Let's be honest: almost nobody calls back from voicemails anymore.
In the last three years, I've tracked callback rates meticulously. Across roughly 4,000 voicemails, my callback rate was 3.2%. That's 128 callbacks total.
So why leave voicemails at all?
The Real Purpose of Voicemail
Voicemails rarely generate direct callbacks. But they do something else that's valuable: they prime the prospect for your email.
When someone sees an email from a stranger, their default is to ignore or delete it. But when that stranger's name is vaguely familiar - because they heard it on a voicemail 10 minutes ago - the email is more likely to get opened.
In my data, emails sent within 30 minutes of leaving a voicemail had a 22% higher open rate than emails alone.
Voicemail isn't the goal. It's air cover.
Sales research confirms that multi-channel outreach significantly outperforms single-channel approaches. Voicemail is one piece of a larger strategy.
The Anatomy of a Bad Voicemail
This is what 90% of sales voicemails sound like:
"Hi Sarah, this is John Smith calling from TechCorp Solutions. We're a leading provider of enterprise software that helps companies streamline their operations and increase productivity. I wanted to reach out because I think we could really help your team. Please give me a call back at 555-123-4567 when you get a chance. Again, that's 555-123-4567. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you."
Problems:
- Too long (that's 40+ seconds)
- Opens with company name nobody cares about
- Generic value proposition
- "Please call me back" is needy
- Phone number said too fast
This gets deleted at "TechCorp Solutions."
Generic openers fail for the same reason. Prospects tune out the moment they sense a sales pitch coming.
The Structure That Works
Start with your name and number: "Hi Sarah, it's James, 415-555-1234."
Why lead with the number? Because if they're intrigued, they'll replay to catch it. Starting with the number means they hear it first when replaying.
Then give one sentence of context: "I saw your team is hiring three SDRs and I help companies cut ramp time in half."
This shows you did research. It connects to something real. It's specific.
Next, create curiosity rather than a pitch: "There's one thing most sales managers miss when ramping new reps. Worth a quick call."
Don't give everything away. Make them curious about the "one thing."
Finally, repeat your number slowly: "Again, James. 4-1-5... 5-5-5... 1-2-3-4."
Slow on the number. They're probably writing it down.
Total time: 18 seconds.
Examples By Situation
Trigger-based (news, hiring, funding)
"Hi Sarah, James here, 415-555-1234. Saw the news about your Series B - congrats. I work with a few post-Series B companies on [specific problem]. Quick question about how you're handling [specific challenge]. James, 4-1-5... 5-5-5... 1-2-3-4."
Referral-based
"Hi Sarah, James here, 415-555-1234. Mike Chen suggested I reach out - said you're dealing with [problem]. Worth a 10-minute call if so. James, 4-1-5... 5-5-5... 1-2-3-4."
Follow-up
"Hi Sarah, James again, 415-555-1234. Quick follow-up - just sent you something that shows how [similar company] fixed [their problem]. Might be relevant. 4-1-5... 5-5-5... 1-2-3-4."
The Tone Secret
Your tone on a voicemail matters as much as the words. Most reps sound either:
- Over-eager and salesy
- Flat and bored (reading a script)
You want to sound like you're leaving a message for someone you know but haven't talked to in a while. Warm but not trying too hard. Confident but not pushy.
Record yourself leaving 10 voicemails and listen back. You'll cringe, but you'll learn more from those recordings than from any script.
If you struggle with tone because of call anxiety, our guide on sales anxiety and how to beat it can help.
When Not To Leave Voicemails
After 2-3 attempts, stop. If they've gotten multiple voicemails and haven't responded, more voicemails won't help. Switch to email and LinkedIn only.
Be careful with mobile numbers. Mobile voicemails are more personal territory, so be selective about when you leave them. Direct line at work? Sure. Personal cell? Think twice.
And never leave a voicemail when you have nothing new to say. If your voicemail would be identical to the last one, don't leave it. You're just becoming noise.
The Coordinated Approach
Voicemails work best as part of a system:
- Call - leave voicemail
- Immediately send email that references the voicemail
- "Hi Sarah, just left you a voicemail about [topic]. Here's [more detail/value]..."
Now you've hit them twice in five minutes, and the touchpoints reinforce each other.
The email can include what wouldn't fit in the voicemail: case studies, specific stats, links to relevant content.
This multi-touch approach, combining voicemail with immediate email follow-up, consistently outperforms single-channel outreach.
Measuring What Works
Track your voicemails:
- Time of day left
- Day of week
- Message approach (trigger-based, referral, generic)
- Whether callback occurred
- Whether subsequent email was opened
Over time, you'll find patterns. Maybe your Tuesday morning voicemails get 5% callbacks while Friday afternoon gets 1%. That's actionable.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Even a perfect voicemail strategy will only return a few percent callbacks. That's just reality now.
Still, a 3% callback rate on 100 voicemails is 3 warm conversations you wouldn't have had otherwise. Over a year, that adds up.
Voicemail isn't dead. It's just not what it used to be. Adjust your expectations, use it strategically as part of a multi-channel approach, and stop expecting it to carry your prospecting on its own.
The same principles that make voicemails effective apply across all your prospecting channels: be specific, be brief, and give them a reason to engage. For more on building a complete outreach strategy, see how many times should you follow up.