Today Kendra Lee, author of Selling Against the Goal and CEO of KLA Group, knows what it takes to rapidly break into new accounts or penetrate new territories. She also works with sales reps all the time who are making this fatal mistake that's hurting their ability to get more sales.
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I get asked all the time, should you or should you not leave a voicemail when you’re prospecting? Among salespeople this is a hot debate and I'm of the opinion that you definitely should.
Why would you take the time to call a prospect and then hang up with you reach voicemail?
The prospect will never know you called. He won’t know that you’re interested in talking with him. He won’t hear that you have a valuable idea to share about a top business challenge he could be facing. He won’t hear your genuine interest in talking with him.
What a waste of your time and the opportunity to make an impact. Of course you want to leave a voicemail.
No, your prospect probably won’t return the first call. But that’s not your objective with voicemail. Your objective is pique the prospect’s interest, build awareness, and entice him to pick up the phone the next time to hear what you have to say.
I recently asked our followers which are the worst voicemail mistakes you can make in prospecting. Here are the Top 5.
- Pretending you have called before when you haven't.
- Not having planned your message in advance.
- Talking about your products, instead of a compelling challenge that matters to your prospect.
- Not leaving your name and contact information at the end of the message. Better yet, leave it at the beginning when the prospect is poised to take notes.
- Giving up too soon, when most prospects won't return your call until you have tried them more than nine times.
Don’t waste your opportunity to make an impact on your prospects. They may just surprise you and call you back!
Click here to find out how Kendra & KLA Group can help your company shorten time to revenue in the SMB market. 
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YOUR TURN: Are you wasting calls? What are you doing to maximize each opportunity?
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