How to talk to 100 people at once

Let’s say 100 people call you at the same time. How many of them can you speak to at once?

Obviously, only one. That’s why Donald P. Speakman, MSFS, CFP, a 39-year MDRT member from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recommends recording an extended voicemail message during high-volume call times to simultaneously address a large number of concerns.

Times of fear

On September 11, 2001, nearly 100 clients had called Speakman’s office, seeking guidance from him. It was then that Speakman discovered his voicemail system’s ability to record a message up to 10 minutes long. So, with approval from the compliance department, he set up a message explaining why clients did not need to panic about their accounts. His team directed callers to the message and indicated they should call back if they still needed to speak to him; less than 10 percent called back.

“What a blessing that has become. We continue to use it today for what our clients now call the ‘State of the Market’ message, which we update every month,” Speakman said. “Many love to call in and just check and see what my opinion is on the current state of the market. It takes me just five to 10 minutes to record, and then clients feel better after they listen to it each month. Necessity is the mother of invention.”

See other ways MDRT members utilize communication techniques, and hear more in Speakman’s 2017 Annual Meeting Focus Session “How to make millions each year and work just 50 days”

Written by Matt Pais, MDRT Content Specialist