TLDR: Shorter and more productive calls happen at intentionally random times.
It’s been so long, I basically forgot that I do this.
As a salesperson, I never wanted to be prospecting or cold calling, so it was only natural to look for shortcuts or hacks to being more efficient.
When you’re hitting 100 calls and 100 emails per day, every single day, for an extended period of time, there probably isn’t a single day you’re not wishing there was a better way.
I don’t know the real data on this, but I was taught that people would be more likely to pick up their phones if you called them when they were most likely “in transition.”
Times in transition are essentially:
Early mornings before meetings start
In the last 3-5 minutes of a meeting block
At the beginning or end of lunch
Late in the day, before they shut down/head home
Enter the 3-minute call.
These calls happen at XX:27 or XX:57—in the last 3-5 minutes of a meeting block.
At these moments, people are either prepping for their next meeting or dying to get out of the one they’re in. And the timing forces the call to be short and impactful.
Pleasantries are short, the punchline is immediate, and next steps happen organically as a forcing function to getting to the next call on time.
These are my favorite work calls—not just for prospecting, but for internal ones too.
We live in this Zoom culture now where every meeting starts a few minutes late and ends a few minutes late. So instead of spending a full 33 minutes, try 3.
It’s weird, but it works. You’ll be amazed at how much ground you can cover and how much time you’ll save.
See you Monday.