The power of timing in multichannel
outbound strategies II
A collective article written by +10 Sales Experts about the power of timing in sales, with a focus on calling and the best practices to master this technique.
About the authors
- Sophie Allen — Business Development Director @ Venatrix
- Suraj Gopal — Account Executive @ Measure Marketing
- Matthias Kuhn — Co-Founder @ Converta
- Dario Shehu — Rare Move Consultant @ Foxtons
- Colin Schreier — Founding Enterprise SDR @ Descope
- Conor McMorrow — SDR @ Crono
- Silvia Palumbo — BDR @ Kampaay
- Julius Göllner — Co-Founder & Managing Director @ ARRtist
- Chiara Piantini — SDR @ ShippyPro
- Gaëtan Montagud – Founding SDR Team – Account Executive @ Zeliq
- Vittoria Reverberi — SMB Sales Manager @ Unobravo
Why this article
In this guide, we’ve gathered the tips and expertise of +10 salespeople across the globe to explore the power of timing in multichannel strategies with a focus on calls.
In a world full of AI content, phone calls are still one of the most underestimated yet powerful tools for salespeople. Picking up the phone allows you to add your personal touch to the conversation and keep it real with prospects.
Placing your calls at different stages of the funnel or at different times of the day, are factors that change the outcome.
So, once you’ve discovered the best practices on how to handle conversations, you might want to know when you’re supposed to have them.
The best calling habits
Sales is a job of perseverance but it’s also about building strong and healthy habits to make your everyday efforts profitable and effective.
Here are the statistics about the cold calling frequency per week: one thing, is sure, none of these experts is underestimating the role of calling in sales strategies. What about you?
When to place your calls
Planning the calls at the very beginning or towards the end of strategies radically changes the outcome of your conversations.
The market habits also influence the timing and while some of our experts prefer taking time to know the prospects better before calling, others jump on the phone to establish a more direct connection.
We’ve asked our experts when and how they place their calls:
Click the toggle menu below to learn how and when our sales experts place their calls.
In my opinion, the most effective strategy is to send an email before making a phone call. This approach provides a written reference point to which I can refer during the conversation. If I’m fortunate, the prospect may have already read the email and be familiar with the topics at hand when I call.
In the worst-case scenario, the email still serves as a useful starting point for the discussion. This method not only prepares the prospect for the call but also enhances the chances of a more focused and productive conversation.
Phone calls with a purpose are the difference makers when it comes to getting results.
You’re calling personas at the beginning of a strategy because they fit your ICP and their company has a need; you’re calling in the middle to check on the efficacy of your outreach and incite a conversation based on their opinions and answers to your queries.
You’re calling at the end to elicit a little more context and perspective around necessary acquisitions and realistic timeframes.
Timing is everything, but you have to be responsible, deliberate, and diligent in your questions during the process.
I think being a familiar name on a cold call can be a huge help.
I open 9/10 of my cold calls with “This is Conor calling from Crono, does that name sound familiar by any chance?” sometimes they’ve seen my email or LinkedIn request, so it’s more relaxed instantly. So for me, outreach before a call gives me more confidence.
It can also be used as an objection handler… if they hit you with “Please send me an email with some more info..” — you can reply “I actually already sent an email, but I received no reply, so decided to pick up the phone..”
You need to be aware that people have a life and they usually work normal hours, set appointments with them to follow up and on average from my personal experience people answer between 11:30 to 13;00 and 17:00 to 18:00.
Calling is always a strategy for closing new business and I believe you should always ask the client when they are free for a quick call.
Empathy and Energy can be transferred only via phone calls/face-to-face or video calls. Emails and text messages are good for keeping the lead hot and sending relative information but the close happens on the phone.
It all depends on the market you’re prospecting in, and you don’t include a cold call at the same point in the sales funnel depending on the country.
In the majority of cases, the call should be made at the end of the prospecting funnel in order to gather feedback on the various exchanges (Email / LinkedIn) and to include the important elements of the business that have been exchanged previously.
The call at the end of the process is also an opportunity to carry out a pre-qualification to ensure that you can add value during an AE meeting.
People’s anxiety decreases as things become more familiar.
Establishing written touch points via Email or LinkedIn can help reduce the risk of resistance on the phone later.
When calling, timing is absolutely critical. It can make the difference between catching a prospect at their busiest time, when they’re dealing with two crying children, or when they are most receptive, relaxed and open.
Understanding their schedule and preferred times to communicate can greatly increase the chances of making a successful connection and moving a deal forward.
I prefer to send an email first with some context and call the next day.
If it’s relevant to them, they will likely talk to you and if not, you immediately know and can move on.
