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Jim Citrin Leadership by Example

Jim Citrin, Leadership by Example

The Art of the Perfect Voicemail

by Jim Citrin

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Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2007, 12:00AM

In the age of email, there are still times when you need to let your voice do the talking. You may be initiating contact with a prospective client, soliciting advice on an important project, or trying to secure an interview for a job.

In these cases and many others, your initial outreach will inevitably require you to leave a voicemail. What you say and how you say it will, in large measure, lead the listener to decide in a split second whether or not to return your call.

Six Tips for Effective Voicemails

Sometimes leadership and performance has to do with broad notions and momentous issues. But sometimes it's about the granular and the practical. Since it will determine whether or not you make progress on an important task, the art of leaving an effective voicemail is very much a case in point.

Here are six tips to keep in mind when leaving voicemail:

• Be clear about the goal of the message.

Don't try to do it all -- close a sale or get the job. The objective of the message should be to get your call returned.

• Be authoritative yet upbeat in your tone.

Your communication sends a clear signal about who you are and how important you are. You need to portray a sense of confidence, authority, and respect.

People also respond better to an energetic, positive-sounding person than to a bore. But at all costs, avoid being obsequious -- there's nothing more annoying.

• Find a bridge to the person you're calling.

People feel comfortable if there's a familiar connection from them to you. This can be someone who suggested you call, a mutual acquaintance, a shared affiliation with an organization (such as your alma mater), a hometown, or any number of things. Do your homework and be creative in finding a link.

• Be brief.

Everyone's busy, so keep your message short. Your listener will resent it if the voicemail's recorded announcement says, "New message received at 7:45 p.m.; five minutes."

• Be specific in your request.

People are much more likely to get back to you when they know that the conversation will be confined to a clear topic.

Request an answer to a specific question with the promise of a well-defined timeframe, rather than introducing an open-ended issue that the caller may fear will turn into a black-hole conversation.

• Leave your contact information slowly and clearly.

This sounds painfully obvious, but you'd be surprised by how many people rush through their phone number and email address so fast that you have to replay the message three times before you can understand them.

Since many people check their voicemail when driving, the easier the number is to hear and remember, the greater the likelihood that you'll get the return call immediately. Also, leave your email address and invite your caller to start the dialogue via email. This can be less threatening given its more detached nature.

Which Calls Would You Return?

To bring these points to life, here are three actual voicemails that I received (all personal details and contact information have been changed):

• Caller No. 1: "Hello, Mr. Citrin. My name is Dick White from Bain and Company. I'm a third-year associate and I'm looking to make a move out of management consulting into general management, either in technology or media. I understand you work with executives and clients in these areas. I would appreciate it if we could get together to discuss my background. My number is (646) 555-1234 and my email is richardbwhite@bain.com."

• Caller No. 2: "Hello, Jim, this is Kate Peters and I'm calling regarding a reference for your former colleague, Tony Thompson. We're speaking to Tony about potentially joining our company. Can you please call me over the next two to three days so that I can get your views on his strengths, weaknesses, and potential fit with our organization? If it's easier, I can have my office schedule a call with you so we can avoid phone tag. My office number is (212) 555-5678."

• Caller No. 3: "Hello, Jim, this is Dennis Lions. I'm a fellow Vassar grad from the class of 1998 and I'm currently working at a small Internet company in Palo Alto. I have a difficult decision that I need to make in the next 48 hours. Can I run it by you? It'll only take five to seven minutes of your time. My office number is (650) 555-9101, my cell is (650) 555-1121, and my email is dlions@dlions.com. Thank you very much in advance."

Who Got the Callbacks

Which calls do you think I returned?

I returned the calls of callers two and three, but deleted No. 1 with only a small pang of guilt. His call promised to be a black-hole conversation, there was no specific bridge to me, and he sounded fairly junior (meaning unrealistic but not necessarily young) on the phone.

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30 Comments

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  • stuart - Monday, March 26, 2007, 5:13PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    calls 1&2 should have been responded based on his views

  • Tom - Monday, March 26, 2007, 1:22PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    absolutely worthless

  • r13 - Monday, March 26, 2007, 9:02AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    His analysis was wrong about Call 1. Caller 1 was specific about what he wanted and there is no indication the caller's conversation will be a "black hole." His analysis is also wrong about Caller 3. Caller 3 is not specific about the subject, all he says is that it is a "difficult decision." Caller 3 also may be a waste of time because he makes "difficult decisions" in "five to seven minutes." Moreover, he should return all the calls. If he can't he should get help. Not returning calls is bad business.

  • hend - Monday, March 26, 2007, 8:39AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Poor manners and rude. A decent professional returns all calls and then manage the length and duration of the conversation.

