The goal of two weeks is not a quota but that the new colleague can handle first calls with support: knows what they offer, whom they may call, how to run the call and where to turn when unsure. The plan below is an editorial proposal for ten working days. Adapt it to your company, product and legal situation.
What the plan rests on
The onboarding literature describes four areas: rules and paperwork (compliance), clarity about the role and expectations (clarification), company culture (culture) and relationships in the team (connection). Talya Bauer summarised these “four Cs” in Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success (SHRM Foundation, 2010). It is a frame for thinking about onboarding, not a regulation, and it does not say how many practice calls are “right”.
We add findings about learning: short, spaced repetition works better for retention than one long block. Details and sources are in How to practise sales objection handling.
A plan for ten working days
| Day | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product and customer | Who the target customer is, which problem you solve, what you do not offer. The newcomer explains the product to a colleague in their own words. |
| 2 | Rules | Whom you may call and on what basis, what to say at the start of the call, how to record a refusal. See phone outreach rules. |
| 3 | Opening the call | Introduction, reason for the call, asking for a few minutes. Practise aloud, three rounds of three minutes. |
| 4 | Discovery | Open questions, listening, summarising. Practise with a colleague. |
| 5 | Listening and feedback | Listen to several live calls of an experienced colleague; the newcomer notes what they heard and asks questions. First weekly summary. |
| 6 | Objections 1 | The three most common objections from the objection catalog. One goal, three-minute rounds. |
| 7 | Objections 2 | Return to yesterday's objections, add a fourth. Telling an objection from a refusal. |
| 8 | Whole call rehearsal | From opening to close with a next step, with a colleague or an AI customer. |
| 9 | Review of the newcomer's call | A recording or notes from practice; one thing to adjust. |
| 10 | First supported calls | A few calls with a mentor listening, a short debrief after each. |
Daily rhythm: roughly twenty to thirty minutes of practice, listening or review, and a short note. That is a suggestion, not a study result. How many calls are reasonable for a newcomer depends on their confidence and the mentor's feedback.
What the plan must include
- A mentor. One person the newcomer can turn to, and regular short debriefs.
- A safe space. Practice is where mistakes are made. Use practice recordings only with the newcomer's knowledge and only for learning.
- A clear boundary. When the newcomer ends the call and to whom they hand it over (for example a legal or regulatory question).
- Concrete goals. “Ask what the customer is comparing with” is a better goal than “be more confident”. The feedback guide shows how to turn notes into goals.
For related topics see onboarding new salespeople and cold-call practice.
The legal frame for calling
Before the first live call, a responsible person in the company must confirm whom may be called. The EU ePrivacy Directive (Article 13) requires consent for automated calls; for calls made by a person, each member state chooses between prior consent and the right to object, and the GDPR applies to the personal data used. Check the rules of your country. This is a general note, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Are two weeks enough for a salesperson to be ready?
Two weeks can be enough for first calls with support, not for full independence. A new person's readiness is measured not by days but by how they handle the call, boundaries and feedback.
Should a newcomer call live prospects from the second week?
Only if they feel ready and have the mentor's support. We suggest starting with a small number of calls and a short debrief after each.
How much time a day should go into practice?
The suggestion is twenty to thirty minutes. Shorter but regular practice suits better than one long block; the exact time depends on the company's situation.
Can AI replace practice with colleagues?
In part. An AI customer helps with repetition at any time without taking a colleague's time; a mentor gives context, judgement and support. See the comparison in AI role-play vs practising with a colleague.
A note on sources
The four-Cs frame comes from the onboarding literature; the ten-day plan, the schedule and the daily rhythm are an editorial proposal. We have not verified a study on the length of phone-sales onboarding that we could cite. We do not promise a result.
DIRI AI is one tool where a newcomer can practise calls aloud against an AI customer and get a report afterwards. The onboarding plan itself has to be led by a person. How calls are scored is described on How we score.
Try one practice call on the free Free plan
The Free plan includes one voice call a day of up to 5 minutes, no payment card; e-mail confirmation is required. Check current terms before you start.