This morning I called Sue Levine of CTS Travel 800-726-2757 x 113 to book my business trip. When I spoke to her on the phone she greeted me excitedly like an old friend. She said, "Hi Diane! Your voice mail says exactly what you do. Your tone is so upbeat and outgoing. I thought Wow! She doesn't have to use any promotional material because she spoke her message." Sue continued, "If I were looking for your service and heard your voice mail you'd be my number one choice. I could imagine you as a speaker. People must sit there listening to every word you say. In 35 years in the travel business, I can fathom from the voice and words what people and saying and not saying. And most voice mail is voice jail."
This was the first time I ever spoke to Sue. Talk about impact!
She got me thinking about a speech I gave last week on Presenting Your Brand. Even though the voice is 38% of the message in face-to-face communication,on the telephone your words and voice are 100% of the message. Yet, how often do we hear inappropriate personal voice messages, dispassionate tone, or garbled, rushed speech? What's the impact? A negative impression. We spend so much money on promotional materials and resumes to create a positive visual brand only to lose business because of an ineffective voice message. Your VOICE is your brand.
To hear my voice mail message call 212 481-8484 x312.