Oh my God . . . Do you know the panic? Did you ever just finish leaving a message on someone’s voicemail and feel that panic?

Here you are. You just met a girl (or a guy) you like, and now you’re babbling away on their voicemail.

“God, it was SO great to meet you. I really had a good time. I love that pink sweater you were wearing, it was fantastic! Boy did I like that sandwich you were eating. You know, I ordered the roast beef myself because I wasn’t quite sure if the turkey was good today. Oh, and did I tell you that I really like roast beef?”

Have you ever babbled like this on someone’s voicemail, and then the moment you finish you think “Wow, that was an awful message!” You are about to hit the “#” key as this thought crosses your mind.

Then you hear this woman with a chemical-sounding voice that sounds like she’s been drinking or smoking too much pot come on and say, “If you’re satisfied with your message, press 1. If you’re not and want to re-record, press 2. If you want to delete and start over, press 3.”

It was funny. I remember one time when I didn’t press 3 as I intended. I pressed 1 by mistake and a message sent (that I really did not want to be sent!).
When that happened, I remember sweating it out thinking “What am I going to do? That voicemail was terrible!”

So what do you do if that happens to you, or if a voicemail system doesn’t give you the option to erase a voicemail you’ve left? You’ve got to sweat it out. You have no other choice.

The lesson to be learned from this, in a nutshell, is this: When you’re leaving a voicemail message, make it short, sweet and to the point. That way, you’re not babbling.

Just say “Hey, it’s David. It was great meeting you the other day. Call me.” or “I really enjoyed talking to you the other day about [this or that]. Call me. I have something interesting to share with you.” That’s it.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re satisfied with this message press 1 . . .