At The Sound of The Tone...
By Michael S. Clouse
We've all heard it - that (it was female, wasn't it?) encouraging voice instructing us to go ahead and do the obvious. Indeed, voice mail has become the umbilical cord for most Network Marketers, delivering business-life essential information necessary for our continued growth. Of course, there was a time when this techno stuff didn't exist, but now, ending up with a ring-no-answer is all but a fading, long-distance memory.
How about you? Does your company offer voice mail? And if so, are you taking advantage of this powerful, time-freeing, effort-leveraging tool? Or are you still waiting on the sidelines, hoping it will just somehow go away?
Like most of you, I too have voice mail. And like most of you, I receive numerous calls - most of them inquisitive, some informative and a few just downright dumb. I mean sometimes it's like, "Hello, did you even understand the words that came out of your mouth?"
For example, the other day I received your typical voice mail message from hell: "Ah, yeah, um, this message is for Mike Cloud. Ah, yeah, could... Could you please call me back, and if you can call during the day, I'll be at work. Thank you."
No name. No number. No kidding!
Luckily my trusty caller ID captured the caller's incoming number automatically, so I dialed: Ring... Ring... Ring... "Thank you for calling the Largest Corporation in the World, how may I direct your call?"
Even technology has its limits.
In order for me to better serve you, and in order for all of us to better serve each other - downline, crossline, upline and phoneline - may I suggest that we all agree to the following:
Here's a great voice mail example: "Michael, this is Jane Smith. My direct number is 206.123.4567. I'm a huge fan, and I'm calling to see if you would be interested in speaking at our International Convention in Dallas, Texas this coming March. The best time to reach me is between 9:00 and 11:00 am Central Time. Tuesdays and Thursdays are best... I'm looking forward to our conversation."
Twenty seconds, and she covered every point.
Now that's a voicemail message I can, and will return!
All the best,
MSC
©1999 by Michael S. Clouse – All International Rights Reserved.
How about you? Does your company offer voice mail? And if so, are you taking advantage of this powerful, time-freeing, effort-leveraging tool? Or are you still waiting on the sidelines, hoping it will just somehow go away?
Like most of you, I too have voice mail. And like most of you, I receive numerous calls - most of them inquisitive, some informative and a few just downright dumb. I mean sometimes it's like, "Hello, did you even understand the words that came out of your mouth?"
For example, the other day I received your typical voice mail message from hell: "Ah, yeah, um, this message is for Mike Cloud. Ah, yeah, could... Could you please call me back, and if you can call during the day, I'll be at work. Thank you."
No name. No number. No kidding!
Luckily my trusty caller ID captured the caller's incoming number automatically, so I dialed: Ring... Ring... Ring... "Thank you for calling the Largest Corporation in the World, how may I direct your call?"
Even technology has its limits.
In order for me to better serve you, and in order for all of us to better serve each other - downline, crossline, upline and phoneline - may I suggest that we all agree to the following:
- If your company has voice mail, get it. Learn how it works and use it properly.
- Remember, leave your name and telephone number first, and your message last.
- Write down the point(s) that you want to cover before you call.
- Be willing to keep your messages to 60 seconds or less.
- And please add an "interest line" to all your distribution messages - such as: "If you conduct business in the San Francisco Bay area, listen on..."
Here's a great voice mail example: "Michael, this is Jane Smith. My direct number is 206.123.4567. I'm a huge fan, and I'm calling to see if you would be interested in speaking at our International Convention in Dallas, Texas this coming March. The best time to reach me is between 9:00 and 11:00 am Central Time. Tuesdays and Thursdays are best... I'm looking forward to our conversation."
Twenty seconds, and she covered every point.
Now that's a voicemail message I can, and will return!
All the best,
MSC
©1999 by Michael S. Clouse – All International Rights Reserved.