When you need to leave a telephone message you want to make it easy for the other person to get back to you. This is how I leave telephone messages:
“Hi X, this is Amir Anzur speaking. My number is 050 1977 XXX. I was calling regarding abc…..I would appreciate it if you could return my call. Once again it’s Amir and my number is 050 1977 XXX.”
Lets analyze that message:
It starts with the receiving person’s name – everyone loves hearing their name so if you know it, its a good idea to repeat it.
I then state my name – if you are calling from a company let them know.
Then it has my phone number so if they need to rewind the message and hear it again, it comes to them in the beginning. This saves them from listening to the whole message again in order to catch the number which people often only leave at the end of a message.
Next it has the content of the message or the reason I need to speak to them. This reduces their anxiety level of why they should be calling me back.
Finally, it repeats my name and the number they can reach me on again. They probably didn’t write your number when you stated it the first time and now they will either write it or if they miss it again they will rewind the message and your number will also be at the beginning of the call.
Leaving phone messages is a simple thing and you will need to do it often in your life. Whether it be for sales calls, dealing with administration such as banks or to get a job this is something if you do right you can increase the chances of your calls being returned. It also leaves a better impression for the other person.
Remember to speak a little slower than you normally do and pronounce your words clearly.
So why not take a few minutes to consciously write out your own phone message leaving strategy?