Leave a Message At The Tone.... Or Don't?

Do you listen to your voicemail?  

Would you be surprised to know that only 33% of people listen to voicemail from business contacts?  If it’s a number they don’t know, that drops to 18%!

What's the lesson? 

If you need a response from someone, try another method.  People like email (come on, how often do you check yours in a day?). We prefer emails because we can skim the message and get right to the important part - rather than having to listen to a sometimes rambling, lengthy or unclear message.

Try this strategy:
·       If someone you call doesn't pick up, send an email instead of leaving a message.
·       If you don’t want to receive voicemails, change your voicemail greeting.  

Instead of "Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible" say "I can't answer the phone right now but I will receive your message by email instantly and will respond promptly."