That major challenge would be the answering machine that you have no choice but to speak to more often than not.

In this day and age everybody has caller identification and voice mail, so it is very easy for people to screen their phone calls if they don't recognize a phone number or company name that shows up on their caller identification.

I can't say I blame them. I do the same thing from time to time.

For starters, any time you are calling a customer to sell them a mortgage you need to be prepared with details of certain products you have to offer that you believe will fit your customer's needs.

You also need to be prepared just in case the answering machine kicks in, and undoubtedly it will.

If you must leave a message the last thing you want to do is allow for the disappointment of not getting a live person to show up in the inflection of your voice.

Just leaving your name, the company you work for, and a telephone number will never work. This type of message will be deleted nine times out of ten.

What you want to do is this .. .

Be upbeat, smile, it will show up in your voice. Not only give them your name and company details, let them know that you have already researched some company products that you believe will meet their needs and that you have some rates that you believe they would be interested in.

Let them know the importance and urgency of calling you back. You want to peak their interest, make them curious about what it is you have to offer and I guarantee that they will call you back.

Please understand, the idea is not to leave a long drawn out message that will bore your customer to the point of deleting your message.

The idea is to keep it short and simple, get to the point but make sure you get your message across in clear and easy to understand terms. Avoid mortgage jargon.

So the next time you are making sales calls be sure to keep this in mind. Leaving the right message is a very important part of today's phone sales.

If you incorporate this simple step into your phone sales, I can guarantee an increase in your applications.