I know I speak for many other busy professionals when I say, "Please leave details when leaving a voice mail." Doing so is being respectful of our time.
Too often I get this: "Hi, It's me. Call me." (Some times I don't even know who "me" is.) If I'm lucky, I'll get a name.
I'm not referring to my family or friends calling, Ftce math I don't expect protocol from them! I'm referring to team members or potential recruits or anyone else who may need something from me.
Years ago the telephone rang while we were eating dinner. My children asked me why I wasn't answering it. It was a wonderful lesson in time management and priorities. I have always been of the philosophy that I am not a slave to the telephone. Just because it rings does not mean that I need to drop everything to answer it.
I believe in being fully present at the moment. If I am working on a project, or writing an article, or analyzing some data, or talking to my children, or talking a soak in the tub, I make a conscience effort to 'be' exactly where I am, sans interruption. One of the rare exceptions is when I am away from my children. I will stop whatever I am doing and check the phone, just in case it is one of my girls needing Mom.
In order to work efficiently I need to be able to set prioritize my workload. I also only check voice mail on average of once a day. Proper protocol dictates that when you leave a voice mail message leave details such as who, what, when and how.
Who: Hi, it's Sue (or Sue Smith, or Sue Smith, one of your down line)
What: I had a question about the compensation (sign for me to call within 24 hours as it could affect her pocketbook - which is very important to people and tends to make some uneasy).
What: I have a potential recruit sitting here and she had a question about breakaways that I'm not sure how to answer (sign for me to call ASAP)
What: Call me (sign for me not to call or to call eventually as I have no idea what she needs and if it's that important she should say what it is about.)
When: It's Monday at 1pm Mountain time (I get calls from all time zones)
How: You can reach me at (616) 555-1234
Don't assume I have your phone number or have easy access to it. Also please don't assume I know what time zone you're calling from.
Remember: "Hi, it's me, call me" doesn't work so swell. Rather: "Hi, it's JoAnne Wildgirl, I need to know if it's OK if I sell on eBay, I couldn't find it in the policies and procedures. It's now noon on Saturday, can you please call me back at (616) 555-1234, thanks" is much better.
Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Flameless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Deutschland and the UK. You can find Laurie at .
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