Michael Crooks

3 Secrets to Leaving An Understandable Voice Mail Message



Posted: Thursday, August 23, 2007

by
Crooks Advertising Alliance

After my third attempt to de-code the phone number from my voice mail … I gave up. Seems Frank Janson … Johnson …  Jorson or something like that from some company in Mauzoula or Missouri wants me to call him back. His number is 636-6 something, four, 36 or maybe it’s 3 zero then 6, 8 then something. Whatever! Point is, I’m not calling him back. And if he ever does get a hold of me, I won't be enthusiastic about dealing with him since he’s already wasted my time and caused me a fair amount of frustration by leaving a message I can’t understand. He has what I call a Verbal Legibility factor of zero.

Where I come from, the whole point of leaving a phone number is to make it easy for people to call you back. It doesn't matter whether you're a salesperson, a boss or working with the PTO. But too often, the person leaving the message is too bored, tired, lazy or in a hurry to put a cohesive, understandable sentence together. Or they try to be cute with the way they say 55 triple 4 oh 2. Is that 50 then 5 or is it 55? And by the way, it’s a zero not an “oh".

If effectiveness suffers because of speed, laziness or boredom, then the time you spend leaving the message is wasted, as is the time of the person for whom you left the message. It doesn't matter what your job or walk of life is —  if you waste peoples' time it effects, on some level, how they view you.

It seems silly to tell people to speak clearly and slowly. But an enormous number of people talk way too fast, way to soft, talk “mush-mouthed" or combine 2 or more of these traits to create a message they themselves couldn’t possibly understand. So yes, while it seems silly … I’ll do it anyway. “At the tone, PLEASE, speak clearly and slowly."  It should take you between 8 and 10 seconds to say the number so that it is understandable. 16 to 20 seconds to say it twice.

Secret #1 to ensure your number is understandable. While you say your number — write it ... neatly.  Say your number NO FASTER than you can write it. Then repeat it. If you have no writing utensil, pretend to write it in the air.  

Secret #2: Leave your phone number at the beginning of the message. In the event your target doesn’t get your number the first time they hear it, they don’t have to listen back through your whole boring message to get it.

Secret#3: Record yourself some day when you’re busy returning phone calls, making calls and leaving messages. Or, call yourself and leave a message. Then critique it.  Then have a co-worker critique it.

These three little secrets can help increase your verbal legibility, make better use of your target's time and increase your call-back rate. Listen to yourself … you just might learn something.

Michael Merrick Crooks, is founder of Crooks Advertising Alliance a creative strike-force specializing in creative problem-solving. An internationally recognized author and speaker, Crooks writes a monthly marketing column for Brilliant Results magazine and authored the ebook, "ReThinking Trade Show Giveaways." Read Chapter 1 for free at http://www.PromoReThink.com.

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