A Dial is Not a Dial: What is in an SHP Dial?

In the fast-paced world of sales, understanding the nuances of dialing strategies can significantly impact your outreach success. At Superhuman Prospecting (SHP), we redefine what it means to make a “dial” by focusing on quality connections over sheer quantity. While many outsourced sales development firms rely on automated systems that prioritize speed, SHP takes a meticulous approach, ensuring our Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) engage meaningfully with decision-makers. This article will break down what makes an SHP dial unique and why we’re seeing conversation rates double the industry average. After reading this, you will better understand what truly makes an SHP dial different (vs what others define it as) and why quality matters in achieving remarkable sales outcomes.

First, what is the dialing technology strategy?

This question is frequently overlooked by SHP clients prior to selecting our services. It’s important to note that high conversation rates with humans and decision-makers are influenced long before the call takes place. Below are some of the strategies that SHP employs to enhance connections with your target audience, enabling our team to achieve conversation rates that are double the industry averages:

• Using a VOIP Manual Sales Dialer. This approach allows SHP Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) to ensure they only conclude calls when they are genuinely finished. In fact, our team adheres to an internal guideline requiring a minimum call duration of 2 minutes before hanging up. While this method may be slower than using auto-dialers or multi-dialers, it effectively eliminates gaps between pickup and answer. This process not only ensures that SDRs thoroughly explore every opportunity but also complies fully with FCC and FTC regulations.
• Problem with Auto and Multi-Dialers. Most, if not all, other outsourced SDR firms rely on automated, robo-dialing, agent-assisted, or parallel dialing methods. While these dialers can be effective in certain situations—allowing for quicker outreach in specific markets due to their multi-touch and rapid dialing capabilities—they often come with significant downsides. They can frustrate prospects, skip valuable opportunities, and leave many potential leads unexplored. Here are some key disadvantages of these methods:
  • Auto-Dialer. While auto-dialers are the closest option to manual dialing—since they make calls sequentially rather than dialing multiple numbers at once—they still take control of the calling process. If there is a 5-15 second ring time, the auto-dialer will move on to the next call, or it may start calling again immediately after a call ends. This can lead to missed conversations with decision-makers, situations where pickups occur with no one on the other end, and potential errors or missed notes by the Sales Development Representatives (SDRs).
  • Agent Assisted. Agent assisted dialers provide real, human cold callers that dial the initial call, talk to a gatekeeper if they answer, and then pass off the call (with a gap between agent and SDR) over to the SDR/AE to have a conversation with the decision maker only. While it can be helpful for markets in which there is a seemingly limitless number of prospects that will not hold new negative views on the company or cold calling in that market from receiving these, there can be a drastic reduction in decision maker conversations. Gatekeeper conversation strategy is an important aspect of increasing stakeholder and decision maker conversation rates, as the skill of the SDR can impact this number positively or negatively. If an (mostly overseas) agent is helping dial a large number of calls, decision maker rates can decrease due to not only a lack of strategy, but also to the skeptical position the prospect is in with a high inclination to hang up the call.
  • Robo/Parallel Dialers. Robo and parallel dialers allow SDRs to make multiple calls—2, 3, 4, 5, or more—simultaneously, connecting the SDR only to the first decision-maker who answers. While this can be highly efficient and facilitate rapid connections with decision-makers, it poses significant risks for your prospects. It can frustrate them, increase the chances of being flagged as SPAM, and create gaps between pickup and answer.
  • Here’s how it works: if a prospect answers, they may experience an awkward delay while other simultaneous calls drop. This not only leaves several prospects hanging on the line but can also further erode any remaining trust they have in sales professionals.

What is in an SHP “Dial”? What makes it any better?

Definition: We define a dial as a “Call Activity.”

A Call Activity is 3 things:

• 1) A phone dial in attempt to get the qualified stakeholder or decision maker (DM) on the phone to have a live conversation with them
• 2) A properly dispositioned call (Appointment Lead, Warm Lead, Nurture Lead, No DM Conversation, etc.)
• 3) A minimum of 4 word or 10 word notes based on what happened (ie, when will the prospect be in office? Or, Why were they interested? Or why were they not? What objections were handled? What was said?)

