This week I received an inbound request from a salesperson who was struggling with outbound.
During discovery, they mentioned they had no process or framework with their calls, didn't know how to handle objections, and were trying to wing it.
They had been dialling 25 prospects a week for the last 2 months. They had landed no meetings.
The Message That Made Me Stop and Think
The message they left on my site was in detail and you could tell they had put thought into it.
I'm always sceptical of any inbound request, so I asked:
"Why haven't you signed up with any other trainers?"
Their answer:
What Those Trainers Were Actually Doing
Both sales trainers wanted to push other solutions onto the prospect. Their programme, their course, their way of doing things.
Firstly, sales is all about understanding your prospects to see if they're a good fit. If they're not, that's fine. That's the same principle behind qualify hard, disqualify harder — and it applies to trainers selling training too.
Secondly, if you call yourself a sales trainer, and then tell your client to not make sales calls — you're not a sales trainer. You're a chancer hoping they fall for the "there's an easier way" approach.
The Real Test for a Sales Trainer
If you've engaged a sales trainer, outbound "expert," or "GTM engineer" and they've discouraged your team from picking up the phone, then get in touch.
A sales trainer should be able to pick up the phone. Any time, any industry, anywhere.
That is the test. Not the case studies on their website. Not the number of LinkedIn followers. Not the course they're selling. Can they actually do the job they're being paid to teach?
Most of them can't. That's why they hide behind automation, AI workflows, and "modern GTM motions." It sounds sophisticated. It is really just an excuse to avoid the phone.
Hire Those With Skin in the Game
If a trainer tells your team that cold calling is dead, ask them when they last did it themselves. Ask them for a recording. Ask them to dial live on a workshop.
The ones who can't will make excuses. The ones who can will grab the phone.
Hire those with skin in the game.
If your current trainer is pulling your team away from the phone, our SDR Sales Training does the opposite — we get reps on live calls, with live frameworks, and show them what actually works. And if you're weighing up who to bring in, read how to hire a sales trainer first.