Want a call back? Be Professional!

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This post has been a long time coming . . .

One of my pet peeves in life is when people leave you a voicemail that has no information. I hate it when my friends do it, but I find it completely rediculous when people do it when calling a business.

Tell People Why You're Calling!

Over the past several days, I've gotten voicemails at BiggerPockets that go something like this:

"This is John at 212-555-5555. Call me back"

I'm serious. What on earth is that about?

If you can't take the time to explain why you're calling, do you really think someone on the other end is going to take the time to call you back? In most cases and at most business, they would.

I'm taking a stand.

BiggerPockets will not return your call if you can't have the common courtesy to explain who you are and why you're calling. It isn't that hard, people.

Be Professional When Calling Others, Folks!

Here's all you need to say:

"Hi, this is YOUR NAME HERE calling from YOUR COMPANY (if you've got one) at 212-555-5555. I was calling because YOUR REASON HERE. Please get back to me when you have a chance."

Not only will that get you a call back from someone at BiggerPockets, but it is just good phone etiquette.

For those of you who have left messages with us and wonder why we don't get back to you, I think you know the reason now.

Thanks for listening.

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Comments

Nick J.
5 months ago

Josh, Tell us how you really feel! :)

I completely agree with you. I hardly ever call anyone back b/c of that fact.

You won't even get a mere thought from me if you left no message at all even though I have caller ID. If not leaving a message wasn't important then neither is calling you back.

If you can't leave a decent message then don't expect a decent call back.
Joshua Dorkin
5 months ago

Am I one to hold back? NOPE!

Thanks for the support, Nick. I'm glad that I'm not the only one out there that gets annoyed by that nonsense.
Dory Peters
5 months ago

Josh,

That's one of my pet peeves too, and here's another related one: "please call . . ." (basically a one-liner sent as a reply in an e-mail).

I HATE that too!
Ivan Jouikov
5 months ago

Is it still worth responding to 1-liners? Or is it 99% garbage?
Joshua Dorkin
5 months ago

Not sure, Ivan. I'm just standing on principal here.
Chris Pelach
5 months ago

You know, I have taken a lot of sales training courses, and in one of them, the super fantastical guaranteed return call from a voice-mail technique was the vague one-liner than you described above. The premise is that the person you left the message for will assume that they know you and just blindly call you back.
I tried it about 100 times and never got a single call. Much better results from just being straight-forward in my messages.
Trudy Hoekstra
5 months ago

You know what else I hate? How my stupid voice mail provider has a "page her" option and people "page" me (which sends me a text message with just a phone number) without leaving a message. Oh yes, I am going to call you back. Stupid voice mail provider.
Justin Pierce
5 months ago

Wow, Bigger Pockets really does span the entire spectrum, from creative financing multi-million dollar commercial properties down to how to leave a phone message. Boom, I'm home. Scream it from on high, Josh.
Joshua Dorkin
5 months ago

lol. Thanks, Justin.
Harrison Painter
5 months ago

I feel your pain Josh. It seems that phone skills are lacking in modern business.

How about when you call a business number, and they answer the phone with just a "Hello"???

~Harrison Painter
David Hunter
5 months ago

I love it when people actually leave a decent message (leave a reason for calling) and they leave their phone number so fast that you can't get the number, not even when you listen to it 5 times! When you leave a phone number, please speak slowly and clearly and leave the number TWICE!
Marc Faulkner
5 months ago

I can't stand when I get a call like this, "hey Marc-this is joey, I am calling you about X, give me a call". No company name, no number ='s no way to call back!!!
Sherri Graham
4 months ago

OK I will say you are all right but this is what my grandma says about voice mail. " hate it and don't know what to say, I call expecting to speak to someone and when I get a machine I don't know how to react." It wasn't part of her life when she was younger and hard to change now. I think it is nice to include the rules/instructions in your recorded instructions for leaving a message for those who do not know what you need from them in order to respond to their message......Teach others how you want to be treated. Thats what I have been taught.
Joshua Dorkin
4 months ago

@Harrison - "Hello"!

@David - Thank you. Say it twice is my motto.

@Marc - You're friends with Buttafuco?

@Sherri - Respectfully, your grandma may have been able to use voicemail as an excuse, but I don't think anyone can use that excuse today. It is really just common sense that we're talking about here. If you are calling people, particularly those that you don't know, it just makes sense to explain who you are and why you're calling, doesn't it? I'm not sure the onus is on the company anymore to teach people common sense.
Eleanor Tutti Shorter
4 months ago

Especially when they say I called you why didn't you call me back. Question did you leave a message? Reply...No
Shana Gray
4 months ago

lol @ the post and commentary.

so Josh, what does your answering machine message say? not "hello" beep! lol..
Joshua Dorkin
4 months ago

Shana -
It does not. Sadly this had to become a topic . . .
Shana Gray
4 months ago

I can believe it lol!! :)

also I used to get a lot of calls from people whom I may have met once somewhere (still get some), and they thought I remembered them on a first name basis, some I do, many I don't, I pass out a lot of business cards. it helps when people explain who they are and where they know me from before several min into conversation. that's my tip!! lol..