The debate about whether to leave a voicemail message on a cold call is as old as voicemail itself. You all know that leaving a voicemail rarely results in a callback, no matter how great your technique. Statistics found on various sales web sites show a range of five- to ten-percent of voicemails are returned. So even if you are spectacular at your VMs, you might top out at 25-percent call backs. So is it really worth it?

I say yes. Definitely. You just need to change your reason and expectations for leaving that message. Instead of expecting a callback, use the voicemail as a friendly, personal, targeted billboard. If you do it right, the next time the person sees or hears your name, they'll have some kind of positive brand recognition.

By Jim Domanski

Are you getting a decent response when you leave a voice mail with a prospect or are you like the vast majority of tele-prospectors whose messages go unanswered?

Well over 70% of B-to-B calls encounter voice mail so it is imperative that you have a voice mail message that works for you and increases your odds of getting a call back.

Let's face it, most sales and marketing databases are a mess.  Salespeople struggle to make sense of thousands of leads and contacts assigned to them or their territory.

This impacts the salesperson most intensely when it comes to figuring out who they should call to be most productive in generating new business.

Potential leads originate from lots of places:

• New leads
• Recent campaigns, newsletters, emails
• Scheduled tasks and activities
• Web site traffic and download activity reports
• Key accounts that are being focused on for new business
• Current installed base / customers for upsell and cross-sell opportunities