In my opinion, timing is important because I find a phone call more productive right after an email, a LinkedIn message or something written to refer to during the conversation, but far more effective is consistency.
It is crucial to be patient and find the right time for the prospect to pay attention to what you are saying and talk a little bit.
I think that the prospect’s timing dictates everything… so the more calls you make, the more likely you are to catch them with the right problem at the right time.
Phone calls are a tool for engagement and they need to be used differently depending on where the prospect is at in a sales funnel.
Sometimes, sending out emails and waiting for a reply can lead nowhere, but picking up the phone and calling them will at least get you a yes or no.
And likewise, once the prospect is familiar with our services, then you use phone calls as a tool to follow up and get their thoughts.
For me, it’s important how the salesperson sets their sequence and then it’s important the timing of the single stage.
We could say that there are two different timing to consider, one related to the sequence scheme and the other to the single touchpoint.
In my experience, I introduce myself with an email to break the ice (always personal email, not a common one without any info), so the call is the second step and usually takes into consideration the part of the day that gives you more chance to succeed.
Generally, we’re talking about the morning and the late afternoon. When a buyer is full of stuff and can’t answer, it’s really important to finish the first short call with a slot to find them and be sure to be able to have a conversation.
Don't stress the prospect
We know how full are the inboxes of our prospects, we constantly get messages on LinkedIn, not to mention the phone calls…
So, in a multichannel strategy, how do you coordinate the timing of calls with other outreach efforts to maximize impact without overwhelming the prospect?
My experience has taught me the importance of integrating phone calls with other types of contact, such as emails and LinkedIn messages.
I believe it’s crucial to maintain a certain amount of time between phone calls to avoid creating a ‘call centre’ effect, which can feel overwhelming to prospects.
However, it’s equally important not to allow so much time to pass that the prospect forgets our previous interactions.
Keeping this balance ensures that each touchpoint reinforces the others, building a coherent and effective communication strategy that respects the prospect’s time and keeps them engaged without feeling pressured.
The tactic is to bother without being bothersome.
Outreach is a numbers game, but you need to be intelligent and deliberate about how many times and in how many ways you try to connect.
I use Mike Gallardo’s strategy layout – I reach out on all channels on the same day, with 2-day breaks in between.
My other strategy is more call-focused, with a 2-day break in the middle just for calls and finishing the strategy with 2 calls.
Call them every 2 days, people respect your proactivity.
If they don’t reply – I schedule it back for one week and follow up with emails.
The important thing in prospecting is not to overwhelm the prospect with too many contacts/information to avoid failing in your prospecting.
Ideally one should organise multi-channel prospecting over a period of 5 to 10 days maximum for key accounts and 3 to 5 days for SMBs.
Of course, it all depends on the seniority of the prospect and the impact of their decision in the sales process.
From my point of view, it depends a lot on the market you are operating in, your ICPs and buying persona.
While a buyer in a US tech company won’t have a problem with 20 calls and written touchpoints within 2 weeks, a conservative persona within a German industry champion will maybe blacklist or even report you to his lawyer after the 5th touchpoint already (excuse the exaggeration).
Therefore it highly depends. Understand your personas and create a multichannel cadence that fits your prospects.
Email first and call one day later to be top of mind still.
Try 1x this day and 1x the next day and if they don’t answer your call, move on with the next step in your cadence.
I usually combine emails, calls and LinkedIn requests with brief messages to try every possible channel to reach the prospect with 2/3 days between steps.
Then, when I succeed in connecting with prospects I tend to let them the ownership of recall timing as much as possible, to find the “right” time to have a 5-minute talk without being overwhelming.
I mainly use calling and LinkedIn.
Usually 5 attempts on each – staggered over a 2-week period. And then once every 6-weeks if I believe they are a hot prospect.
Again, this boils down to your target industry and customer persona.
It’s way easier for me to get a reply via phone call if I’m targeting a small studio owner or an SMB as opposed to a CMO of a multi-million dollar company.
So it’s either a phone call first or an email first, and then follow up every 2 to 3 days for a couple of weeks, and then decide to move on if I still don’t get an answer or reply.
And my follow-ups are usually a mix between emails, calls, and voicemails.
I think 2-3 days are the best strategy to recall a prospect or, I f you have an active sequence, you can follow it.
When I take a second phone call and the person doesn’t show, I write an email the same day offering new slots which could be a good fit to reschedule.
Mind the clock
Have you noticed any trends or patterns in terms of when prospects are more receptive to cold calls? If so, how do you use this information in your approach?
I think that trends and patterns in terms of reception to cold calls may vary by industry, job role, and even individual preference.
If during a call a prospect mentions a time that’s better for them, I make a note of it, in order to personalize future communications and show respect for their schedule.
