80% of cold calls go to voicemail. If you're not good at voicemails, you're wasting 80% of your effort.
Most reps treat voicemail as a throwaway — a mumbled message before moving to the next dial. But voicemail + email together is 2.15x more effective than either alone. That's worth getting right.
of cold calls go to voicemail
Source: InsideSales Research
1. The Voicemail Reality
70
Voicemails left per day by average rep
15%
Of rep time spent leaving voicemails
<5%
B2B voicemail callback rate
22%
Higher callback rate with good script
"Combining voicemail with email produces 2.15x higher reply rates (2.73% → 5.87%) compared to email alone."
2. Voicemail Strategy
Strategic Voicemail Approach:
- • Don't leave voicemail on first call (usually)
- • Leave on 2nd or 3rd attempt
- • Always send email immediately after
- • Reference voicemail in email
- • Keep it SHORT — 20-30 seconds max
Pro Tip
3. The Perfect Voicemail Structure
Length: 20-30 seconds max
Anything longer gets deleted before finishing
Your name and company (quick)
2-3 seconds, don't dwell
Why you're calling (one sentence)
The hook — make it relevant
Value hint (what's in it for them)
Create curiosity, don't pitch
Action (check email, call back)
Clear next step
Your number (slowly, repeated)
Leave it twice so they can write it down
4. MSP Voicemail Scripts
Script 1: Simple & Direct
"Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] with [Company]. I work with [industry] businesses in [City] on their IT support. I wanted to see if there's a better way to handle your IT than what you have now. I'll shoot you an email too. My number is [XXX-XXX-XXXX]. That's [XXX-XXX-XXXX]. Have a great day."
Script 2: Pain-Focused
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] with [Company]. I help [industry] companies eliminate the IT headaches that slow down their team. I'll follow up with an email — take a look when you get a chance. [XXX-XXX-XXXX]."
Script 3: Trigger-Based
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] here. I noticed [Company] is growing — congrats on the new hires. I work with companies going through similar growth and help them make sure IT keeps up. I'll send an email with more detail. Call me back at [XXX-XXX-XXXX]."
Script 4: Social Proof
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] with [Company]. We recently helped another [industry] company in [City] cut their IT downtime by 80%. Thought you might be interested. I'll email you the details. My number is [XXX-XXX-XXXX]."
Script 5: Following Up
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] again. Just following up on my earlier call and email. Still curious if there's a better way to handle your IT. When you have a minute, give me a call at [XXX-XXX-XXXX]. Thanks."
5. Best Practices
Do This
- Smile while you talk (it comes through)
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Leave your number twice
- Keep it under 30 seconds
- Send email immediately after
- Reference the voicemail in email
Avoid This
- Sound scripted or robotic
- Rush through your phone number
- Leave long, rambling messages
- Pitch your full service offering
- Sound desperate or pushy
- Leave voicemail on every call
Pro Tip
6. The Email That Follows
Always send an email within minutes of leaving a voicemail. The combination is 2.15x more effective than either alone.
Subject: Just left you a voicemail
[Name],
Quick voicemail just now — wanted to follow up here too.
I work with [industry] companies in [City] on IT support. Most of the businesses I talk to are either frustrated with their current provider or spending too much on break-fix.
If either sounds familiar, might be worth a quick conversation.
Would you be open to 15 minutes this week?
[Your Name]
[Phone]
Higher reply rate with voicemail + email combo
Source: InsideSales Research
7. When to Stop Leaving Voicemails
After 2-3 voicemails with no response
More than 3 voicemails starts to feel desperate
Switch to email-only for a while
Give them space while staying on their radar
Try calling at different times
Maybe you're always catching them in meetings
Re-engage with trigger event later
New reason to call = fresh start
Key Takeaways
- →80% of calls go to voicemail — master this or waste most of your effort
- →20-30 seconds max — name, why you're calling, value hint, phone number twice
- →Voicemail + email = 2.15x — always send email immediately after
- →Skip first call voicemail — save it for attempt #2 or #3
- →Stop after 2-3 voicemails — more feels desperate, switch to email-only