One of the most highly sought after sales prospecting tools revolves around simply getting in front of more prospects! But how can you get in front of them if they won't give you the time of day? Does this scenario sound familiar?

You spend a portion of your day reaching out to potential prospects as part of your strategy to grow your business. However, at the end of the day all you have to show for that activity is a list of voicemails you've left and emails you've sent. Days turn into weeks and all of a sudden you realize that all of this activity has gotten you no closer to building your client base. So what can you do to ensure more prospects call you back? Follow these tips below! 

8 ways to get prospects to call you back!

Leaving a Voicemail

1.  Don't Give Away the Farm - When you're leaving a voicemail for a prospect it can be easy to get carried away. You may be excited to get your message across, but you want to make sure you give them a reason to call you back! If you blurt out your whole pitch in a voicemail they may think they already have all the facts and see no reason to call you back. Make sure your message is enticing and remind them that you have something to offer them, without going into vast detail. If you're calling someone after multiple attempts you can even be so vague as to say, "I really need you to call me back". This may seem aggressive, but sometimes being direct will resonate better with prospects. 
   
   
2. Create a Template - Creating a template to follow when making calls and leaving voicemails will help keep your message consistent. Some best practices suggested in a recent Hubspot Sales Blog are to; "leave your phone number twice, this ensures understanding and helps the prospect write it down accurately, however, don’t repeat yourself -- say the same thing in a different way." For example: “Call me back at 8-7-7-9-7-7-8-0-8-0. Again, that is 8-7-7-9-77-80-80". They also recommend repeating the prospect's name often, keep your message short and ask for what you want.
   
   
3. Do Your Research - The worst type of voicemail to receive is one in which the caller doesn't have any of their facts straight. Make sure you spend a few moments before each call to research the prospect. This way, when they do answer the phone, you're prepared! One of the most important things to devote time to before making a call is learning the prospects name, know how to pronounce it correctly as well as what their title is. This may seem like a small step, but it can be a big misstep if you say something incorrectly. 
   
   
4. Leave Your Cell Phone Number - If this is a prospect that you would really like to get in front of, leave them your cell phone number. Let them know it's your personal line and that they can call you at any time. The worst-case scenario would be if they called you while you happened to be out of the office and you missed your one opportunity, this strategy helps to make sure you don't miss a call! 
   

Sending an Email

1. Ask Questions - One of the best ways to get a prospect to call you back or respond to an email is by asking questions! Think of it this way, would you want to have a conversation with someone in which you never get a word in edgewise and they just spoke at you? Well, the person reading your email doesn't want to do that either. If you make an attempt to engage them early on you'll have a better chance of getting a response.
   
   
2. Be Concise and Clear - Make sure what you are asking of them is clear and to the point without being too wordy. Having an effective subject line that entices them to open the email will also increase your chances of getting a response. After all, you need them to open the email if you hope to get a response back. It's important to make sure the email is short as well. No one wants to read a novel when they open their inbox, especially from someone they don't know. Keep it simple! 
   
   
3. Promote Yourself - A great way to give a prospect a better idea of who you are is to direct them to your company's social pages and website. This will allow them to learn more about your business and what you do while also giving them the opportunity to read reviews left by other clients, and thus build your credibility. It's important to note here that you need to make sure your social media pages and website are up to date! Worst case scenario... the prospect goes to your social page or website that hasn't seen the light of day since 2013 - fail. 
   
   
4. Signature - One of my biggest pet peeves is when I receive an email from someone and they don't have a signature with contact information. Most likely if you're trying to reach out to prospects this is the first thing you double-check before sending an email since you want them to respond. However, far too often advisors send emails with signatures that are off-brand, incorrect, or lacking the information that a prospect could be looking for. Make sure your signature matches your brand (ie. company colors, logos, etc.), contains BOTH your cell phone number and business phone number and most importantly contains a link to your website!