Make Your Voicemail Greeting More Memorable

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." 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 bank 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 bank, favorite 80s baseball/football/basketball player, you use what works for you), and I closed with energy: "Make it a great day!" I'll tell you, 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 the key to your voicemail greeting, so practice having energy. 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 is also nice. Change your voicmail greeting at least once a month. 12 times a year to change your greeting. That's not so hard, is it?

Last thing is 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 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 all my voicemail greeting. Feel free to share yours with me by calling 414.640.7445 anytime. Don't be surprised if I actually answer the phone though!

Phil Gerbyshak leads a team of IT help desk professionals in Milwaukee, WI, and finds that sharing his knowledge is a crucial component in his success as a leader and as a person. Phil's personal philosophy is paraphrased from Tim Sanders' fantastic book Love is the Killer App: "Share your knowledge, your network, and your love. The rest will follow." For more musings by Phil, please go to http://makeitgreat.blogspot.com.

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How to Shop For Airline Deals

Travel deals have taken a sharp turn on the World Wide Web; so many sites and so many promises to find you the best deal. Where do you go and where do you start?

If you are on a small budget and price is your main concern, start with the airport of your departure city or your destination. Find out what airlines serve your route and how often they fly; some of the smaller and new airlines may not be found in the big name travel sites search engines. Some airlines offer deep discounts to enter a new route- discounts as low as $29 one way were found on popular routes in the US. Most airports in the US and around the world have websites and links to the airlines they host. As you should with any other airline, request and search for information about the services and the reliability of these smaller and new airlines- this kind of information can usually be found on the internet or at the airport these airlines serve.

More often than not you can find the best deal trough the latter. However, if that doesnt work for you try the big name travel websites first. Usually the big name sites strike the best deals with the airlines, thus offer the best prices. Most travel sites offer many advanced options that can help you find airfares at low prices and shorter flights. The more flexible you are the more power to you; flexibility in the time and date of travel and the route you take may land you a great deal. Flying from an alternative airport can also save you big, but remember to include the cost of travel to that airport- it may not be such a good deal after all.

In recent years a new breed of travel websites has appeared. These new websites let you search dozens of popular travel websites at once. This also maybe an option available for you to deal-hunt and find bargains. However, these sites may not provide you with the most up to date travel deals, because airlines change their fares frequently due to different travel events and demand for travel.

Remember that most travel websites charge a fee added to your airfare. This fee is usually small, but to avoid paying it, you can take your best search result from the travel site and enter it at the airline website with the exact times and dates and you maybe be surprised to find an even lower fare.

Have a safe trip at the best deal.

This travel tip has been written by Abdel Elkeurti and was brought to you by http://www.nestsites.com

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