It’s common knowledge that there are different types of SDRs.
Some are best at writing cold emails. Some are best at social selling on LinkedIn. Others are incredible at booking meetings over the phone.
And if you like to hit the phone, this cadence is for you!
Scroll 👇 to get a full breakdown of the cadence, plus lots of B2B sales tips.
What are the advantages of a dialler heavy cadence?
This dialler heavy cadence came from Brad Norgate, Enterprise SDR at Cognism. He books the majority of his meetings over the phone.
We asked him about the benefits of using a dialler heavy cadence:
“As an SDR, you have to play to your strengths. A phone-first cadence enables SDRs who are strongest on the phone to spend their time effectively. The cadence also includes some automated emails, aimed at those prospects who don’t pick up.”
“The cadence also gets SDRs on the phone as quickly as possible. Outbound sales is a numbers game - the more conversations you have, the greater the number of meetings you’ll book. It’s as simple as that!”
Rachel Goldstone, Commercial SDR Manager, told us that:
“This cadence is great for new SDRs. I don’t want them to be spending lots of time writing emails when they have no pipeline. They can develop that skill a few months down the line.”
“This allows them to practice talking about the products and objection handling. It’s about being on the phone, learning those skills, and not being afraid of rejection.”
Cadence results
Cognism’s SDRs have booked 42 meetings in the last 2 months from using this cadence.
The reason for this?
The cadence’s dial-heavy approach allows them to have more conversations with prospects.
As Brad identified, more conversations = more meetings!
Dialler heavy cadence timeline
See all the steps in the cadence with this handy infographic 👇
Cadence breakdown
Now let’s get into the cadence itself 👇
Day 1 - LinkedIn connection request, phone call and email
- Calls - 1866
- Answers - 18%
Here’s the LinkedIn message that Brad uses:
Hi (first name),
I’d be curious to know if you're open to new tech that would accelerate (company name)'s business development process?
If you're looking to acquire more clients, I’d be interested to chat. If not, I’m happy just to connect.
Best,
And here’s the email:
Hi (first name),
Speaking with revenue leaders like yourself, most share if their teams had more conversations with key prospects they'd exceed targets. What are you doing to maximise these discussions?
Not much of an email writer myself (you may have seen I dropped you a line earlier). Would the power diallers in your team, benefit from having access to the largest global B2B data asset, with human-verified mobiles exceed those targets?
Hoping to catch you on the phone soon!
Why send a connection request, cold call a prospect and send them an email…all in one day?
It helps to get traction on Day 1, maximising your chances of a response.
This process is called the triple touch and increases your visibility.
Brad explains:
“Assuming they haven’t picked up the phone, they’re going to see a missed call, connection request and an email. You’re hyper-visible. They’re going to be like, who is this guy? Brad from Cognism is trying to get in touch with me!”
Day 4 - Phone call
- Calls - 785
- Answers - 11%
What every SDR wants to know is…
How do I get people to stay on the phone so I can book a meeting?
Josh Braun, Founder of Josh Braun Sales Training, has some thoughts to share about this:
“Oddly enough, when your intent is to assume that everyone you call is a fit for what you’re selling, that they’ll drop everything and book a meeting with you…”
“You end up saying things that come across as manipulative.”
This is all about not sounding too ‘salesy’ on a call. Josh has an idea for what you should do instead:
“Don’t be attached to the outcome. If you’re a little indifferent to what happens on the call, you sound and feel less manipulative.”
“This is more inviting to people, so they open up a little more and are more motivated to listen to what you have to say. This isn’t a quick tactic to get what you want, to be effective you need a detached mindset.”
Press ▶️ to find out more.
Day 5 - Phone call
- Calls - 515
- Answers - 4.3%
What’s the biggest mistake that SDRs make with discovery?
Brad said:
“A lot of salespeople ask seven questions that could have been answered in one open-ended question.”
He explained further:
“A great open-ended question provides you with enough detail to ask a relevant follow-up. This gets you much closer to understanding your prospects' needs. You’re able to get better information in a smaller timeframe.”
