Are you sick and tired of wasting your time making sales calls that yield no results? Not to mention putting up with disrespectful prospects that always hang up in the middle of the call.
If that’s the case, you may consider using voicemails to improve your sales and marketing strategies, but sometimes, it’s not enough.
Most people find consistent phone rings disturbing, making them ignore your messages. That’s why it’s necessary to learn how to leave a voicemail without calling or using a ringless voicemail.
A ringless voicemail allows businesses to deliver prerecorded voice messages directly to their customers’ voice mailboxes without making their phones ring. Aside from being non-intrusive, it’s also compatible with landline and mobile devices.
On top of that, it usually has fewer spammy and junk messages, making them more effective and efficient than any other form of telemarketing. If you’re looking for a ringless voicemail solution, you may visit Drop Cowboy Ringless Voicemail or your local provider.
However, implementing a ringless voicemail marketing strategy is no easy task. But don’t worry. This comprehensive guide will discuss everything you have to know in order to execute your ringless voicemails effectively.
How Much Is Ringless Voicemail?
Ringless voicemails are one of the cheapest marketing solutions available. One voicemail may only cost as low as USD$0.004, depending on the carrier or service provider.
In addition, other voicemail providers offer fixed monthly plans at a lower price—for example, 2,000 ringless voicemail drops for only USD$100 per month. On top of that, some providers only charge successful voicemail drops, a perfect solution for small businesses on a tight budget.
For more information regarding the price of a ringless voicemail, you may check out this video:
What Are The Tips For Effective Ringless Voicemail Campaigns?
If you’re planning to deliver ringless voicemail campaigns, you might want to consider the following tips below. These may help make your strategies more effective and efficient.
1. Keep Your Voicemails Short And Sweet
A one-of-a-kind voicemail should only be around 20 to 30 seconds long—not too short and not too long. You may be wondering why so here’s a valid reason.
It makes sense since most people don’t want to spend their time listening to a long voicemail from someone they don’t even know. Therefore, going beyond the 30-second mark will probably result in most of your voicemails getting deleted immediately.
The same goes for an overly short voicemail. Why? Because most people will find it less credible since it probably contains less information than they need.
These days, most mobile devices show the duration of a voicemail once they open their phones. So, if your recipients see that a voice message from an unknown sender only lasts for a few seconds, they’ll think that it’s not important and click that delete button. Since it doesn’t seem substantial, they probably won’t try listening to it.
Therefore, try to achieve that sweet spot to ignite curiosity and interest without demanding more from your recipient’s time.
2. Make Sure Details Are Relevant To Your Prospects And Customers
Sales agents are often declarative in most of their messages. Usually, their starting lines in emails and voicemails sound similar to, ‘I am Mary Poppins, and I work for Getting To Know How To Fly, Inc.’
If you’re the voicemail recipient, would you be interested in hearing more from it? Probably, not unless they come from a reliable, reputable, and trusted company.
Lines like this won’t work even in the slightest because it’s sales-like. So, they’ll most likely have your voicemails deleted as soon as possible. They wouldn’t think twice about deleting your voicemails, so it’s better to avoid this kind of starting phrase.
Instead, you might want to lead and approach your prospects with relevant questions. Here are some examples to consider:
- ‘How long have you been in the industry?’ (a fact-gathering question)
- ‘What are you planning to accomplish in the next few days, weeks, months, and so on?’ (a goal-assessing question)
- ‘Of all the challenges discussed earlier, which are you most focused on accomplishing?’ (a priority question)
- ‘Have you ever considered using or trying [something new and innovative solution]?’ (a thought-provoking question)
3. Ask Questions You Wouldn’t In An Email
If your emails and voicemails share the same elements, you’ll reduce your chances of getting responses. Therefore, make sure to reserve some specific questions only for your ringless voicemail campaigns.
In addition, voicemails should be ultra-specific to a certain buyer. In emails, you may ask for referrals or appointments based on something they purchased or downloaded. While such questions are tailored to a specific client, they may still be reused for another hundred prospects.
But when it comes to voicemails, the questions you need to ask should never be reused for another prospect. For example, if you’re selling technology intended for architects, you may ask the prospect which architectural solutions they are using today.
Remember, more specific questions will most likely receive a response. Here’s a simple situation to understand the concept better. Suppose you need immediate medical treatment. You may shout out, ‘Somebody, please call for help!’ You may receive help, but you may not.
However, if you point and ask a specific person for help and shout, ‘Will you call for an ambulance for me?’ You’re almost certain that this person will take their phones out of their pockets and call 911.
See the difference in how people respond? When you ask a specific person, you give them a burden for which they should oblige and take responsibility. The same goes when dropping voicemails. When you ask your prospects specific questions, they’ll feel more responsible for answering you.
4. End Your Voicemails Professionally
As much as possible, never end your voicemails with traditional closing lines, such as:
- ‘Have a nice day!’
- ‘Thank you for your time!’
- ‘If you may, please call me back on this number.’
- ‘I’ll call you again in the following week.’
If you notice, they all sound plain and generic. They don’t ignite the sense of responsibility recipients should feel after listening to your voicemails. So, don’t expect any responses from them because it’s unlikely to happen.
