Is Your Voicemail Costing You Jobs? Ep 109.

Summary

Branded Bull Podcast — Ep 109: Is Your Voicemail Costing You Jobs?

Host: Adam Fullerton
Date: July 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of the Branded Bull Podcast, host Adam Fullerton addresses a crucial yet often overlooked component of small business professionalism: the voicemail and, more broadly, the phone experience for potential customers. Adam explains how every touchpoint influences the perception of your business, and specifically, how something as simple as your voicemail greeting can be the difference between winning or losing a job. He offers actionable tips and challenges listeners to improve their voicemail and phone systems to boost credibility, trust, and win rates.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Voicemail as a Key Touchpoint

• Main Idea: Voicemail isn’t obsolete—in fact, it’s a critical first impression for potential customers who call your business.
• Insight: All marketing efforts (websites, reviews, truck wraps) are designed to drive a call—but that call’s experience can make or break the lead.
• Adam (01:25):
  "It’s about the impression your business makes when a potential customer decides to pick up the phone and call your business."

2. Comparing Phone Experiences: Bad vs Good

• Scenario 1: Unprofessional, vague voicemail (“Hey, you reached Mike…”) that gives no context or reassurance.
• Scenario 2: Clear, professional auto attendant (“Thank you for calling Green Horizon Landscaping…press 1 for new estimate…”) that guides the caller and sets expectations.
• Perception is Key:
  "The difference isn’t the size of the business, it’s the perception...perception matters more than a lot of business owners truly realize." — Adam, (02:45)

3. Your Brand is More than Your Logo

• Every interaction—website, reviews, vehicle wraps, uniforms, invoices, and phone system—shapes your brand.
• Confidence, not just competence, wins jobs:
  "Customers don’t always hire the company that does the best work. They hire the company that feels the most confident." — Adam, (03:50)

4. The Risk of Uncertainty

• Customers don’t mind missed calls, but they dislike uncertainty and lack of information.
• If your voicemail doesn’t reassure them about what happens next, they will likely call your competitor.
• "If they call your business and have no idea when they’re ever going to hear back, there’s a good chance they won’t wait around to find out." — Adam, (05:05)

5. Elements of a Professional Voicemail

• Adam’s Quick Voicemail Checklist:
  • Identify your business by name
  • Thank the caller
  • Specify what information callers should leave
  • Most importantly: Tell them when they’ll hear back
• “That last one is huge. Those details will absolutely make a difference in how you sound and the perception that you’re creating in the minds of that caller.” — Adam, (06:05)

6. Auto Attendants & AI Receptionists

• Auto Attendant: Simple menu-based greeting (press 1 for estimates, etc.) is now affordable and easy for small businesses.
• Branded Bull uses Google Voice auto attendant—$20/month.
• AI Receptionists: Available to answer calls 24/7, answer FAQs, qualify leads, and even schedule appointments.
• Core Principle:
  “The important takeaway is that callers should never feel like they’ve reached a dead end and don’t know what’s next or when they’re going to hear back.” — Adam, (07:45)

7. Audit Your Own Experience

• Adam’s challenge: Call your own business as if you were a first-time customer. Critically listen to your greeting.
  • Is audio clear?
  • Is your business named?
  • Do you set expectations?
  • Is the voicemail box able to accept messages?
• “You’d be surprised how many businesses have a full voicemail box without even realizing it.” — Adam, (08:20)

8. Lead Generation is Only Half the Battle

• Winning business comes down to how you handle every step, not just getting the lead in the first place.
• “Every interaction after that determines whether someone actually becomes a customer or moves on to your competitor.” — Adam, (08:55)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Perception & Professionalism
  “It’s the perception that you can put into the marketplace. And the perception matters more than a lot of business owners truly realize.” — Adam, (02:50)

• Small, Simple Improvements
  “It’s one of the easiest, least expensive improvements you can make and it just might help you win jobs you’re currently losing without even realizing it.” — Adam, (09:00)

• On Modern Phone Tools
  “Even if every option ultimately forwards to your cell phone, you’ve created the perception of an organized professional company.” — Adam, (06:45)

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Action Steps & Recommendations (with Timestamps)

• [06:00] Recap Your Voicemail Script:
  Spend 15–20 minutes improving your voicemail—identify your business, thank the caller, request specific info, and set a clear call-back expectation.

