My colleagues and I have been doing a lot of interviewing and hiring lately. Our organization’s recent expansion has blessed me with some excellent opportunities to meet with and learn from many current and prospective technical sales professionals. It has also enabled me to develop relationships with new individuals in my own organization to discuss partnerships, opportunities to help our customers run their businesses, and our overall strategy. The networking has been energizing, but it has also exposed me to what I believe has become a professional epidemic. Yes, I am referring to the dreaded default voice mail greeting. I have found that many are not using a professional voice mail greeting on their mobile phones and opting instead to use the default provided by their carrier.

Now, before I am dismissed as a middle aged curmudgeon entrenched in the 20th century, let me explain why this matters. In this age of relentless advice on personal branding via social media, personalized & individualized service, and the competitive nature of our business, it surprises me that so many are ignoring the most basic means of identifying themselves to those who reach out to them. Let me provide a few illustrations. Imagine that I as a hiring manager am calling to offer someone a second interview or even a position. When I call I receive the default “555-555-5555 is not available” voice mail greeting. Am I likely to provide a personalized, detailed voice message to the candidate or a tepid “this call is for John Doe, please call me back”? Likely the latter because I am not even sure if I have called the person whom I intended. Similarly, imagine that a customer is calling to provide details that could result in a significant new opportunity. The customer was calling looking for someone who would pay detailed attention to their unique needs, but the person whom they called does not even pay attention to a simple detail such as identifying themselves, their company, etc. in their voice mail greeting. Come to think of it, I see a similar loss of professionalism with some who merely answer their phone “hello”, rather than identifying themselves, but that may fit more into a different discussion on the overall disappearance of verbal social graces. That discussion would include how “no problem” has replaced “you’re welcome” and “may I please have a Monte Cristo sandwich?” has been replaced with “I’ll do the Monte Cristo sandwich”. But I digress…or maybe I am turning into Andy Rooney.

My point is, an unprofessional voice mail greeting negatively alters the tone of the conversation long before the real conversation even begins. Small details like this matter. Having a professional looking photograph on your LinkedIn profile matters. Being on time matters. Putting your contact information in your e-mail signature matters. Having a readily available resume that is updated at least quarterly matters. Smiling and looking people in the eye matters. Wearing a watch rather than relying on your mobile phone for the time of day matters. (If you disagree with this last point, ask yourself what goes through your mind when the person to whom you are talking looks at their phone. If your answer is “they are checking text messages/e-mail/Facebook/the stock market” then you have made my point. Checking a phone says “I am not interested in you” while a subtle glance at a wristwatch says “I am a professional aware of the value of time”.)

American hip hop artist and entrepreneur Jay-Z has a lyric that rolls, “I’m not a businessman, I AM a business, man”. It has become a bit of a cliche, but I find it to be a position worth emulating in regard to one’s professional image. When customers, colleagues, recruiters, or anyone reaches out, there is an opportunity to differentiate oneself. And in a competitive marketplace, nothing matters more than differentiation. Ask yourself, are you truly representing yourself? Are YOU a business, man?