“If all you do is ask loads of closed questions, then your cold call ends up becoming a checklist. It’s about actually engaging in a conversation with your prospect and diagnosing their problems.”
Simply put: there’s no silver bullet.
However, active listening is key. Your prospects will give you hints about their problems.
Brad’s advice is:
“Don’t assume anything about the prospect, only ask about pains that they’ve raised. Open-ended questions help you lead prospects to an answer. At the same time, they feel they’re taking you to that point naturally.”
Day 7 - Email
Hi (first name),
What are you doing to plug the gap in EMEA for data coverage, quality & compliance for you & your team?
(Customer name) reviewed Cognism against ZoomInfo, LeadIQ and Lusha finding we came out on top for global coverage, compliance and quality. They also got ROI within 2 days.
Worth a conversation?
So, here’s the deal with competitors:
It’s very likely that your prospects are using a B2B data provider already; this email calls out the elephant in the room.
ROI is important - it’s mentioned here to show that Cognism is an investment, not a purchase. Meaning you’ll create more pipeline or close more business than it costs to buy the product.
We’re halfway through the cadence at this point and need to dial up the heat. This is why the email ends with a more direct CTA.
Day 8 - Phone call
- Calls - 515
- Answers - 4.3%
A cold call pitch isn’t something that’s set in stone. It can depend on the SDR and who they’re talking to.
But with pitches, there are three key things to remember:
- It must be clear. The prospect must be able to understand it. Make sure It’s relevant to them and their industry.
- The pitch must be concise. Think of it as a springboard for further conversation.
- It must be easy to remember. You don’t want to get tongue-tied!
Day 10 - Phone call
- Calls - 249
- Answers - 8%
How do you handle an aggressive objection?
Did you know that pausing is a powerful weapon for handling objections?
Feargal McDonnell, Regional Sales Director at Salesforce, breaks it down:
“If you pause for a couple of seconds before you answer, it gives them the opportunity to qualify and soften their tone. If there’s no softening, a great response is, tell me why that’s important to you.”
Day 12 - Phone call
- Calls - 191
- Answers - 2.6%
Want to hear some live cold calling roleplay? Check out this episode of Cognism’s Cold Calling Live podcast - simply press ▶️ to listen.
Day 14 - Phone call and email
- Calls - 191
- Answers - 2.6%
Last chance saloon for me (first name) so I thought I'd throw some quick fire stats at you about the Cognism platform:
- 400 million B2B profiles globally (far beyond any competitor).
- Direct integration to any CRM - improving workflows!
- Intent data allows your team to know when a company is searching for a solution like yours - warm leads!
- A Chrome Extension on LinkedIn - saving on average two hours of time daily!
I'll leave you with two options: We set up a quick call to discuss how we can generate more leads or we let James Blunt take it from here…
This short, snappy email highlights how Cognism stacks up against competitors. The focus is on ROI and saving time.
Injecting a bit of lighthearted humour can also work wonders. If you can make the prospect laugh, then who knows? They might be more inclined to engage, even at this late stage in the cadence.
Day 15 - Email
Hey (first name),
I’m still working on our outbound messaging - clearly, it missed the mark for you. Would love your feedback.
Can you let me know where my emails weren’t relevant and/or how I might be able to improve them in the future? Thanks a ton!
It’s no secret that SaaS sales and marketing leaders love to give feedback and share their knowledge.
This final email in the cadence encourages them to do just that.
What’s the purpose behind it?
By asking the prospect for their thoughts on your outreach, not only might you get tips on how to improve…but it might open up a conversation at the very last minute!
Brad explains:
“I think it’s rewarding for them from a mentorship perspective. It’s also quite humanising. You’re not asking for anything else, just asking how you can improve.”
Find your ultimate cold calling script
Need some help levelling up your cold calling game?
Cognism has published a library of scripts you can choose from - including scripts for prospecting to CEOs, CMOs and enterprise companies!
Click 👇 to see the scripts.
