Call Coaching Framework

Call coaching is the highest-leverage activity an SDR manager can perform. A 15-minute call review that identifies one specific improvement — and the SDR implements it on their next 50 calls — produces compound performance gains that no amount of motivational speeches can match. The framework makes coaching structured, consistent, and actionable.

1. Listen Before You Coach Review two to three recorded calls before the coaching session. Note specific moments: the opening line, how they handled the first objection, where the conversation stalled, and how they asked for the meeting. Coaching from memory is vague. Coaching from recorded evidence is precise.
2. One Skill Per Session Address one improvement area per coaching session — not three, not five. If the opening needs work, coach the opening. If objection handling needs work, coach objection handling. A rep who improves one skill per week improves 50 skills per year. A rep who tries to fix five things at once improves nothing.
3. Model-Practice-Apply Model: show the SDR what good looks like by demonstrating the skill yourself or playing a recording of a top performer. Practice: role-play the specific scenario three to five times until the new behavior feels natural. Apply: the SDR uses the new skill on their next call block and reports back. Model-practice-apply embeds the change.