When Should You Make Your Calls?

Salespeople have all kinds of superstitions around when they should make certain kinds of calls.

Some salespeople refuse to make cold calls on Monday. This group believes that the last thing anyone wants is a call from a salesperson first thing out of the gate Monday morning. Others believe that Mondays are the very best possible day to make their calls. They believe that people that want to get things done take those calls so they can schedule an appointment to take care of something important.

Some salespeople believe that Monday is the very best day to call you existing clients. The logic here is that you can ask them about their upcoming week. Others believe that Friday is the best day to call your existing clients, after their clients have completed their tasks for the week and created some breathing room.

Who’s right and who’s wrong?

The Arrogance of Reading Minds

The truth of the matter is that no one knows the best time to call. How could you?

Some of your dream clients might have a project you could help with staring them in the face on Monday morning. Your call might be just what they need. Or they might be so overwhelmed that sound of their phone ringing is enough to put them in what we might call “an un-resourceful state.”

It’s a certain kind of arrogance to believe you can read your dream client’s mind. You can’t. And as soon as you start to generalize about a giant, diverse group of people, you are automatically wrong. Each individual contact is dealing with their own life, they have their own agenda, and they have their communication preferences. There is no way you can know their minds, and it’s a waste of time to try.

I think the fuss over when to make the calls should be replaced with a focus on a more important issue, namely: “Are you prepared to create value for your dream client when you do call?” If the reason you are calling is so you can share your ideas about how your dream client can increase their revenue, decrease their costs, improve their profitability, or somehow make a difference for their business results, it doesn’t matter when you call.

Your odds of success are improved by the content of your call more than they are by the day you choose to make it.

Making Calls Now is Better Than Making Calls Later

That said, I do have another strong opinion: making calls right now is better than making calls later.

The sooner you make the client to your dream client, the sooner you begin to open the relationships that open opportunities. Even if you fail to gain an appointment, you have begun developing a relationship, and you have begun to establish your strong desire to work with and make a difference for your dream client. The only thing that waiting does is postpone the opening of that relationship.

The same is true when calling your existing clients. You should call anytime you have something valuable to share with your clients. If that’s a Monday, so be it.

Let this be your guide: Calls made are better than calls unmade. Calls made sooner are better than calls made later. Calls about something valuable are better than calls that waste time.