Here are five best practices for actually getting prospects on the phone and avoiding the ongoing cycle of voice mail, voice mail, voice mail:

1. Gain insight from someone else in the department: Salespeople can often achieve this by dialing the closest extension or using the directory to dial by department. If you can’t get the prospect on the phone after repeated attempts, it might be worth asking someone else in the department when might be the best time to call to reach the person. At the very least, it’ll alert the prospect so he or she will know when to expect your call, or you’ll get a gauge on whether you need to find another way of reaching him/her.
2. Preface the call with an e-mail: Send an e-mail which includes some pertinent info or a limited-time offer. At the bottom of the e-mail, mention you’ll follow up with a phone call to see what the prospect thinks. You may even want to ask if there’s a time that would work best. If the prospect responds, you’ve started a dialogue. If not, you still have the option of calling to follow up.
3. Call from a different number: If you’ve been using your desk phone, switch to a cell phone. That way the same number doesn’t keep popping up on the prospect’s caller ID.
4. Switch up your routine: It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Cold calling is no different. If you’re not reaching the prospect at certain times of the day, switch things up.
5. Listen and leave a message: Some salespeople do this on the very first call. But most hold off on leaving voice mails until all else fails, and don’t even bother listening to prospects’ messages. But that could be a mistake. A lot of high-level prospects provide a cell phone number in their voice mail messages so they can be reached when they are not at their desks. If you decide leave a message, keep it brief and make sure there’s something up front that grabs the prospect’s attention and gives him/her a reason to call back.

Source: “The Top 10 Ways to Get Past Voice Mail and Reach More Decision Makers,” by Jim Domanski

Tags: best practices, caller ID, cold calls, e-mail, prospects, voice mail