Late Night Demos/Intro Calls

It has continually become a theme recently where my SDR's will come to me with demo times that are outside working hours and on a Friday. Curious to hear what the general sentiment is on doing meetings outside working hours, especially when they are just preliminary calls to determine whether this is a qualified opp. How do you all typically handle late calls getting scheduled?
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16
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
8
Sales Rep
What clients want a Friday afternoon demo, no way they want to be there either.

If you work EST, its common to have meetings after 5 with your PST. Or other way around with meetings before 8am. Have a talk with your manager and say when this happens can I sign on later or leave early the next day
SoccerandSales
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
It’s a doctor, so they tend to have weird hours anyways. Definitely not opposed to late calls but really gonna need a good reason/good opp to make me want to take it.
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
1
Sales Rep
In that case, you can always have them answer qualifying questions from an email before the meeting to see if its worth your time. If they dont respond/give answers saying its not real. Ask to reschedule.

But its probably easier to block off your calendar Friday after 5 or just tell the SDR no more friday after 5
CuriousFox
WR Officer
6
🦊
Block off your calendar so they can't book you at those times.
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
6
Bravado's Resident Asshole
I will hold that demo if it is a huge opp, other than that, nope.
jefe
Arsonist
5
🍁
Are these even legit?! Demos on a Friday at 3:00 are hard enough to actually have show up..
TennisandSales
Politicker
4
Head Of Sales
if you are having SDRs set meeting for you then you need to BLOCK your calendar when you wont work. and if they schedule over it, you should tell them to reschedule it.

IM all for doing what it takes to win, but once I started doing this, I was surprised how everyones availability all of a sudden worked out.
SoccerandSales
Big Shot
0
Account Executive
This is smart, I am going to start putting more blocks. Never thought to add after hours blocks but probably best
HappyGilmore
Politicker
4
Account Executive
I usually will use blocks on my calendars to prevent others from booking a late call on my calendar. It could be good to have a convo with your SDR's and work with them, on having them ask the prospects questions upfront to try and qualify them more before passing those off to you for a demo.
butwhy
Politicker
2
Solutions Engineer
Decline meeting request without a really, really fucking good reason. And even then, probably decline meeting request.
SoccerandSales
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
This is where I am at currently. “It is a difficult prospect” really doesn’t get it done for me lol
butwhy
Politicker
1
Solutions Engineer
Right, and I appreciate the heck out of BDRs and their hustle - I really do - but. No.
SoccerandSales
Big Shot
0
Account Executive
This. I mean I was an SDR, I try to ensure that I am helping them as much as they help me, but wow sometimes they make it hard
MoonDog349
Valued Contributor
2
Sales Manager
More annoying after hours than before hours IMO.
SoccerandSales
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
Agreed.
Diablo
Politicker
2
Sr. AE
I never did. If a prospect is really interested I tell my BDRs to come to a time that’s suitable for both.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Early on in my career, I'd take those late calls. After 95% of them no-showed, I stopped. No way will I take anything other than a call from a senior executive or procurement at the end of a contract signature process late on a Friday.

Sounds like you're going to start blocking your calendar at those times, but I'd also talk to the SDRs about scheduling - from an educational standpoint. Whoever they schedule for where ever they go won't want to take those late Friday calls either.
Pachacuti
Politicker
1
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
I work the hours I need to work to get the job done. Period. If that is when the prospect is available and they are willing to buy - you work their hours.
ClamatoIsTheMotto
Good Citizen
2
Enterprise Account Executive
100
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
1
Rolling 20's all day
I have some international prospects but even then I'm still sticking to my "normal" hours unless I can help it
accidentalsalesguy
Executive
1
AE
I think it goes back to the relationship with your SDR and letting them know the hours you’re available each day for calls/demos.

They should know to respect that just as you would with their time and as others have mentioned, put time blocks on your calendar for when you’re not willing to take demos.
ThatNewAE
Big Shot
1
Account Executive - Mid enterprise
I had a similar chat with my SDR recently. He said - "Well we are anyway not seeing a huge number of leads coming in (both from inbound and outbound), so whatever leads are getting converted, we are just too keen to grab them"

I work in the SMB segment, founds and co-founders are my target personas. They take these discoveries from cars, sipping on their coffee early in the morning and from their kitchens even. Initially, SDRs would negotiate a timing that suits both AE and the customer.

Now because of drop in the leads, everyone's desperate and the SDRs schedule calls whenever the customer wants it. This pisses me off.

Bottomline- I don't like it. I don't have the mindspace to take good calls that late in the evening / early in the morning and I might even mess the calls up. So I talked to the SDR about the same, he eventually understand after frowning for 10 minutes.
6

Do you cold call on Friday afternoons?

Question
17
Do you cold call on Friday afternoons?
40% Yes
24% No
29% Occasionally
7% Rarely
58 people voted
9

Morning or Afternoon meetings/ demos

Question
10
Morning or Afternoon Meeting/Demos
70% Morning
30% Afternoon
69 people voted
38
Members only

Prospect is 10+ min late to a meeting, this is a first

Discussion
27