Instead, you may pose a specific question and let your voicemail end right there. Here are the following examples you might want to try:
- ‘I look forward to hearing more from you!’
- ‘I can’t wait to discuss more things with you!’
- ‘What should we discuss in our next conversation?’
- ‘Do you have a topic in mind for our next talk?’
Also, try not to sound extremely desperate by avoiding ending phrases that are too aggressive and pushy. And don’t instruct them on what to do. This would make calling you more of a chore and a demand, which you want to prevent as much as possible.
So, instead of saying, ‘Call back once you hear this,’ you may try, ‘Hope to talk to you soon,’ ‘Thanks for listening,’ or even the vintage-style ‘Have a wonderful day.’ They may sound traditional, but they’re much better than being pushy and demanding.
5. Use Your Normal Voice Tone
Most sales agents are trained to sound excited when talking to a prospect or customer on the phone. Unfortunately, this causes them to raise their voices in a quite odd and peculiar tone. People would often see this call not only as uncomfortable but also as a generic one that lacks substance.
Instead, try to use your natural voice tone when producing voicemails. You may also try lowering your pitch to show that you’re at ease when doing this. And this won’t make the message seem unusual and weird.
Without the unnatural, fake, and strange voice tone, the recipient will be able to understand the essence of your message. And this would make them feel that the message is for them and only for them, encouraging them to respond and call you back.
6. Drop Voicemails Late In The Afternoon
The chances of a successful voicemail usually increase as the day forges ahead. So, make sure to schedule your voice messages at the end of the day. But why? The answer lies in the psychological phenomenon known as the serial positioning effect.
This phenomenon suggests that people will most likely remember or recall the first and the last thing they see. So, if you want to grab the attention of your prospects, you want to make sure that you’re the first and the last one they’ll hear.
But come to think of it. When you receive a well-crafted voicemail as early as 9 am, you probably don’t have time to call back since you have more tasks to deal with. You’ll most likely respond when you have more time to spare. But as the day advances, you might probably forget what you have heard in the morning.
But if you listen to it past 5 pm, you likely have more time to call back. At this time, starting a new task is highly unlikely to happen. You’re probably wrapping things up before you go home. And there’s a high chance you’ll send them an email at night or call them back as early as possible the next day.
7. Split Your Voicemails
Another effective strategy is to split your voicemail into two. So, instead of sending the usual 30-second voice message, you may create a 20-second voicemail and follow it up with a 10-second one.
The purpose of the second voicemail is to include the details missing in the first one. Therefore, you should never try to repeat what you said in the first part. Otherwise, it’ll sound boring, repetitive, and unsubstantial.
Here’s a good example you might want to try:
- Voicemail 1: ‘Hi Wong, I recently participated in one of Sanctum Sanctorum’s online seminars. I wasn’t able to receive any emails or follow-up calls, which led me to question if you have a compelling strategy to generate and convert leads. What strategy, if there’s any, do you implement as of this moment?’
- Voicemail 2: ‘Sorry, I forgot to leave you my name and contact details. I’m Clea Strange from Kamar-Taj Corp. You can call me at 885-987-1234. Thanks, and have a great day.’
Splitting your voicemail into two different portions offers a couple of benefits. First, you’ll become memorable and easy to remember. Second, you’ll sound more natural and less rehearsed. Because you seem imperfect and more human, it’ll be easy for your prospects to trust you easily.
8. Gradually Slow Down In The Process
You might want to start with a regular speed and rhythm while recording your voice message, but try to slow down gradually as you progress. When you get the chance to mention your contact details, your cadence should be practically gravity-less. It may sound preposterous, but it encourages prospects to listen more and finish the message.
In addition, slowing down not only makes you sound clearer and more confident but also more authentic and natural. By doing so, you avoid making yourself look like someone who dials hundreds of numbers per day to be efficient. It will make your prospects feel they’re not just some number from your list.
What Are The Legal Considerations When It Comes To Ringless Voicemails?
Currently, no legislation in the United States prohibits using ringless voicemails for sales and marketing purposes. However, there are some restrictions you might want to know about, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
This regulation protects anyone from receiving spammy, automated phone calls. However, ringless voicemails are technically not considered a phone call because they don’t make the phone ring when they’re in. Therefore, ringless voicemail is not under the umbrella of TCPA.
However, some states may have additional TCPA restrictions. For example, in Florida, the use of ringless voicemail should be consent-based. If the recipient is DNC (Do Not Call) listed or never gives you their consent, then your campaigns may lead to trouble.
So, check your states and see if there are extra rules and regulations you have to follow when delivering ringless voicemail marketing campaigns.
Final Words
Ringless voicemails are one of the most effective forms of marketing. It’s compatible with both mobile and landline devices, and it prevents disturbing your prospects during their busiest moments. However, running a ringless voicemail campaign for your small business may not be that easy. That being said, you might want to consider the following tips and tricks above.
These tips will help you launch a compelling ringless voicemail marketing campaign, boosting your sales opportunities and eventually increasing your revenue. So, don’t waste your time and effort on something that wouldn’t work, and optimize your strategies with this comprehensive and handy guide.