  • ThomasB - Monday, March 26, 2007, 4:53AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    I think this guy is a ok you can not know how someone is by a 30 sec message, I would at least return his call, At least he said Mr. so and so.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, February 14, 2007, 2:58PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    I do not agree with this concept, but I guess this is how people who are ahead keep getting even more ahead!!!! The fact that the second call was returned had nothing to do with the caller, it had only to do with the fact that the conversation was going to be about one of the author's fomer colleagues. How cut-throat???? And these are the people who are writing articles about leadership by example????

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday, February 1, 2007, 10:19PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    I think it was terribly rude to delete call #1. Call #3 wasted you time - who cares if you went to the same school decades ago? It'll take 5 - 7 minutes of your time? That sounds a little ridiculous. What did he do - time it in advance? Call #3 is the one I would be least likely to respond to while call #2 I would and #1 I certainly would. How selfish not help someone out because he didn't go to your alma mater or state how long he needed to talk to you.

  • Healthlawnerd - Thursday, February 1, 2007, 8:51PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    I liked the article about the $1000 brownie better.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday, February 1, 2007, 5:08PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Poor display of Personal skill! I understand the benefit of good voicemail. I also understand the value of helping others...no matter what.Especially if they obviously need it...like a naive voicemail...hmmm?! I Return EVERY phone call. Personally.

  • bob - Saturday, January 27, 2007, 7:00PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    i didn't like this article. no one should have to do "homework" just to find a personal connection between themselves and the person they're calling. this is a 2-3 minute voicemail, not Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon! To dismiss Caller #1 was rude, and i'm sure he waited for your call, too. Aren't you a "professional"??

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Saturday, January 27, 2007, 2:41PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    One good point -- people check voice mail in the car. The most important thing when leaving a lesson -- say the return number audibly and REPEAT the phone number for best effect. In fact, say the number 3 times, once right at the beginning, twice at the end.

  • Options Football - Saturday, January 27, 2007, 1:25PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Lousy article. The 1st caller is basically asking your help for a job, the 2nd caller is asking for a reference, the 3rd caller is asking for your input. 3 totally different circumstances. You're comparing apples to oranges.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Monday, January 22, 2007, 1:58AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    don't ever grovel for anything act as if you are a peer. so no it will only take 5 mins.- acting as if they are so superior and are so important. and no thank you very much- to child parent type connotation. It's just business and you are peers act like it.

  • KANE - Saturday, January 20, 2007, 7:43PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    These advices are good

  • Pratik - Saturday, January 20, 2007, 1:36PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    very helpful, except that I didn't understand the whole "black hole" concept.

  • Executive job seeker - Friday, January 19, 2007, 6:07PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    personal salesmanship is absolutely not my strength, although I have been an executive leader for many years. I find the differences in the calls subtle but critical. I need to get more proficient on how to sound & this helps.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Friday, January 19, 2007, 9:02AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    I learned some good and useful ideas from it. Now I know what I was doing wrong. I think this will help me a lot.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Friday, January 19, 2007, 2:19AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    I loved this article -- these are great tips! One other thought: if it's critical that you make a good impression, play back the voicemail to yourself before hitting the send button. Often you can find ways to improve your message: make it more concise, check your tone, catch any errors. Then re-record the message if necessary.

  • Maria - Friday, January 19, 2007, 1:56AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    This article was not very insightful and the examples of callers at the end was just stupid. Of course he would return the calls of according to his self interest! Sorry I wasted time reading this.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Friday, January 19, 2007, 1:42AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    Widely needed advice here. Now do one on how to get your emails answered. I get 15-20 potentially answerable emails a day, but only get back to half or less.

  • VIDEO - Friday, January 19, 2007, 1:30AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    It seems like this stuff is pretty intuitive. If not, maybe there's a deeper problem, huh?

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Friday, January 19, 2007, 1:25AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Stupid article. This did not offer any real insight. Of course you returned the 2d and 3d messages- it was probably in your self-interest. You should offer better examples. Your advice is so banal but then I guess whoever is reading this should know better than to rely on this type of column for useful information.

  • Pat - Friday, January 19, 2007, 1:02AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    This was interesting. I am now retired, but it still irritates me when someone leaves a lengthy message, then rips through their phone number, expecting a call back. I used to listen again and again. Why, I really don't know.

  • Marie - Friday, January 19, 2007, 12:47AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    The advice is good, but then I want to know what should a person looking for a job say to a potential employer. The other two phone calls were from people who could possibly benefit the columnist, so I would expect that he would call them back. The first caller did not offer him anything, so why would he call back. So what should a potential job candidate say to get that call back?

  • megann - Friday, January 19, 2007, 12:30AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    This is great advice for anyone. I am going to pass it on to my consultants. Sometimes you forget about the basics and just need a reminder.

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