• [07:15] Consider an Auto Attendant:
  Research options (Google Voice, etc., typically $20/month) for a menu-driven, professional call routing.

• [07:45] Explore AI Receptionists:
  Investigate smart systems for 24/7 call answering and even appointment scheduling.

• [08:20] Audit Your Own Number:
  Call your business as a customer, listen, and fix any issues. Make sure your voicemail box isn’t full!

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Closing Thoughts

Adam’s challenge for the week:
Take 15–20 minutes to upgrade your phone and voicemail system. A simple, professional voicemail or even an auto attendant can instantly boost your credibility and help you close more jobs—in many cases, with just a small time or money investment.

Final Quote:
“We want to make sure people are routed to the right people within our company, but also being able to understand that we are professional, we are credible, we are trustworthy and we take our business seriously and we want to look sound and act like a credible business with every interaction that we have with potential customers.” — Adam, (09:15)

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For more on branding, websites, and local SEO, visit brainable.com

Transcript

[A]

Jim Fullerton here with Branded Bull. And if you've been thinking about upgrading your website, now's the time. Through July 31st, we're taking $500 off our proven starter and growth website packages during our dog days of summer promotion. So whether you're looking to build credibility, showcase your services, or generate more qualified leads, a professional website is one of the best investments you can make in your business. To get started, visit Brainable.com and to learn more and sign up today.

[B]

This is the Branded Bull Podcast, a show dedicated to helping take your business to the next level with winning marketing and branding tips and strategies built for today's competitive world. Ready for your business to make its mark and stand out from the competition. Let's get into it.

[A]

Hey everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Branded Bull Podcast. I'm your host, Adam, and this is the show built for lawn care and landscaping businesses who want to stand out, get found, and win more work. Today I want to talk to you guys about something that almost every business owner has but very few ever think about, and that is their voicemail. Or more broadly, the experience someone has when they call your business. Now, before you think nobody leaves voicemails anymore, hear me out. This episode isn't really about voicemail itself.

[B]

It's about.

[A]

