http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#comments Comments from 'Want a call back? Be Professional!' in BiggerPockets Founder's Blog at BiggerPockets.com http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_4659 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_4659 Maybe, but these aren't business partners or even people we know. They don't explain who they are, what they are calling about, or anything else. Need I say more? http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_4658 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_4658 Wow, that's pretty polite where I come from. I had one business partner where our common message was, "Hey sh--head, call me back." http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_4657 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_4657 Josh: Just wanted to chime in for a moment, and say that I agree 100% with you. I get people call me all the time and most do not even leave me a message. I feel like that if it isn't important enough for them to leave me a message, then it isn't important for me to call them back. I always try and leave a VM when I call anyone. Other wise, how do you know who they are or what they want? http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_4656 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_4656 I've got to bump this article . . . over the past few days I've gotten several messages from various people, all of the same form: "This is Joe -- call me back" Seriously? This is a business. Do you want a call back, Joe? Tell me who you are, and why you're calling. It isn't that complicated. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1783 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1783 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.. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1782 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1782 Shana - It does not. Sadly this had to become a topic . . . http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1781 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1781 lol @ the post and commentary. so Josh, what does your answering machine message say? not "hello" beep! lol.. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1576 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1576 Especially when they say I called you why didn't you call me back. Question did you leave a message? Reply...No http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1574 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1574 @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. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1573 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1573 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. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1482 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1482 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!!! http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1458 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1458 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! http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1453 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1453 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 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1443 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1443 lol. Thanks, Justin. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1436 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1436 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. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1422 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1422 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. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1408 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1408 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. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1399 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1399 Not sure, Ivan. I'm just standing on principal here. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1391 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1391 Is it still worth responding to 1-liners? Or is it 99% garbage? http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1390 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1390 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! http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1387 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1387 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. http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1386 http://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/1/blog_posts/1808#c_1386 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.