The 9 Second Window
That is how long you have to hook a person on a cold voicemail message according to this article on Salesopedia (my bold):
6 Interesting Sales Prospecting Statistics
1. In a recent survey 95% of salespeople said they can sell - they just need to get in front of more prospects.
2. Effective prospecting blends both marketing & selling.
3. Most salespeople HATE to prospect.
4. The best prospectors often close more business than the best salespeople.
5. Nearly 60% of high performing prospectors consider the phone ESSENTIAL to their prospecting success.
6. Decision makers listen to only 9 seconds of a “cold” voicemail before deciding to press delete?
Good points all of them. If you only have 9 sec., does it make sense to spend it stating your name and contact information? My thought is that it makes more sense to take an approach that buys you another 9 seconds. Whatever your approach, know that your window is smaller than you may have expected.
Posted By Derrick Moe | Communication, Sales Techniques | |













Derrick,
Thanks for another great article. I am going to write a post pointing to it and I am going to use the advice in my voicemails. I will let you know if sales accelerate!
Peggy McKee
PHC Consulting
http://www.phcconsulting.com
http://www.phcconsulting.com/WordPress
[...] came across a great article on The Hire Sense which says that decision-makers listen to only 9 seconds of a “cold” voice-mail before deciding to press… …so, you should use that time to tell them something that will buy you another 9 [...]