It's about the impression your business makes when a potential customer decides to pick up the phone and call your business. So think about it. You've spent time and money building a professional website, getting your Google reviews, wrapping your trucks. You've got a nice logo, maybe you're running some Google Ads, and then someone finally decides to call you, right? That's what everything you're working on is intended to do. Attract more visibility and get someone to look you up and then call you, right? And then bam. What do they hear? Let's imagine you're a homeowner looking to hire a landscaping company. You find two businesses online. The first one doesn't answer, and after several rings you hear, hey, you reached Mike with whichever company, leave a message and that's it. That's all you get. No other information to work off of as a potential customer, nothing else for them to do other than leave a voicemail, no indication you've even called the right number or have the right person. That's assuming that the name of the business is actually mentioned in the voicemail. No expectation of when the customer will hear back or anything like that. Definitely can leave them empty handed. Now, let's say you call a second company and instead of that, you hear thank you for calling Green Horizon Landscaping. We appreciate your call. If you're calling for a new estimate, press 1. If you're existing customer, press 2. If you're calling about billing, press 3, etc. Etc. Otherwise please leave us a message and someone from our team will get back to you within one business day. Which one? Listening to those two examples immediately feels more credible, more trustworthy, more professional, more established. Clearly the second one, and here's the funny part, both companies might actually be one person working out of a pickup truck, right? And the difference isn't the size of the business, it's the perception. We've talked about that before. It's the perception that you can put into the marketplace. And the perception matters more than a lot of business owners truly realize. One thing we've talked about on this podcast over and over is that your brand isn't just your logo, right? Your brand is every interaction someone has with your business. It's your website, it's your Google reviews, it's your trucks, your uniforms, your invoices, your emails, your social media, and yes, your phone system. And every touch point either builds confidence or it can create doubt in the minds of potential customers. And customers don't always hire the company that does the best work. They hire the company that feels the most confident or they feel is the most confident when it comes to who they want to hire to have on their property. And confidence is built through dozens of small touch points or interactions or moments. Like I've said before, a clean website, consistent branding, great reviews, fast communication, professional estimates, and a phone experience that makes someone think these people have their act together. That is huge. And the reality is that most of you listening aren't sitting behind a desk waiting for the phone to ring. You're out mowing lawns, installing patios, meeting with customers, managing your crew, or you're driving between jobs and missing a phone call is completely normal and completely understandable. Customers or potential customers get that. What they don't understand or don't care for is uncertainty. If they call your business and have no idea when they're ever going to hear back, there's a good chance they won't wait around to find out. They're simply going to call the next company on the list of companies on Google or wherever they're looking. And that's not because your work isn't good enough. It's because the next company gave them more confidence, more reassurance. And that again, matters. That's why I think every business owner should spend a few minutes thinking about what happens after they miss a call. At a minimum, your voicemail greeting should identify your business, thank the caller, explain the information they should, you know, leave what you want from them, and most importantly, tell them when they can expect to hear back. That last one is huge. Those details will absolutely make a difference in how you sound and the perception that you're creating in the minds of that caller. Right. It just sounds more organized and absolutely more credible, more trustworthy, more professional. If you want to take it a step further, consider setting up what is called an auto attendant. And years ago, that was something only larger companies used. But today it's affordable and surprisingly easy to implement. And it's actually something that we use here at Brandon Bull. And you can give our number a call anytime and listen to the auto attendant and the different options. So if you're not familiar with that, imagine calling someone, hearing, hey, press one for new estimates, press two for if you're an existing customer, press three for billing. And the list goes on and on. Depends on the number of menu options that you want to set up. But even if every option ultimately forwards to your cell phone, you've created the perception of an organized professional company. And now we have something that didn't exist just a few years ago. AI receptionists. That's another piece of the puzzle. These tools can answer calls 24 hours a day, collect information about customers, projects, answer common questions, qualify leads for you, and even schedule appointments in some cases. And whether you decide to use one or not, the important takeaway is that callers should never feel like they've reached a dead end and don't know what's next or when they're going to hear back. While we're on the topic, another quick reminder here. Call your own business. After this episode, call your own number. Right? Seriously, do it. Listen to your greeting as if you've never heard of your company before. Is the audio clear? Does it mention your business by name? Does it tell the callers what what you expect? And maybe most importantly, is your mailbox actually able to accept messages? You'd be surprised how many businesses have a full voicemail box without even realizing it. Which means people can't actually leave you a voicemail. And that's frustrating from the customer's perspective. And as marketers, we spend so much time talking about generating more leads through branding websites, SEO, ads, social media, referrals. You know, the list goes on and on. Those things are absolutely huge. They absolutely matter. But generating a lead is only half of the battle. Every interaction after that determines whether someone actually becomes a customer or moves on to your competitor. So for this week, my challenge to you guys listening is take 15 minutes, 20 minutes and improve your phone voicemail experience. Record a better greeting, set expectations. Consider an auto attendant. Explore an AI receptionist if that makes sense for your business. It's one of the easiest, least expensive improvements you can make and it just might help you win jobs you're currently losing without even realizing it. And like I said, at Brandable, we use the Google Voice auto attendant. I think it's 20 bucks per month. It's not that much money because at the end of the day we want to make sure people are routed to the right people within our company, but also being able to understand that we are professional, we are credible, we are trustworthy and we take our business seriously and we want to look sound and act like a credible business with every interaction that we have with potential customers. And you guys do that same exact thing for 20 bucks a month. Maybe there's some other auto attendants that offer the service cheaper. Look around, Google it. There's some definitely some great options out there. But that's what I've got for you guys in this week's episode. As always, thank you for listening to the Brandable Podcast. If you found this episode helpful, we'd really appreciate it. If you'd subscribe, leave us a review, share it with another business owner and if you're looking to stand out, get found at. Win more. Work through professional branding, high converting websites, local SEO and professional Google PPC or paid search services. You can always Visit [e-mail] to learn more, see our pricing, see our packages, and more. That's what I've got for you guys on this week's episode. Thanks again for listening and as always, I'll catch you on next week's episode. Take care.

[B]

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Branded Bull Podcast. The podcast dedicated to giving you expert advice and actionable ideas so that your business can make its mark and stand out from the competition like what you heard in today's show. Visit brandedbull.com to see how we can help you achieve your marketing and branding goals. Also, please consider leaving a five star review. And again, thanks for listening.