When people call you, what do they hear if they don’t reach you? OK, so it’s probably a voicemail or other messaging system so they can leave you a message and you can call them back. So let’s assume that’s true, and let’s focus on the message you have that people hear when they call your number.

Many people have a plain vanilla greeting, and often you’re not even sure if you reached a human being or just a machine. “Hi, you’ve reached 555-1212. Leave a message.”

BARF!

Who am I calling, and why should I care enough to leave a message with you?

“Hi, this is Phil. Leave a message. I’ll call you back. Thanks.”

That’s a little bit better. At least I know I called Phil. Does he check his voicemail often? What if this is an emergency? Is there another way to reach Phil?

“Hi, you’ve reached Phil Gerbyshak. I’m not available to take your call right now, however your call is very important to me. If this call is between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm, please feel free to give me a call at work at 414-555-1212. Otherwise, leave your name, number, a brief message, and your favorite 80s rock band after the tone, and I’ll call you back as soon as I can. Thanks for calling. Make it a great day!” Hey, now that’s pretty good. There’s another number to reach me at, I let the caller know they’re important to me, I injected some humor into the situation (favorite 80s rock band, favorite 80s baseball/football/basketball player, you use what works for you), and I closed with energy: “Make it a great day!”

Most people do leave me a message, most laughing by my request for favorite 80s something or other, and then tell me what they need. Then I call them back as soon as I can with the same energy as I have on my voicemail greeting. After all, who wants to talk to someone plain vanilla boring?

Not me!

Energy is another key to your voicemail greeting, so practice having energy.

Reachability – Put some alternative methods of reaching you, and you’ll ensure people leave you a message with the information you need to make it a great day!

Variety matters. Change your voice mail greeting at least once a month. 12 times a year to change your greeting. That’s not so hard, is it?

Include your uniqueness. How many other people can you name who have the same greeting as you? If the answer is more than 1, you’re not being unique enough. Think about this as your signature phrase, where people think of you when they hear it. My friends leave me messages that tell me to make it a great day because I’ve added that as my signature to my voicemail greetings.

What does YOUR voicemail greeting say about you?

I’d love for your feedback on my greeting. Call me anytime at 414.640.7445. If you’re a little more shy, leave your favorite greeting in the comments below.

And don’t worry…My greeting isn’t what’s listed above anymore. I’ve already changed it!

Guy Talk photo credit to CarbonNYC

While I love social media to network online (favorites include LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter), I love even more networking offline. Networking offline allows me to deeped the connections I have, and create more new ones, faster and more effectively.

I’m an extrovert, and I get super energized when I get to hang with others who share their energy with me. I recognize not everyone is that way, but if you’re willing to step beyond your introversion and be a little bit out there, this article can help you network offline.

5 Simple Ways to Network Offline

Attend conferences – Going to a conference is a great way to find people who share an interest with you. Recently, I’ve attended the HDI Annual Conference and connected with almost 2000 passionate, dedicated help desk and service desk professionals. The first weekend of May I’ll be attending SOBCon in Chicago with 150 or so folks who are passionate about online publishing and blogging for business, something I want to learn a LOT more about. Another great type of conference is the “camp style” conference. Check out PhotoCamp Milwaukee for more about these types of conferences.

Send out notes and postcards – Quick questions: How many handwritten notes do you get in your mailbox every day? How about every week? OK, every year? My answer: NOT ENOUGH! I love to get handwritten notes and I’d bet you do too. So how many did you SEND out last week/month/year? I’m guilty too, but I do send a few, and when I do, folks LOVE getting them and they send me a note of thanks back. Send 1 or more this next week, and then make it a habit, or better yet, send one out every DAY and see what happens.

Share a cup of coffee or lunch –  Recently I had a 4 hour layover in Phoenix, and rather than just sit in the airport and be bored, I coordinated a cup of coffee and lunch with my dear friend Pam Thomas (see above picture). We had a great conversation, we deepened our friendship, I still caught my flight, and it didn’t hurt one bit You can do the same thing at work, in your city, or whereever you’re going.

Attend or Organize a Meetup – Send an e-mail, a tweet, or whatever, to some of your friends and connect with them live at a local coffee shop, bar or restaurant. It’s even more fun if you ask your friends to invite one friend so you can meet someone new.

Attend a book or poetry reading or open mic night – Your local bookshop probably brings in authors or has an open mic night. Support an author, meet someone new, and learn something new…all at the same time!

What’s YOUR favorite way to network offline?