When you review your list of phone calls you have made to prospective clients, you note these initials, or similar codes, that you wrote beside numerous names every month: HCB (He’ll call back) and SCB (She’ll call back). But do they, without additional prompting from us? Often they do not.

So we wonder, “How can I increase the percentage of prospects who return my initial phone call?” After eight years as an entrepreneur, I have discovered a few strategies that stimulate callbacks. Here are the tips that work best for me, whether I am leaving a voice mail message or talking to the office gatekeeper:

ONE: More than once, state the name of a prominent person who referred you. Open the call, not with your own name (“Hi, I’m Bill Lampton"), but with the referring party’s name: “Harley Smith suggested that you might be interested in hearing about my services.” Then close with, “As I said earlier, our mutual friend Harley Smith prompted me to call you.”

TWO: Mention a specific point you want to talk with them about. “I’ll appreciate the chance to hear your feedback about the bid I sent you last week.”

THREE: Mention how the call will benefit them. “When you return my call, I will explain how my services can improve your company's employee morale and customer service at the same time.”

FOUR: Suggest a specific date/time: “I will be in my office tomorrow morning between 9:00 and 12:00, and I hope you get an opportunity to call me then.” This suggests that a returned call in that span wont initiate long-term telephone tag.

FIVE: Give the recipient the privilege of setting the preferred date/time: “I’m going to give you my E-mail address now. Will you please send me a short message, mentioning what day and time are convenient for us to talk? I will keep my line clear for your return call then.”

SIX: Promise to keep the return call brief: “When you return my call, I promise to take no more than three minutes of your time. You can hang up if I’m not finished by then.”

SEVEN: Confine your message to three or four sentences, even with a receptionist. If the executive assistant or voice mail message identifies you as longwinded, you are less likely to get called back.

EIGHT: Say something that connects you with their organization: “I know your company quite well, because I did an internship there during my years at the university.”

NINE: Give your phone number at the start of your message and again at the end. If the person missed jotting it down the first time, she has a second chance without replaying the message.

TEN: Say, "In case it's better for you to return the call after hours, here is my cell phone number." This doubles your access, and indicates you give service beyond closing time.

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