Is killer voice mail knocking your job search dead?
Does this ever happen to you, you are all gung ho, you have read the latest on making marketing calls and selling yourself to decision makers directly by telephone. You have your list of 10 targets to call and after 5 calls all you have hit is voice mail. You remember the instruction you read “do not leave a message, call back instead” so you plod on. After 10 calls, still no humanoid, so you throw in the towel and go back to clicking and sending your resume. STOP! Hold on to the towel you will need it for wiping off the champagne bottles.
Come on, I know you are dying to leave a message but what type of message should you leave?
Try these out:
The pre-emptive strike! (One of my favs)
This one works because you are anticipating the major objection the decision maker, you are calling, will have… and that objection my friend is skepticism. Bill, this is John Doe calling and I am calling to find out if you can use a top notch professional on your team. And believe me …I know you are probably getting a pile of calls like this every day from desperate people looking for work. Saying the same thing, over and over.
Bill, I want you to know that I am really different and my skills and ability to grasp problems and eliminate problems and make positive contributions have been proven year after year.
Could you please return my call so we can discuss how I can help you?
The rapport builder
This one is great at building rapport with your target. The approach is to leave a query message and to keep in mind less is more –you are simply playing to their curiosity so that they call you back.
Bill,…Do you ever look for senior engineers for your team? I have an interesting proposition to discuss with you. Please call me at ……
How to know when to make a follow-up call and how many total messages to leave.
I am frequently asked “How many messages should I leave and when should I follow-up?”
Use the 4/3 rule. Leave up to 4 messages 3 days apart and leave the same message 3 times; the 4th message- you put a twist on it. The 3 day pause leaves enough time for the person to respond and also spreads it out enough that you are not viewed as a stalker. By using the 3 day spread it is still close enough that you are remembered. When you get to the 4th call it’s been 12 days and by now the person thinks of you as a friend (OK you hope)-it does work.
The last message put a twist on it, like this:
Bill, its John Doe calling. This is important. I have tried reaching you but we have not connected yet. If the day time is not the right time to have a discussion, can you leave me a message with a time and date when I can reach you and I will make sure to make that call. Thank you, Bill. Here is my number again…
