If the following Little Trick does not apply to you, please do not take it personally. Unfortunately, it did apply to me.
Whenever someone left me a voice mail message, I’d go scrounging through piles of paper and usually a hamburger wrapper on my desk to find something to write his number with. By the time I found a pencil, I had to listen to the message again to get the number.
Once when I was complaining to my office-mate, Doris, about what a pain in the gluteus maximus it was—and how I didn’t want to inflict that pain on others—she gave me a business-savvy suggestion. She told me to leave my number at both the beginning and end of the message. “Doris, that’s brilliant!” I cried. Feeling incredibly professional, that was my modus operandi for about a year.
But every time a caller did the same for me, I’d hear the number at the beginning and think, “Uh-oh, it’s now or never. Last chance. Do or die. I’d better write it down quickly, or I’ll have to play the digital back-up game again.”
While scrounging for a writing instrument, I couldn’t concentrate on the message and would have to play it again anyway. But I figured that was the best I could do until . . .
One day, I came back from lunch and checked my voice mail. It was my ex-husband Barry Farber, with whom I’m still close friends. His recording said, “Hi Leil, this is Barry. I’m at 765-4321. I’ll give that number again at the end of the message. . . .”
Hallelujah! I had stumbled on the silver chalice of voice mail messages. I could concentrate on his message secure in the promise that he would repeat the number at the end.
My gratitude didn’t persuade me to remarry him, but it did remind me of how brilliant he is.
Little Trick #87
Give Them a Heads-Up That They’ll Hear Your Number Again
Whenever leaving a voice mail message, give your number at the beginning of the message and tell your messagee you will repeat it at the end. He can then listen to your message at leisure while admiring your high EP level.
Here is a subtle tweak that most people will not even notice. But when big cats hear it, they assume you are a big cat, too.
People have different ways of giving and remembering numbers. Some people think in terms of individual numbers. They would say, “Seven six five, four three two one.” Others combine the numbers into small groups: “Seven six five, forty-three, twenty-one.”
Cover your bets to “speak their language.” Give your phone number both ways. One form at the beginning, the other at the end.
Here is another auditory treat for your listeners. Do you remember the cyber-shrink’s advice about putting the recipient’s name last in your e-mail? The same obtains here. Think what a lovely little kiss it is to hear their own name at the end of your voice message. “Thanks, Ethan,” or “ I’m looking forward to hearing from you, Ethan.” That closing has a nice ring to it.
At least to Ethan.
Little Trick #88
Give Different Phone Number Combos
When you are giving your number twice on someone’s voice mail, say it in a different grouping each time. Numberwise, you’ll be speaking his language at least once.
And, as with e-mail, end your message with that “how sweet it is” word, his name.