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Last month, I tried something that felt almost sacrilegious in outbound sales.

I completely ditched call targets for our SDR team.

Instead of the "make X calls per day" mandate, I gave them just one metric:

"have 20 meaningful conversations this week"

That's it. No minimum dials. No activity quotas.

The results were interesting.

Some reps needed 400+ calls a week to hit their conversation targets.

Others consistently got there in less than 200 calls.

The difference had nothing to do with talent, it was about approach.

So.. what separated the efficient callers from the volume players?

Let’s dive in.

1. Call Outside “Rush Hour”

Our highest connect rates happen before 9am and after 5pm. Most CXOs are in back-back meetings throughout the day. Mornings and evenings are when they’re in commute and more likely to answer their cell.

2. Copy What Works

The best new hires imitate, then iterate. Listen to recordings from top reps and shadow them as they make calls. Then mirror the process for how they prospect, when they call, who they call and what they say.

3. Build a "Good Numbers" List

Next time you call someone and reach their voicemail, write that name down — you got the correct number. Little things like this add up. Combine voicemail tracking with stealing prospect cell number from their email signatures and a follow-up list of previous conversations. You don’t have to over-engineer it.

4. Multi-Channel Coordination

The highest conversion rates come from synchronized outreach. If you send emails before making calls it can dramatically increase pickup rates. Our best reps coordinate LinkedIn engagement, email, and calls in precise sequences rather than random touchpoints.

5. Rotate Your Numbers

If you’re using a sales engagement platform or auto-dialer, it’s possible your number will get tagged as “SPAM”. Call yourself to make sure this isn’t happening to you. Using different numbers keeps your outreach fresh and increases the chances of connecting with hard-to-reach prospects.

When we stopped measuring calls and started measuring conversations, reps stopped asking "how can I hit my call quota?" and started asking "how can I get someone to actually speak with me?"

And yes, I audited the calls to make sure the connects were legit.

Don't just count the calls. Make the calls count.

Until next Thursday,

TSG

P.S. I reply to all emails.