"Art, great email today… but really looking forward to how to use the First 20 Seconds Formula for voicemails," …

…was a reply I received in response to yesterday's lesson on openings that create interest vs. uncertainty and resistance.

As promised, I am delivering on that today. Big time.

Are you ready for the big secret to effective voicemails?

Grab your pen. Shut the door. Sit down at your desk.

Here it is:

A great voicemail…

…is pretty much identical to the opening you just crafted.

Their heart rate accelerates. They ramble. They shorten the message. Or worse, they switch to something totally different from what they planned to say live. Maybe they even hit the # button to start over. (Have you ever tried to do that, and it was not an option? DOH!)

So, my point is, treating voicemail differently than the opening makes no sense.

You already did the heavy lifting.

You researched the prospect. You gathered the intel. You crafted an interest-creating opening built on the First 20 Seconds framework. (Or you will now, right?)

Why on earth would you say something different just because you reached voicemail?

The answer is simple.

Your voicemail should follow the exact same structure as your First 20 Seconds opening.

Same framework. Same thinking. Same message structure we covered yesterday, and maybe you have already worked on.

The only difference is how you end it.

Here is why.

When someone listens to a voicemail from an unknown caller, their brain is running the same scan we talked about yesterday:

Who is this? Why are they calling? Do they sound like they know what they are doing? Is there something in this for me?

If your message answers those questions clearly, something interesting happens.

Even if they do not call you back immediately… and they almost always won't, regardless of how stellar your message is… you have planted a seed of curiosity.

And that, my friend, is the goal of a voicemail:

To create a question in their mind that they want answered.

You want them curious. Interested enough to wonder if there might be something in this for them.

And curiosity is what gets your next call answered. Or email replied to. Or stacked on "positive familiarity"… I seriously just made that term up as I was writing this… which means they recall hearing from you before, were open to it, and this reinforced it.

(There might be an official scientific, research-based psychological term for it… I'll look it up. Later.)

What Most Sales Voicemails Get Wrong

Unfortunately, a lot of voicemail advice out there is terrible.

Some suggest tricks.

Leave just your name and number so they call back out of curiosity. Pretend the message got cut off. Mention you’re calling about competitor. (I’m holding my nose in disgust as I type those.)

None of that builds credibility.

It might get a callback once in a while.

But it also destroys trust the moment they realize they were fooled.

Professional selling is not about tricking someone into calling you back. The means do not justify the end.

It is about helping them quickly think that there just might be something worthwhile in speaking with you.

Your voicemail follows the same four parts as your opening.

1. Professional Identification

"Michael, this is Pat Stevens with Insurance Partners."

Clear. Direct. Professional.

No hiding. No gimmicks.

2. Relevant Context or Intel

This is where your research shows up.

"In speaking with Susan in your office, I understand you are evaluating ways to attract and retain talent across your locations."

This tells them immediately you did not dial randomly.

3. Possible Value Proposition

Not a pitch. Just a hint that something useful might exist.

"We work specifically with agencies who are trying to reduce recruiting expenses and improve management retention."

You are not promising results.

You are giving them a reason to stay curious.

4. The Voicemail Ending

This is the only part that changes from the live opening.

When speaking live, you bridge to a question.

With voicemail, it is a little different. You want them to know there is a question waiting …one worth answering. So you do two things.

You tell them you will send an email.

And you tell them you will call back.

Here is how that sounds in practice:

"I've got a couple of questions to see if a conversation would be worthwhile. I'll send a quick email with the same information, and I'll try you again Friday morning. If you'd like to reach me sooner, my number is…"

Now they know exactly what to expect.

And when they see your email or your number again, it is no longer completely unfamiliar.

The Email That Follows

After you leave the voicemail, send a short email that same day.

Not a novel. Not a brochure.

Just a brief note that mirrors what you said on the voicemail. The email simply reinforces the same opening you would have used if they had answered the phone.

Same intel reference. Same possible value. Same question left hanging in their mind. (Advertisers spend billions reinforcing the same value message for a reason. You are doing the same thing.)

The voicemail primes them for the email. The email reinforces the voicemail. Together they reinforce the sense that this person understands something about my world and might have something worth hearing.

The Real Goal of a Voicemail

The purpose of voicemail is not a callback. If you get one, congrats! That is like winning the entire lottery instead of just getting a few dollars back on a scratcher ticket.

The purpose is curiosity.

Or when you call again, they recognize your name and take the call.

Either way, your odds just improved dramatically.

One More Important Reality

Again, the reality is most first prospecting voicemails do not get returned. That is expected.

Your prospect is busy. Emails stacked up, meetings all day, ten other voicemails ahead of yours.

The goal is not perfection.

The goal is planting enough interest that the next interaction is easier. You are in this for the long haul, right? Doing a lot of little things right pays off over time.

And when your message is structured correctly, that happens far more often than it does not.

Tomorrow

The First 20 Seconds Formula releases tomorrow.

It is a masterclass focused entirely on the most important moments in a sales call.

The opening. And the voicemail. There is a lot more than I shared with you yesterday and today.

It includes my newest material and examples based on what is actually working in the field right now, all built on the Smart Calling prospecting framework being used by successful sales professionals and organizations worldwide.

We also include two bonuses, each alone worth more than the investment in the masterclass itself.

One is a video session where I review 37 real opening statements shared by reps and sales gurus online. What works, what hurts you, and exactly how to fix them. I hold nothing back, and get a bit brutal at times.

The second tackles one of the biggest causes of call reluctance: the fear of rejection. I share 150 ways to reframe it so picking up the phone feels less like a threat and more like an opportunity.

Tomorrow. Watch for it.

When the first 20 seconds are structured correctly, prospects ease up.

And when they ease up, real conversations happen.

Finally, who do you know who would also get value from what you saw about openings and voicemails? Please do them a favor… forward this issue to them. Or send them to the main page at http://SmartCallingReport.com

Best yet: share this on LinkedIn or your other socials so even more will benefit. It’s easy… use the buttons at the top and let the tech do the work for you.

Keep making it your best week ever!