With the recession of the global economy, many sales organizations have migrated to a business model that allows them to cover more ground with a reduced sales budget. Keeping a sales rep on the road is expensive and inefficient, considering the low number of potential sales calls that can be made during a day.

Because of this, there has been a dynamic shift in sales best practices to the use of the telephone and e-marketing. It is easier on the budget and covers much more ground than traditional sales practices.

A typical “road warrior” makes five to ten sales calls in a day. However, you can easily make 100 attempts per day via the phone. We all know that sales is a numbers game.

As a result of this shift in best practices, decision makers are receiving more telephone calls daily. Gatekeepers have become more protective of their executive team. Decision makers are screening their calls via voice mail. So, how do you adjust to the market place’s adjustment to these new tactics?

I make four attempts by phone, over the course of a week. I note the time of each call, who was spoken to, if anyone, and the results. Noting the time allows you to make future attempts at different time intervals. Don’t always start at the top of the list and work your way down. Start at the bottom and work your way up every other day.

On my final attempt, I leave a brief voice mail that is to the point and concise. The attention span of someone, who is screening voice mails, is brief and they are looking for reasons to press the delete button quickly. Think about it. When you delete voice mails, you are sitting there with your finger on the delete button, poise to push, aren’t you? So, it is critical that you capture their attention quickly, or face being deleted into oblivion.

I start out my message with a statement or question that shows the decision maker what is in it for them to let my message play through. “Jim, I have a way that you can (save money, increase productivity, what ever your main value proposition is) that I would like to speak with you about. This is John Doe at Doe and Associates. You can reach me at 888-888-8888. That is 888-888-8888. I look forward to your call.”

It is important that the message is delivered clearly, with a medium level of enthusiasm, confidence and sincerity. Be sure to pronounce your name and the telephone number clearly. Repeat the number in case if the voice mail play back cut out, their pen wasn’t writing, or you went too fast for them to hear you correctly.

Before you begin leaving the message, practice it. Practice the tone of your voice and the pace it is delivered. Leave it on an associates voice mail and then go listen to it, so you can look for ways of improving it. Write your message down, so that it is ingrained in your memory, or in case you have brain fade when the beep comes, you will have a reference point to start from.

Once again, open with a reason for them to want to listen to more. Be friendly and, enthusiastic to induce them to return your call. Be brief in your message. Most of all, be clear in your delivery. After all, if they can’t hear your message, it isn’t going to resonate with them. Right?

What if your voice mail isn’t returned? I usually follow up the voice mail with an email that says, “Jim, I have been trying to reach you several times by phone, but have not been successful. I would like to discuss with you how our Product X can help to save you (time, money, increase productivity, etc.). You can reach me easily by responding to this email or by calling my direct line at 888-888-8888. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

If this doesn’t work, well, as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. It is time to move on and save this one for the next sales cycle, and turn your attention to other opportunities.