The short answer
How should you warm up before a sales call?
Spend five minutes speaking, not reading: say your first two sentences twice, rehearse the most likely pushback once and say your exact next-step ask. Then make the call and listen.
Foreword
Why it matters
Saying something aloud shortly before you need it makes it easier to recall under pressure1. Deciding in advance what you will do if a particular reply comes up is one of the most reliable ways to follow through2. A short warm-up does both.
Retrieval
61%
of a passage recalled a week later after three practice tests, against 40% after four readings1
Perspective
18%
of the variance in sports performance explained by deliberate practice; under 1% in professions3
What we’ll cover in this guide
- Part 01: Three things, aloud
- Part 02: Keep it realistic
- Your practice task: a short exercise to try with Selly
- Conclusion and what to practise next
Part 01: Three things, aloud
The warm-up is spoken, not read.
The five minutes
Your first two sentences
Who you are and why you are calling. Say them twice.
The reply you expect
Pick the most likely pushback and say your response aloud once.
The next step you want
Say the exact ask: “Could we book twenty minutes on Thursday to go through it?”
Reflection questions and how to get started
- Did you say it aloud or just read it? Aloud is the point.
- Is your ask specific? Include a day and a length.
Part 02: Keep it realistic
A warm-up prepares you. It does not script the call.
Using it well
Do not rehearse every branch
One expected reply is enough. More turns a warm-up into a script.
Stay honest
Practice improves readiness, not outcomes. The call can still go differently.
Reflection questions and how to get started
- Did you over-prepare? One reply, one ask is enough.
- Were you listening on the real call? A warm-up should free your attention, not fill it.
Your practice task
- Before a real call, say your first two sentences aloud twice.
- Run the most likely pushback once in Selly or aloud.
- Say your exact next-step ask.
- Make the call, then note whether the expected reply came up.
Conclusion
Five minutes of speaking before a call beats thirty minutes of reading. Say the opening, rehearse one reply and know the step you will ask for.
