The short answer
What should I do before a cold call block? Spend about ten minutes: name the nerves, say your opener out loud twice, practice three objections out loud, set the number of dials you will make, remove distractions and start. Afterwards, spend a minute counting dials, conversations and meetings.
The six steps
| Minutes | Step | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name it | Say what you feel before dialing: “this is the Flinch” or “this is me rehearsing again.” Naming the pattern takes the weight out of it. Which one is yours? |
| 2 | Say your opener | Out loud, twice, in your own words: your name and company, then your reason for calling. Not in your head. |
| 4 | Three objections | Pick three from the practice mode. Say your answer out loud in under 15 seconds, then see ours. |
| 1 | Set your number | Write down how many dials you will make in this block. Count dials, not yeses. |
| 1 | Clear the desk | Close the tabs, silence the notifications, open the list and start the timer. |
| 1 | Dial | Make the first call before you decide you are ready. |
Why it works
The first calls of a block are the hardest because everything is cold: your voice, your opener and your nerve. The routine warms each of them up before a real prospect is on the line. It also stops prep from quietly turning into more prep, which is how the Rehearser spends the whole block. Ten minutes is a hard limit, and the last step is a dial.
Get the card
A one-page version with the six steps, the timings and a line for your dial target. Print it and put it next to your phone.
Download the card (dark, for screens)
Download the print-friendly version (white, saves ink)
After the block
Spend one minute writing three numbers: dials, conversations and meetings. That is all. Over two weeks they give you a baseline, and a baseline is how you set a target that fits you. Read how many cold calls a day to see how to use it.
Do the routine before your next block, then open the call-block timer to count your dials.