Sales voicemail: when to leave one, plus 5 word-for-word examples

Should you leave a voicemail for a prospect? Yes, but not every time. A prospecting voicemail pays off on an account you really want, right after an email, when someone referred you, after an event, or as a last try. It lasts 20 to 25 seconds, gives your name, the precise reason for your call, a reason to call back, and your number twice. On a cold list dialled in volume, skip the message and move on: your time is worth more in conversations.

A voicemail costs you about a minute (the greeting, the beep, your message, the note in your CRM). Over a 100-call session, leaving one at every voicemail box easily burns an hour of your day. So the real question is: is this prospect worth that minute?

In general, very few prospects call back after a voicemail. That is fine. Its real job is to lay the groundwork: when you call again or when your email lands, your name is no longer a stranger's. The prospect thinks "oh, the voicemail guy". That is half the work done.

For the right rhythm when a prospect does not pick up, see our guide on calling prospects back.

Spoken, 25 seconds is about 60 words. Not one more. Past 30 seconds, the prospect deletes it, or worse, listens to half and remembers that you ramble.

1. Who you are (3 seconds)

First name, last name, company. No job title, no "I'm reaching out to". Example: "Hi Claire, Tom Martin from Optimo."

2. Why them, why now (7 seconds)

One precise reason tied to their company or role. A hiring push, a funding round, a new office, an email you sent, a person who gave you their name. That is what separates a personal message from a mass one.

3. What is in it for them (5 seconds)

One sentence, one benefit, ideally with a client example from the same industry. Not your product catalogue.

4. What happens next (4 seconds)

Announce what you will do yourself. "I'm sending you a three-line email right after this" or "I'll try again Thursday morning". The prospect has nothing to do, which puts them at ease.

5. Your number, twice, slowly (4 seconds)

Once at the start if you like, once at the end no matter what. In small groups of digits, clearly. Nobody writes down a number said at full speed.

Three tweaks that change everything: stand up, smile (people can hear it), and stick your outline on a note by your screen. An improvised voicemail gives itself away at the third "uh".

Replace the brackets. Read them out loud before using them: if a sentence does not sound like you, change the words and keep the structure.

Example 1: first touch on a priority account

"Hi [First name], [your full name] from [Company]. I'm calling because I saw [prospect's company] is opening [two offices in Manchester]. We help companies like [client in the same industry] [save their reps an hour a day on account follow-up]. I think it could be relevant for you. My number is [07700 900123]. Otherwise I'll try again Thursday late morning. Once more, [07700 900123]. Have a great day!"

Example 2: follow-up after an email

"Hi [First name], [your first name] from [Company]. I sent you an email [on Tuesday] with the subject ['your client follow-ups']. Don't worry, I'm not calling to read it to you. One question matters: is [follow-up on client reminders] a topic for you this year? If it is, two minutes on the phone will tell us whether I can help. My number is [07700 900123]. Again, that's [07700 900123]. And you can also just reply to the email."

Example 3: the referral

"Hi [First name], [your first name] from [Company]. [Referrer's name] at [their company] suggested I call you. We've been working together for [six months] on [their team's prospecting] and they thought it could interest you too. Call me back when you have five minutes on [07700 900123]. Again, that's [07700 900123]. Thanks, talk soon."

The referrer's name lands in the first five seconds. They get the callback, not you.

Example 4: after a trade show or an event

"Hi [First name], [your first name] from [Company]. We met [on Wednesday at the X show], at [the booth next door / during the talk on Y]. You told me about [your plan to hire more reps] and I promised to follow up. I'm emailing you [the example we discussed] and I'll call you [on Monday]. My number, just in case: [07700 900123]. Again, that's [07700 900123]."

If you never actually spoke, do not pretend. Say instead: "you signed up for Thursday's webinar on [topic]".

Example 5: the last attempt

"Hi [First name], [your first name] from [Company]. I've tried to reach you a few times these past weeks about [your sales hiring], without luck, and I don't want to clog your voicemail. So this is my last message. If the topic comes back on the table, you have my number: [07700 900123]. Again, that's [07700 900123]. Have a great end of the week."

This one works because it removes all pressure. It is polite, short, and gives the prospect a real reason to answer now if they were interested.

A prospect walking out of a meeting will not listen to their voicemail right away. They will, however, glance at their texts and emails. Voice and writing work together: the voice builds the connection, the written note leaves a trace they can reread.

Three rules to keep it together:

• Same topic everywhere. If your voicemail mentions "client follow-ups", so do your email and your text. The prospect should connect the three without effort.

• Keep the text short and neutral. No link, no pitch. It just says you stopped by.

• Do not fire every channel every day. Keep this combo for the days you leave a voicemail.

To pick your time slots, see the best time to call B2B prospects.

In Flunter, you create your own call outcomes (for example "Voicemail left") and the callback task right when you log the call. The follow-up text goes out from the call companion, without switching tools.

• The novel. 45 seconds about your company. The prospect hit delete at second 12.

• The mystery message. "Call me back, it's important." Without saying why. That does not build curiosity, it builds suspicion.

• The galloping number. Said once, sped up, at the very end. Nobody replays a voicemail to write down a number.

• The same message for the whole list. Prospects hear copy and paste as clearly as they read it.

• The fake memory. "As discussed during our call…" when you have never spoken. You lose all credibility for the next calls.

• The every-other-day voicemail. Three in a week and you go from "persistent rep" to "blocked number".

• The whisper from the open space. If your colleagues are laughing in the background, record it again.

A good habit: listen back to one of your own voicemails every week. It is painful, it works, and it is the fastest way to cut your verbal tics. The same exercise works on real conversations, see how to review a cold call session.

What really costs you with voicemail is the time spent landing on voicemail boxes. On a cold list, most calls never reach a person. Dial one number after another and you spend a good part of the session listening to rings and greetings.

That is exactly what a parallel dialer fixes. Flunter, the most efficient parallel dialer for B2B prospecting, dials up to 5 numbers at once (3 on the Starter plan) and passes you the first human who answers. Its in-house detection engine, tuned continuously on real sales calls, sets voicemail and switchboards aside and passes you people with no wait. Voicemails are logged in the campaign, you just talk. The result: up to 5x more conversations per hour than manual dialling.

And for the few accounts where a voicemail is truly worth it, take them out of the session and call them separately, one by one: that is where the outlines above come in. From Flunter's call companion, you find the contact, call them and send your follow-up text from the same place.

Plans start at €89 excl. VAT per license per month, with no minimum number of licenses: see pricing.

Read next: following up without being pushy and cold call vs cold email.

Should you leave a voicemail for a prospect?

Not on every call. Leave one on priority accounts, after an email, on a referral, after an event and on your last attempt. On a cold list dialled in volume, hang up and move on.

How long should a sales voicemail be?

20 to 25 seconds, about 60 words. As a rule, past 30 seconds the prospect stops listening before the end.

What should you say on a prospect's voicemail?

Your name and company, the precise reason for your call (tied to them), one benefit in one sentence, what you will do next, and your number twice, slowly.

How many voicemails should you leave the same prospect?

Two or three in total over a two to three week sequence, never two in the same week. The last one clearly says it is the last.

Do voicemails really get callbacks?

Rarely, and that is not their main job. They make your name familiar, which gets your next call answered and your email opened. Referral and last-attempt voicemails get the most callbacks. To prepare the conversation when someone does pick up, see our cold call script.