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‘If It's Audio Spam, It's Gone’ Ruth P. Stevens quoted several interesting people in her piece about voice-mail marketing (“Start Talking,” January). Unfortunately, she didn't quote any recipients of voice-mail marketing.

In my B-to-B phone-marketing consulting and training practice, I have talked with such people and they are crystal clear about why they resist voice-mail marketing.

Examples:

“Return their call? You must be joking. I'd be playing defense on their field.” (A Dallas high-tech executive.)

“The last thing I want is to be narrated into submission. If a message sounds like an ad, I delete it immediately.” (A Boston HR manager.)

“If it's audio spam, it's gone. I will listen only if it affects me and my business directly.” (A West Coast marketing director whose own firm is very good at voice mail.)

Net: It's neither the technology nor the “script” that makes for successful voice-mail messaging. Relevance, timeliness and personalization get a prospect to take the next step.

That step usually should be an invitation to your Web site, not a plea for a return call.
Michael A. Brown
President
Business to Business by Phone
Austin, TX