ideas for your website.”

The two positive power words in the message: “exciting” and “your” immediately caught my attention. I felt the writer actually read my website and knew how to improve it.  I opened and read the email and saved it for future use and action. 

Feeling Good After the Sale

Just as important as feeling good before the sale, the after-sale feeling is critical.

After I placed an order on the Zulily website, a confirmation of the order arrived by email with these words:

“You have such good taste!”

Even though I realize these words are most likely sent to all buyers after a sale, still it was a “feel good” message.

These are the words on a small brochure included with something I ordered from Amazon and received 2 days later:

“You have in your hands the World’s Best ___________.”

The wording in this brochure made me feel more confident about the quality of this product and happy that I ordered it.  Nice!

Both of these after-the-sale messages began with the word “you,” one of the top positive power words.

Related:

This 4-letter Word Earned the Sale

And

Which Works Best – Kindness or Aggression?

And

Use These 4 Words and Your Clients Will Love You

Thanks for reading.  Have a great day!

- Ann

PS – You can see 18 positive power words on page 4 in this free 24-page workbook, which is a preview of my 4-week one-to-one e-Course.

3 Ways to Recover a Dissatisfied Customer

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Customer-loyalty-cycleWhen customers complain, they give you another chance to satisfy their expectations.
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A few years ago an interesting book on this subject by Paul R. Timm caught my attention.
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I love these three customer service tips from one of his books.
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Three Ways to show customers that you’re willing to go the extra mile for them.
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(1.) Use the 2F model.  Let the customer vent.
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Then express your concern and acknowledge the customer’s feelings by using the words “feel” and “felt.”
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In most situations, words like those help you gain the upset customer’s attention so you can start resolving the situation.
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“I understand why you feel this way.I’m sure I would have felt that way too.”
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(2.) Acknowledge the inconvenience
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A simple apology can go a long way, if it is sincere and personal. “I’m sorry you had to wait” sounds better than “the company regrets the delay.”
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(3.) Follow up to see that the problem was solved.  And always check with the customer to make sure the “fix” held up.
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