That’s my advice: call your 80% personas in the morning and your 20% personas in the afternoon.
I read that catching people on either side of the hour, when they might be coming in and out of meetings works best. Eg. (9:45-10:15)
Overall, I believe there is no such thing as a good time to cold call!
Be personable, just be yourself and tell them why you are calling.
Avoid saying – ‘just one second’.
They are humans, ask open-ended questions and let them tell you their problems. People are receptive to people and not to robots.
I always tell the SDRs I meet or train that it’s important to have fun when prospecting, to see it as a game and to take a cue from others in your approach.
In all markets, what works a lot is voice/video directly on LinkedIn. At Zeliq, we have a 70% response rate using this approach.
Preparation, Personalization and Polite power.
Do your homework and gather information about your prospect so you know who you are talking to and what they are doing.
Use the collected information to trigger and approach with a personal twist.
Be calm and polite, but also energetic and powerful. People love to follow and be inspired by inspirational personalities.
If any of you find or know an effective trend or pattern, please get in touch with me, I’m all ears!
Because the only pattern I discovered is that every one of us is different and in need of a unique and custom approach, also when it comes to timing.
The bad news is that you can’t understand if you are doing it right until you reach that precise person, the good one is that you can be consistent, try different moments of the day, log all the activities and then look at the statistics collected.
Therefore, in my opinion, the best timing is the one that allows you to be consistent and say at the end of the process “I did everything I could”.
From my experience, Fridays seem to be a day when people are in a good mood and ready to book things into their calendars for the next week.
I find that prospects usually appreciate it if you’re just honest and genuine.
I let them know that this is a cold call and I’ll take no more than 45 seconds to tell them why I called, and if it makes sense we can continue the conversation.
Always be empathetic, you have to break the ice and the people can feel it even if it’s a phone call.
Smile and be true, and if you know something about that person well, that could be a good starting point (like ‘I saw on LinkedIn that your company reached this goal, congratulations’).
Immediately go to the point of the call, people don’t like to waste time, and always let them speak to collect more info you can to reply and win the call.
Handling the first 5 seconds
Science says that, to fall in love, humans only need 7 seconds but for a salesperson, that is reduced to 5 seconds. Grabbing the prospect’s attention is crucial and we’ve asked our PRO how they manage the very first part of each call.
It’s important to speak clearly and confidently, keeping the tone of the conversation friendly and respectful.
I always start by stating my full name and my company name; after that, I state the purpose of my call being direct and concise about why I am calling.
Then I turn the focus to the prospect with an engaging question, to invite them to participate in the conversation.
With a boisterous yet volume-appropriate greeting and tone-setting query.
“Hey X – this is Conor calling from Crono, does that name sound familiar by any chance?”
More often than not I get a laugh and/or apology here, “No I can’t say it does, sorry!” and I’m convinced that plays a part in them staying on the phone, it’s as if they feel they owe me something for not recognising my name.
High energy and enthusiasm. Smile when you dial.
That’s the secret.
Just be yourself, have fun and give the prospect the direct reason for your call without mentioning any inconvenience.
When you’re sure that your product or service can bring added value to the prospect, there’s no need to apologise for the inconvenience.
Above all, self-confidence is the most important thing, and you’ll feel it in the first few seconds.
“Hey X, this is Julius from ARRtist. I’d like to explain to you in 38 seconds how a visit to the ARRtist Summit will secure your / (company name) next funding round. (Power Pause)”
This usually provides 2 potential triggers to continue the conversation.
The value trigger, which shows direct potential for the prospect, and the curiosity trigger, which usually makes people smile (“Why 38 seconds?” “Please continue, I’m counting”).
Ask if they have a (very) short moment for you.
Once you’ve passed this yes, they’re receptive to your message.
Well, first of all, I use a calm voice to introduce myself and I ask if it is a good moment.
It is important to always use positive sentences and not to ask something like “Am I disturbing you?”, because “disturb” surely will become the focus in the prospect’s mind.
Then I explain the reason why I am calling very shortly, in about 30 seconds, and I ask tthemif they have 1 or 2 minutes to talk a little.
At that moment, I try to ask as many questions I can and listen carefully, to collect information for the following meeting.
Using a slow pace, lots of energy and power pauses.
I use ‘the reason for the call’ opener vs. permission-based.
Quickly introduce myself, be honest and let them know that this is a cold call and I’ll take no more than 45 seconds to tell them why I called and if it makes sense we can continue the convo.
Smile and find a good starting point (personal, linked to the company/the email you sent before), be positive but at the same time be confident with a calm and reassuring tone of voice.
That’s all for now, if you’ve found this content useful, don’t forget to share it!
