Almost everyone in sales has heard the idea of calling an hour or so before or an hour after normal business hours to get in touch with executive level decision makers. The theory is:
- You have a good chance of connecting with a business executive if you call earlier or later than normal business hours
- Early morning or late evening (within reason) are times to find business executive more accessible and less likely to be in meetings
- Some believe it is also a time when a business executives environment may be less hectic or less chaotic
While this may sound good in theory, does it work in the real world?
In this case it does. While nothing is 100% sure-fire and there is no guarantee you will make the connection because you called earlier or later, you do stand a good chance of connecting. This recent story supports the theory you can get positive results by calling earlier or later.
A Real Life Story About an Early Phone Call
It was mid morning on the east coast but early morning on the west coast. There was a bit of pondering around what time was acceptable to call the west coast. Should it be earlier than 8:30AM, the usual morning start? The decision was made to begin the west coast calls at 7:30-8 PST and monitor the results.
After a few calls, we connected with the CEO of a major company with $2 billion in assets. The conversation uncovered a need and want for our client’s services. The moral of this story is clear: calling before normal business hours can be highly successful. Don’t ponder. Just do it. It can be a highly effective way to communicate with your buyer.
Here are a few guidelines to help you if you decide to call or outside normal business hours:
- Be prepared, a business executive may answer your call
- Call within reasonable timeframes use an hour to hour an a half as a guide
- Be clear concise and direct if they have come in early or stay later its for a reason don’t waste their time and yours
- Follow up with a written thank you
- Value their time and put it to good use when business executives converse with you
Try it and see what you make of it! Let us know what’s working for you.