Smart Prospecting That Works Every Time!: Win More Clients with Fewer Cold Calls

VOICE MAIL APPROACH

First, pay close attention to Ms. Target’s outgoing voice mail message: is she on vacation or away at a conference? If she is out of the office for an extended time, perhaps you should find an alternative decision maker to approach or wait until Ms. Target is back in town so that you’re not one of the dozens of calls she must do something about when she returns. Odds are good that she wouldn’t call you in that case. Plus, if you leave a message asking for a meeting this week and she’s gone for two weeks, you won’t score very highly in listening skills.

Some executives leave messages that change daily, and others wouldn’t know how to change their outgoing messages if their lives depended on it. Listen for verbal cues about ...