19 Tips to Leave the Perfect Sales Voicemail in 2024

In today‘s digital selling environment, it‘s easy to overlook the humble sales voicemail. With so many high-tech prospecting and nurturing tools at our fingertips, leaving a voicemail can feel old-fashioned and ineffective.

However, while response rates to voicemails may be lower compared to other outreach methods, the responses you do get are often extremely valuable. Think about it – if a prospect takes the time to listen to your voicemail and call you back, it demonstrates a much higher level of interest and engagement than simply clicking a link in an email.

The key is knowing how to leave a voicemail that piques a buyer‘s interest and makes them want to connect with you. Here are 19 tips to help you leave the perfect sales voicemail in 2024, broken down into voicemail content, delivery, and follow-up:

Voicemail Content & Structure

1. Keep it concise

The ideal voicemail length is between 20-30 seconds. Anything longer risks losing the listener‘s attention, while anything shorter may not seem substantial enough to warrant a response. 20-30 seconds is the sweet spot for sparking curiosity without asking for too much of a time commitment.

2. Lead with relevance

Most sales voicemails start with the rep stating their name and company. But this generic opening instantly signals "sales pitch!" to the listener, leading to an immediate delete.

Instead, lead with a tidbit that is directly relevant to the prospect, such as a thought-provoking question or comment on a trigger event. This makes your voicemail feel tailored to them rather than a mass outreach.

3. Ask a uber-specific question

Avoid asking the same generic questions in your voicemails that you use in your emails. Voicemails are an opportunity to get hyper-specific.

For example, rather than asking to "hop on a quick call to learn more about your goals," try: "I noticed your company recently announced plans to expand into the Asia-Pacific market. How are you planning to handle customer support in those regions, given the time zone differences? I may have some insights to share."

The more specific and targeted the question, the more compelled the prospect feels to provide an answer.

4. Skip the standard CTA

Ending every voicemail with "Please give me a call back" or "Let me know if you have any questions" doesn‘t actually make the listener more likely to respond. Instead, make your compelling, targeted question the last thing the prospect hears before you sign off. Let that question linger in their mind without a canned close.

5. When in doubt, split it up

If you have a lot of important points to hit, consider breaking your voicemail up into two parts. Leave a 20-second message with your key question or insight. Then, immediately call back and leave a brief 10-second message with your contact information.

This approach makes you stand out, seems less scripted, and avoids asking for too much of the prospect‘s time at once.

Voicemail Delivery & Tonality

6. Use your authentic voice

Many reps are coached to bring high energy and enthusiasm to their sales calls. But an overly high, exaggerated tone screams "fake!" to the listener. It‘s a dead giveaway that they are just one of many prospects you‘re dialing through.

Instead, use your natural speaking voice – the same tone you‘d use when talking to a friend or colleague. This conveys that you are at ease and that this call is important to you. Letting your real personality shine through builds trust and rapport.

7. Slow it down

When leaving your voicemail, start at a normal pace but gradually get slower, ending at an almost exaggerated crawl when leaving your phone number.

Speaking slowly communicates confidence and deliberateness. It also ensures the listener catches all your key points. Dramatically slowing down for your contact info guarantees they will be able to note it down.

8. Leverage the day‘s end

Timing matters when it comes to voicemail response rates. The highest connect rates tend to come from voicemails left later in the day, as prospects are wrapping up work and more likely to have a moment to listen and respond thoughtfully.

Schedule your calling blocks for the end of the day to catch prospects at a time when they can give you their full attention.

Voicemail Follow-Up Strategy

9. The cardinal rule: Always leave a voicemail

Salespeople who call once, don‘t leave a voicemail, and then call again a few days later are shooting themselves in the foot. The prospect sees a missed call from an unknown number, with no context for who the caller is or what they want. It feels like a waste of time to call them back.

Even if you‘re not fully prepped to leave a perfect voicemail, always leave something – even if it‘s just your name and number. Providing some context is always better than dead air.

10. Double down with email

Immediately after leaving a voicemail, follow up with an email reiterating the key points you mentioned. This gives prospects two easy options for responding to you. Some people simply prefer to interact digitally rather than over the phone.

In your email, write something like: "I just left you a voicemail regarding [key question or point]. Wanted to make sure this got on your radar as I know how busy you are. Let me know if you‘d like to connect to discuss further. Appreciate your time!"

11. Be first or be last

In psychology, there‘s a concept called the "serial position effect" which finds that people tend to remember the first and last items in a series best.

As a salesperson, you want to be one of the first voicemails a prospect receives when starting their day, or one of the last they get before leaving the office. This improves your chances of standing out and being memorable. Avoid leaving voicemails in the middle of the day when you‘re more likely to get lost in the shuffle.

12. Create continuity

Whenever possible, reference your previous conversations and interactions with the prospect in your voicemail. This could be mentioning a past meeting, a piece of content they downloaded, or an event they recently attended.

Harkening back to your prior touchpoints creates continuity and shows the prospect that you view this as an ongoing relationship, not a one-and-done sales pitch. It makes them more likely to re-engage.

13. Tease value

As you end your voicemail, hint at an enticing piece of information you‘d like to share with the prospect on your next call. The key is framing it around content that they would genuinely value and be interested in.

For example: "By the way, since we last spoke I came across a fascinating case study on how a company similar to yours was able to reduce customer churn by 25%. I‘d be happy to walk you through it on a quick call. Talk to you soon!"

By dangling relevant insights, you give prospects a reason to make time for a follow-up conversation.

Voicemail Closing Soundbites

As you‘ve probably gathered, the standard "Please call me back at your earliest convenience" voicemail ending is not very compelling. Here are a few alternatives to try instead:

"I know the last time we talked, you mentioned struggling with [challenge]. I‘ve been giving that some thought and have a few suggestions I‘d like to run by you. What does your schedule look like early next week for a quick touch-base?"

"In our last conversation, you shared some great insights on [topic]. I‘d love to dig into that further, especially [key point they raised]. Do you have a few minutes to hop on a call this Thursday or Friday?"

"Thanks for taking a couple minutes to listen to this. As I mentioned, [restate key question asked earlier in voicemail]. If you could hit me back with your initial thoughts, I‘d really appreciate it. I‘m at [phone number] or feel free to drop me an email if that‘s easier. Thanks again!"

"Based on our discussion, I think it could be really valuable for us to dive deeper into [top priority for them]. I‘ll send over a couple options for getting a meeting on the calendar. In the meantime, let me know if you have any other questions – [phone number]. Have a great rest of your day!"

A Final Word of Caution

These days, there are tools and services that allow sales reps to leave a voicemail for a prospect without ever calling them directly. While this may seem efficient, I strongly caution against this practice.

Leaving voicemails during off-hours or using "voicemail drop" tools comes across as impersonal and disingenuous. If a prospect can tell that you didn‘t take the time to actually call them, they‘re far less likely to take the time to call you back.

Great voicemails are not a "box to be checked" in your outreach cadence. They are an opportunity to deliver relevant insights and build real rapport with buyers. Approach them thoughtfully and creatively, and you‘ll see the effort pay off in spades.

So get out there, prepare a strong 20-30 second script, and start leaving voicemails that prospects actually want to return. With a little practice, you‘ll turn dreaded "voicemail jail" into one of your most powerful selling tools. Happy dialing!