There are also many internal standards we invest in to ensure no stone is left unturned. Here are a few:

• If a Warm Lead, Appointment Lead, or Survey Lead is set, SDRs are required to:
  • For comprehensive notes to properly pass the baton to our clients, the SDRs must provide required notes. Not only do they need to provide a minimum of 10 word color commentary based on what happened, but they also need to ensure they detail required fields such as
    • The value they added (ie which features, benefits, accolades, etc.)
    • If the prospect is expecting an email, a “type of meeting” drop down (ie, if it is a Google Meet, In-Person, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Phone Call, or other)
    • Any additional or changes to phone numbers, email addresses, or pertinent information
  • Invest in time to ask Qualifying Questions at the end, confirm dates or times for follow up, and confirm details of the prospect.
• If a decision maker prospect is not interested, team members must  not only write a description of why they weren’t interested, but what objection response there was by the SDR
• If the phone is a ring and ring, they must stay on the phone for a minimum number of time before they can hang up; this enables additional time for some markets to get to the phone and answer. ie, just last week, there was a call where a prospect took :51 seconds to pick up the phone.
• For “No DM Conversation” disposition, where a dial resulted in a ring and ring, failed gatekeeper conversation, or voicemail, the SDR is required to provide which phone number was used on that particular call, the name of the person’s voicemail reached, when the decision maker will be in next if spoken to a gatekeeper, as well as any other clues to help advance the effort.

As you compare partners, remember: A dial is not a dial between vendors. The definitions aren’t the same!

Time and time again, I see potential clients evaluating outsourced SDR services by comparing “dials” as if they’re all the same. Aside from the quality of the SDRs themselves, this is likely the second biggest factor contributing to the disparity in results. While the skill of an SDR is critical, the effectiveness of their dials directly impacts their performance. If dials aren’t executed properly, the results can fall far short of their potential.

Here are a few examples of what’s possible—and yet many outsourced vendors will still use the vague term “dial” to describe the following:

• After 10 seconds of ringing, the phone automatically disconnects, and calls the next number. The dial is marked “decision maker unavailable”.
• 4 dials are made at once, 1 decision maker picking up to hear a pause on the other end. The decision maker hangs up before the SDR makes it to the 1 decision maker that answers. This is considered 4 dials
• A decision maker conversation that ends positively with a date and time; however, all that is given to the client is a name, phone number, email, and date and time. No qualifying questions, notes as to why they are interested, value added, type of meeting, or other pertinent information
• Dozens of dispositions that summarize a call with notes such as “no DM”, “DM Not Interested,” “Hung Up,” “Send email,” or “Follow Up,” No color commentary, descriptions, or standards are given.

Finally, What does a quality dial look like?

Now that we’ve covered the definitions and standards of dials at SHP, let’s dive into some examples of what these notes may entail. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, it offers a clear picture of what a high-quality dial should include to ensure every opportunity is fully explored. This level of precision and thoroughness is what allows us to consistently achieve results that are double the industry averages.

Example notes for different types of dials and call results:

• No DM Conversation | Called 4546 number. Reached Jessica’s voicemail. Left voicemail.
• Gatekeeper Conversation | Called 1212 number. Spoke with gatekeeper. Mark, the DM, is in tomorrow. Call back after 12pm EST
• Market Research (when new information is discovered about a DM) | Called 8000 number. Gatekeeper said Dan is no longer the person in charge of facilities. It is now Kaitlynn. Her number is ###-###-### and email is kaitlynn@.com. Call back Monday for her)
• DM Not Interested | Nate, the DM, said they already have this service and are very happy. I responded to this objection with our new feature and how it helps save an additional 20% off operational costs. He said he will consider in the future but not right now and would not accept any information from me.
• Nurture Lead | Rachel, the DM, said not is not an amazing time but liked that this product could integrate with Quickbooks. She wants to learn more, but needs time and doesn’t want us to call back yet. Said to email her and connect on Linkedin and she will respond. She thanked me for calling.
• Warm Lead | Reached Bob, who said he wasn’t the DM. I asked for the person in charge of marketing. He said that is actually Sam. He transferred me to Sam. Sam said they have been looking for a service like this but haven’t found a good fit. Couldn’t commit to a time but to definitely call back next Thurs or Fri in the afternoon. Wants information first though. Send to sam@.com
• Appointment Lead | Great call with decision maker, Chris. Chris said their current vendor isn’t doing well for them, not to mention expensive. He is open to comparing and would like a demo. Set for Wed at 3pm. Confirmed email to be chris@.com. Google Meet meeting set for #/##/##.

• Call Recordings using the H2H Method
  • Appointment Lead
  • Warm Lead

So there you have it—a deep dive into what sets an SHP dial apart from the rest! By focusing on meaningful activity in every aspect and thorough follow-up, we’re not just making calls; we’re building genuine connections that lead to real results. While other firms might be all about cranking out dials, we believe that taking the time to engage thoughtfully pays off big time; in fact, up to double industry averages. Whether it’s detailed notes or the commitment to stay on the line longer, every part of our dialing strategy is designed to maximize opportunities and minimize missed chances. If you’re looking to boost your sales outreach, remember: quality beats quantity every time.