“Hi, you’ve reached… Leave a message.”
80% of the time, sales reps hear this when they make a call.
And most of those calls won’t be returned.
How can you turn this around?
According to InsideSales, a clever voicemail script can increase your cold callbacks by up to 22%.
So, don’t waste any more time - we’re sharing 10 cold calling voicemail scripts that get responses 👇
If you can’t get through to a sales prospect, don’t be scared to leave a voicemail.
A good voicemail message can increase your chances of getting a callback and creating a connection. After all, leaving a voicemail is standard practice in B2B sales, as it often takes 5 or 6 phone calls to either reach a prospect or stop contacting them.
But how to leave a voicemail that entices rather than annoys prospective customers?
By using a voicemail script, of course! We’ve got 10 to share for more effective cold calls:
One of the best voicemails you can leave is to offer a solution to a pain point your buyer might be experiencing.
Worst case scenario, they won’t be experiencing the issue you’ve mentioned, but they might be intrigued enough to call you back for more information.
If your contact data isn’t up to scratch, even the best voicemail script will fall flat.
Here’s how to build a clean, accurate prospecting list with your SDR team.
Similar to an effective sales cadence, mentioning how you’ve helped a company in the same field as your buyer can be a good addition to your cold calling voicemail scripts.
Want to level up your personalisation with precision?
Our email prospecting playbook dives deep into the relevance formula, just as useful in voicemails as it is in emails.
Another good voicemail idea is to mention the name of another employee at your prospect’s company.
Even if you haven’t spoken with them, this will get you past any gatekeepers and allow you to start a conversation with your leads and prospects.
This voicemail message sample is a great one to use in conjunction with inbound marketing.
By asking for feedback on your content, you can also start a conversation about what content they might find helpful while learning more about their needs.
Confidence is everything, whether you’re trying to handle objections or convert a lead. It’s no different when it comes to leaving a cold calling voicemail.
With this voicemail script, your job is to convey enough confidence that your prospect thinks you’ve spoken before, and they valued what you had to say.
When following any script for a sales call, it’s important to get to the point and not waste too much of your prospects’ time.
The same can be said for voicemail scripts. The shorter the script, the better your chances of getting a callback.
Another good voicemail script example is to avoid elaborating on why you’re calling. Rather, mention that it’s regarding a service or product you offer.
For example:
You’re calling about their bookkeeping, if you offer software that makes accounting easier.
If you’re wondering how to leave a professional voicemail when prospecting, just be polite. Introduce yourself and who you work for, and mention why you’re calling.
Plus, sharing how you’ve helped another company is always gold when cold calling.
Referrals are great for getting a response from prospects; it’s another good voicemail message to leave.
Some of the best cold calling voicemail scripts convey a sense of urgency.
This way, your customers feel they’ll miss out if they don’t return your call before a certain time. You can mention a deal you’re running and put a limit on it.
For example:
At Cognism, we could say that we’re offering 25 free leads, but the offer ends that week. This could encourage a callback.
While leaving a cold calling voicemail seems easy enough, there are a number of things you absolutely shouldn’t do if you want to get a callback.
For starters:
It’s okay to mention who you work for and why you’re calling, but the moment you start selling, your prospect will stop listening and press #5 for delete.
Here’s an example of a voicemail message that’s too sales-focused:
Let’s not even get into how this example is all about the business doing the calling and doesn’t include the buyer or their interests whatsoever.
Another faux pas you might notice in the voicemail script example above is that the salesperson never mentioned the prospect’s name. This can make a call sound generic.
You don’t want to sound like you’re following a cold calling script, even if you are!
It makes it appear as though you’re calling 100 people and saying the exact same thing to every one of them.
Bottom line is:
If you want to get a callback, make it personal.
What’s best practice regarding cold calling voicemail length?
Try to keep your message under 10 or 20 seconds.
The moment you go over 20 seconds is the moment you lose the sale.
Keeping it cool, calm and collected is key for an SDR.
But when you’re trying to get someone to call you back, the worst thing you can say is, “Call me back whenever you can. It’s not urgent.”
With that frame of mind, they might never call you back. Instead, instil a sense of urgency.
You don’t need to make your cold calling voicemail script sound like it’s life or death, but a simple “this deal only lasts until Wednesday” or stating that you’ll only be available until a certain time hints that time is of the essence.
Following a voicemail message script can be helpful, but you’ll need to practice your tone, too.
Coming across as cold or bored doesn’t encourage a response, while being warm, open and friendly does.
You can follow any of the voicemail ideas listed above, but if you rush through your contact number, your chances of getting a response drop drastically.
So read it out slowly, calmly, and clearly.
While leaving the best message for voicemail can increase your chances of getting a callback, the number of times you leave a message matters too.
In fact, you’ll have a better chance of getting a response from a prospect if you leave at least 3 voicemails.
Here’s an infographic explaining the cold calling statistics:
Want to know if your data provider is holding you back?
Here’s how to evaluate for data quality and coverage and avoid wasting dials on dead ends.
Hot off the press!
If you hadn’t heard, Apple’s iOS 26 rollout has landed.
With it, cold callers face a new challenge: smarter call screening and real-time voicemail transcription that filters out irrelevant outreach.
But for reps who lead with value and relevance, it’s not a barrier - it’s an opportunity to rise above the noise.
Here’s how the update works, what it means for your outbound strategy, and how top-performing reps are adapting.
These are Apple’s new call screening features:
Live voicemail: Sends unknown callers straight to voicemail with real-time transcription. Recipients can choose to pick up mid-message.
Silence unknown callers: Enhances Apple’s feature that prevents unsaved numbers from ringing.
Caller ID emphasis: Prioritises known numbers visually, making unknown/spam calls more skippable.
Message filtering: Unknown text messages get pushed into a separate inbox, further reducing visibility.
Privacy-first transcription: All transcription is local and fast, encouraging quick judgement calls by the user.
The impact on sales is:
More calls will be silently screened or dismissed, especially bad or irrelevant ones.
Start with relevance, not your name or company.
Example:
Warm the prospect up with a LinkedIn message or email before calling.
This builds familiarity, making your number more recognisable and your message more credible.
Ensure your number isn’t marked as spam:
Use compliant dialers (STIR/SHAKEN standards).
Monitor number reputation and rotate numbers if flagged.
Use branded caller ID if available (e.g. show “Cognism Ltd” instead of a number).
Call with a buying signal: job changes, hiring sprees, funding rounds, tool stack changes.
Ties the message to real business context, which makes it more relevant.
Focus on voicemail script reviews, callback rates, and multi-channel response patterns.
Run call opener workshops; analyse what hooks get callbacks or replies.
Apple’s update filters bad outreach, not all outreach.
For sales reps who personalise, time their outreach well, and lead with value, this update is a chance to stand out.
A voicemail message script will do wonders for meeting your quota, but what happens when you get past one challenge only to meet another?
If you want to meet your sales goals, you have to get to the right person right away.
Check out Cognism - we give you up-to-date, quality data for the companies and decision-makers who matter 👇