A few months back, I contributed a chapter on creating a great voicemail greeting to a fantastic book called Launchpad. It was available in paperback, and from the responses I got from those who read it, they really enjoyed the book.

Today, I am honored to share the book in its entirety, free for you to download. No e-mail address required, just download and enjoy.

Or you can view it in your browser and never download it. Up to you.

Launchpad: Your Career Search Strategy Guide (Volume 1)

Recently I contributed an article to the first volume in a new series of books called Launchpad: Your Career Search Strategy Guide, brought to you by the folks at Career Rocketeer, that can help you:

• Take your career to the next level
• Get started changing careers
• Establish your personal brand
• And much more!

The chapter I contributed is how to use your voicemail greeting to propel you to greatness, and while I know you’ll love that chapter, it’s the other chapters that made me buy 10 copies of Launchpad to give away to folks I present to.

What excited me most was the multitude of experts who contributed to this project. Folks I already know and respect like William Arruda, GL Hoffman, Liz Lynch, Chris Perry and Phil Rosenberg, and many I have quickly become familiar with like William Arruda, Meghan Biro, John Crant, Maria Elena Duron, Hajj Flemings, and Meg Giuseppi, to name just a few.

A collection of talent like this normally would have you invest $20 or $30. For some reason, Launchpad is very reasonably priced at just $8.99.

Full disclosure: I don’t get anything for recommending you this book (not even an affiliate link). I share it with you because I know if you pick up a copy, it will help you improve your life.

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