New sales development reps (SDRs) usually spend their first weeks learning the product, the tools and the target market. The part that decides how they feel on the phone is often the least structured: actually saying the words out loud to someone who pushes back. A good onboarding plan makes call practice a scheduled, repeating part of the first 90 days instead of something new reps do on their own time.
This guide gives you a 30-60-90 plan that you can adapt. It focuses on voice practice and on what managers can review. It does not promise specific results; every team, market and product is different. Treat the numbers as starting points for your own plan.
Principles behind the plan
- Practise before you dial. A new rep's first real calls should not be the first time they hear themselves pitch.
- Few skills at a time. One main focus per week is easier to improve than ten.
- Short and often. Fifteen minutes of focused practice most days usually beats a three-hour workshop.
- Same scenarios, repeated. Repetition builds the opening and the reply to the common objections until they come out naturally.
- Feedback on specific moments. "Your opener ran long" is more useful than "be more confident".
If you manage the new rep, the same logic appears in the guide on preparing a new salesperson for first calls in two weeks, which is a good companion to this plan.
Days 1 to 30: Foundations
Goal: the rep can open a call, state a reason, handle the first reaction and ask for a next step, without reading.
Weeks 1 and 2: the opening and the reason.
- Write a 20-second opening: who you are, why you are calling, and a question that invites a reply.
- Practise it out loud ten times. Record yourself and listen back once.
- Study the five most common first reactions: "not interested", "send me an email", "I'm busy", "we already have a provider", "who is this?".
- Read how to open a sales call: the first 30 seconds.
Weeks 3 and 4: the first objections and the ask.
- Pick the three objections your market uses most. Write two short replies for each, in the rep's own words.
- Drill each reply out loud. See how to practise sales objection handling.
- Add the ask: "Would Thursday at ten or Friday at two work for a 15-minute call?"
Weekly rhythm: three or four short practice sessions (10 to 15 minutes), one 20-minute role-play with the manager, one written reflection of three lines.
End-of-month check: the rep can complete a full practice call, from opening to the ask, with a manager or an AI customer, and name one thing to improve.
Days 31 to 60: Real calls with support
Goal: the rep makes live calls, reviews them regularly and practises the moments that went badly.
Weeks 5 and 6: live volume, short debriefs.
- Start live calling in blocks. Each block is followed by a five-minute review: what worked, what stalled.
- Use practice to repair specific moments. If three prospects interrupted the opener, practise the opener with an interrupting customer.
- Introduce gatekeepers. See how to get past the gatekeeper on a cold call.
Weeks 7 and 8: discovery and qualification.
- Add two or three open questions the rep can ask after the opener.
- Practise listening and following up on what the prospect says, rather than moving straight to the next question.
- Introduce voicemail and follow-up call practice.
Weekly rhythm: live calling blocks, two short practice sessions targeted at last week's weak spots, one manager review of a call recording or practice report.
End-of-month check: the rep handles the three main objections without freezing, and books or advances conversations at a pace the team considers acceptable. Use your own benchmarks; do not borrow someone else's.
Days 61 to 90: Independence and consistency
Goal: the rep runs their own practice plan and the manager coaches on skills, not basics.
Weeks 9 and 10: harder situations.
- Practise tougher prospects: a rude one, a very busy one, a sceptical senior contact.
- Rehearse long-tail objections that came from real calls.
- Work on pacing and silence.
Weeks 11 and 12: self-direction.
- The rep picks their own weekly focus based on their notes and reports.
- Share one lesson per week with the team.
- Update the shared objection list with new replies that worked.
Weekly rhythm: the rep owns practice time. The manager checks in, reviews one call, and agrees one focus.
End-of-quarter review: compare the rep's opening, discovery and next-step skills with day 1, using the same scenario. Look at trends in the rep's own results rather than league tables. The guide on measuring seller improvement without performance evaluation covers how to do this fairly.
What to measure, and what not to
Useful signals:
- Consistency: is the rep practising regularly?
- Specific skills improving across repeated scenarios
- The rep's own confidence rating, week by week
- Quality of next steps agreed on live calls
Poor signals:
- Practice scores used as a ranking
- Raw call counts without context
- Single scores treated as a verdict on a person
Where AI practice fits
Managers cannot be on a call with every new rep every day. A voice practice tool can fill the gaps between manager sessions. In DIRI AI, the rep speaks with an AI customer who plays a prospect in a prepared situation, such as a cold-call opener or a price objection. The rep then reads a report on specific moments. DIRI AI plays only the customer; it does not replace manager coaching, which stays the place for judgement, context and encouragement. The how we score page explains the report, and the sample dialogues show what a call looks like. For wider team set-up, see the sales onboarding training page and the team pilot.
A starter checklist for the manager
- Pick three scenarios for the first month and keep them stable
- Book the weekly role-play in the new rep's calendar on day 1
- Agree one focus skill per week
- Hold a five-minute debrief after each live calling block
- Review progress at day 30, 60 and 90 with the same scenario
Related: How to prepare a new salesperson for their first phone calls in two weeks, Phone anxiety at work. Free tool: Sales Call Checklist.
FAQ
How long should daily call practice be for a new SDR?
Ten to fifteen minutes of focused practice most days is a realistic starting point. Short, regular sessions tend to be easier to sustain than occasional long ones.
When should a new SDR start live calling?
Many teams start live calls once the rep can complete a practice call from opening to ask without reading. Your own readiness criteria should decide, not a fixed date.
Can AI practice replace manager coaching?
No. Practice builds repetition and confidence between sessions. Managers still provide context, judgment and feedback on real calls.
How do I tailor the plan to my market?
Replace the example objections and scenarios with those your reps hear most. Collect them from real calls every month and update the list.
To let a new rep rehearse before their first live call, try DIRI AI. The Free plan gives 3 voice calls a month of up to five minutes each, with no card needed. Start free and run an opening-call scenario.