How can my Internet Department do a better job of leaving voice mail messages for prospects? By: Sean V. Bradley, CEO of Dealer Synergy One of the toughest parts of an Internet Coordinator or Internet Manager's job is getting the prospect on the phone! Statistics show you will only reach between 11 to15 percent of people that you attempt to call. So a majority of the Internet Sales Professional's job is leaving voice mail messages and a lot of them. Most sales people leave the same boring message every time. "Hi, this is Sean from ABC Motors please call me back at 555-1212". Or they might say something like "Hi, this is Sean from ABC Motors, I have been trying to reach you to see if you are still interested in a car..." These type of call become very annoying very fast. Please remember that the average buying cycle is between 45 to 90 days. That means your prospect is still looking for a car a couple of days after they sent you the Internet purchase request form. Leaving a great voicemail message should be one of the critical skills that every sales professional has in their repertoire. Either it is just natural or it needs to be learned and cultivated. You have to leave great voicemail messages! Learn to leave the most exciting, engaging, best voicemail messages on the planet. The average Internet customer researches or visits between five to nine other dealership websites besides yours! And remember that their buying cycle is between 45-90 days. Now, think about how many dealerships are calling them and leaving voicemail messages. Think about how many voicemail messages they are going to receive before they make their decision. Your message must stand out! Here are some tips to help you become the voicemail master: First and foremost, create a library of voice mail scripts. That's right a library, just like you should have a library of email templates. Diversify your voicemail messages. I suggest coming up with about 20 to 30 different voice mail messages. Keep them exciting, relevant and memorable. Keep track of the effectiveness of these voicemail scripts by implementing a national call monitoring tracking numbers for each individual voicemail message. Using a unique toll free number for each voicemail script allows you to track the effectiveness of each script. This allows you to see per day, per week, per month, per quarter which script worked and at what time of day and which day of the week. Practice your scripts in front of co-workers to make sure they flow. You can also use friends and family to get their reaction. Be sure you have some compelling calls to action in each script. ". . . I know you called about the blue Mustang but we have four other comparable vehicles with rebates or incentives that can save you about $1000...." Not that will get their attention. Adjust the tonality of your voice throughout the message. By that I mean sound excited about your message. Be truthful, but get excited about the options you can offer them. How can they get excited if you aren't emotional? Put yourself in their shoes and try to figure out what going to motivate them. Again the goal is to get the appointment and meet with them face to face to personally help them meet their wants and needs. You can talk about favorable credit terms available in the message in case they are a payment buyer. Talk about the availability of the Certified Pre- Owned units that come with a warranty to fully protect them during their ownership of the vehicle. Keep being creative and excited and you will get results.