Voice broadcasting, or automated telemarketing, employs a pre-recorded message that is sent to thousands of target telephone numbers. During the recording the listener is given the chance to "press 1" to speak with someone, or to leave a voicemail message. When the listener presses 1 the call is transferred to a live representative or to a voicemail system, depending on the broadcast setup.

In order to obtain the most qualified responses, the savvy broadcaster will include a qualifying message in the pre-recorded script, which will help to reduce the amount of unqualified leads the broadcaster receives. We're often asked how to choose exactly what qualification should be used in the message, and how to craft the statement.

Because the duration of the pre-recorded message is only 45 sec., and probably 10 sec. of that time is taken up with the invitation to "press 1" or "press 2", there is very little time to stress more than a single qualifier. To attempt to do more in such a short time risks confusing the prospect. The best advice we have for picking a single qualifier is for the business person to think about a typical conversation with a new prospect. In such a "first conversation", what is the first thing that you want to find out (qualify) about the prospect? Your own business's answer to that question will usually lead you to the most important qualifier.

Let's take the fictional example of the web design firm "Wonderful Web Widgets" (WWW). The folks at WWW have a special web design deal for $2000. They've learned that a lot of prospects don't want to spend over $1000. So in this case, the qualifier could be the price. Literally, the folks at WWW would like to say "don't call unless you're willing to spend $2000." But of course we're not suggesting that they do!

Their message will describe the benefits of having a website for a business, and probably describe WWW's abilities and experience and happy customers. A great way to insert the negative qualifier in a positive fashion would be to simply state the price, like "for only $2000". Now, for the prospect who doesn't want to spend this much, that is a negative. But for the prospect who knows that a website can easily cost much more, and is willing to pay it, this is an interesting feature. So a statement like this will work to discourage the unqualified from responding, while at the same time, encouraging the qualified.

The more important your main qualifier is in your marketplace, the more you will want to state it in your message. Some broadcasters have found it beneficial to state their qualifier as many as four times in a 45 sec. message. You will learn what works best for your business over time, as you monitor the quality of responses to your voice broadcast campaign.