People often look at this as a way of working, instead, look at it as a way of analyzing over a period of at least 3 months. As far as you're concerned, the only metric of any importance is "$$$" on the board. Focus on solid conversations, solving problems and improving your skills on the phone. Only then should you be number crunching, and even then I would only do it as a way of identifying an issue. Don't look at it as how many calls do I need to make to get a quote etc, ask yourself why it took less calls to get a quote in one sector over another. Then you'll see that although you got more quotes in one sector, you made more money in another, therefore your time is best spent in the other sector, even if you're getting "less quotes" etc. A live example, I spent 6 months prospecting charities. I was getting lots of quotes as my product solved an issue, but the overall deal value was low and I'd need lots of these clients to hit target. I then prospected to schools, got a higher deal value, but my close rate was significantly less. I need 1 or 2 of these clients to boost my target, but focusing on this area has obliterated my pipeline, as once the big deals were closed there was nothing left. I then went to bigger private sector companies, and found that they do action quicker, but it's harder to get them to commit to the issues I solve, therefore less quotes and sales. My last few months revenue has been supplemented by the work I did in the first 6 months with charities, and has provided a strong run rate. This tells me that this should be my main focus moving forward, and I need as many clients as possible in this space. Number crunching without a reason just sends you down the wrong path. If you came to the conclusion of "I need to make more calls", then I would likely come to the conclusion of "not strong enough on the phone during the calls being made" If you need to make more calls because a particular sector is harder for getting people on the phone, then the extra calls makes sense.

Not an easy one and there is no right answer. Before I offer a solution though I would be keen to point out that prospects like that are often not open at all to be sold to. You can't win every battle and if someone starts a conversation in that way, then you can probably guess how the rest of the call will go once you have delivered your pitch. HOWEVER, lean on humour with this one; - "Oooo, you'll have to give me my 30 seconds to find that out I'm afraid" - "If I told you that my boss gave me a list of the 50 best hiring managers in the UK, would it make more sense why I've called YOU?" - "I'll take that as a go ahead with the 30 seconds, so i'd better be quick!" These are all crap and you can come up with loads more yourself, but essentially you're trying to disarm them as they have their back up against the wall a little. Most important thing to remember is that there is no one answer, there are just some prospects you can't get into, and that's ok, onto the next one.

@Filip Dimitrov And you brother

Complete guesswork here mate but possibly just a cultural difference. I would focus on the honesty aspect, and try to talk how you would to a native on the street/in a bar. Don't go too professional, keep is casual, and be completely upfront with your intentions. Remember, you're not asking for 30 seconds of their time as much as you are asking them if they'll agree to talk to you to see if they have the same issues as your customers - which you suspect they might. Taking away the 30 seconds might take you off auto-pilot, and give you a bit more integrity in asking for an agreement that the call is for you to understand their issues and to see if it's something that you solve.

@Jamie Parmer @Dennis Haider Couldn't agree more with Jamie. All of us have been absolutely pony as sales at some point. Ironically, this is when most people think they're the best thing since sliced bread in sales. I reckon I was shit for about 8 of the 12 years I've been in sales. Realising you're not as good as you thought is empowering, it opens up the door to doing better and finding out there's a ton of stuff to learn. Obviously you've found a great place to start that journey. Make sure to consume Callum's content in the classroom section.