The Best Business Voicemail Greeting
There is a 97% chance that your office voice mail greeting stinks. That’s because there is a 97% it sounds exactly like this:
“Hello, this is (your name). I am unavailable to answer your call at the moment, but if you leave your name and number, along with your message I will call you back as soon as possible. Have a great day!”
The other 3% walk the fine edge of bland cheesiness, but putting “Make it a great day,” as the final sign off.
What if when people hung up, they were telling their friends how professional, or crazy, or funny or unexpected your voice mail was? What if people called you back a second time and even a third time just to listen to your voice mail?
Isn’t that what you want? Don’t you want to be memorable in your customer’s eyes?
Hopefully you’re convinced by now that it’s time to change your voice mail greeting. The key to scripting your voice mail is to make sure it is consistent with your immutable laws, the rules that define your business. (NOTE: check out The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur if you want more about immutable laws)
Are you an ultraconservative firm? Then you better tune up the voice mail to a white glove level. Are you a high energy firm? Then that voice mail better bring some serious juice. Or are you a poke a little fun at life type fir? Then your voice mail better be like mine:
The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur Voice Mail – Mike Michalowicz
Your voice mail may be your first impression to a new customer. Do you have the guts to be true to who you are and make a voice mail that is consistent with it? If you do, the right customer will be wowed.
Of course, you can stay status quo. Your competitors will appreciate it.
Make it a great day.
By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
March 8th, 2010
Great post. I’m going to change mine up!
March 8th, 2010
Mike – great voice mail and that is soooo you!
I tried to do one like “Thank you for calling. I am going through many changes in my life. Please leave a message. If I do not call you back…you were one of them.” But my wife said that was too much like me and needed a more friendly one.
March 8th, 2010
@Chase – I agree with your wife. At least that isn’t a good one for your business voice mail.
@Mike – thanks for this voice mail… so funny listening to yours!
March 8th, 2010
Feel free to call my phone for the next couple hours. I’m headed into the editing room to work on some audio, actually.
I have music and a marketing tip. It’s a little long for some folks, and the quality has degraded since I put it up, but this is running off my *cell phone*. Interested? I can tell you how to do it, or even do it for you!
315-439-7326
Scott Gardner
Agile’ Marketing Services
March 9th, 2010
@Everyone – I just got an email from a gentleman who said after listing to my voice mail, he would never leave a message, let alone ever call me again. This is a beautiful thing… the voice mail message is filtering customers. And EVERY prospect is NOT the right prospect. If someone doesn’t enjoy my sense of humor on the voice mail, they will never like the real me. And this just saved both me and him a lot of time.
Make a voice mail that is consistent with you and your brand, and the right customers will love it and the wrong ones will go to someone else that is a better fit for them.
March 10th, 2010
Awesome VM Mike. I changed mine to highlight a section in my magazine. The “I love my…”section
http://www.identitymagazine.net/Appreciate/I-Love-My.html
So I have them, male or female, tell me what they love by finishing the sentence before leaving me their name and number…
What do you think?
March 11th, 2010
Mike: first off, dig the voicemail! It’s in a word: #awesomesauce!
Secondly, re: “If someone doesn’t enjoy my sense of humor on the voice mail, they will never like the real me. And this just saved both me and him a lot of time.”
You’re absolutely right! I’ve noticed that I attract a particular type of client. Trying to force a working relationship with anyone else that doesn’t fit that mold (a relationship where we don’t click because either of us is trying too hard) is just too much stress.
March 14th, 2010
@Ricardo – as always, great to have you on the TPE, brother! Thanks for the comments!
March 23rd, 2010
Wow! I am enligthened by this blog. I thought that was a formal way in greeting callers. Thanks for the tip. I guess I have to change our greetings as well. Thanks for the tip!
March 23rd, 2010
@Mike (Biz Voicemail) – Well hell yeah, change your voice mail. I assume you are in the voice mail businesses… you better have the coolest one out there!