What Does it Take to Set 6,000 Appointments?

Master Inside Sales Rep, Robbie Gonsalves, has been hitting the phones for BAO clients for over a decade. He recently achieved a big milestone when he secured his 6,000th appointment. When you consider that it takes an average of 112 dial to secure one meeting, that means he’s made over 672,000 dials while at BAO. We sat down with Robbie to chat about the secret to his success.

BAO Editorial Team: Congrats on reaching this amazing milestone! What does setting 6,000 appointments mean to you?

Robbie Gonsalves: Thank you! It took a lot of hard work, a lot of dials, and lot of dedication. It’s cool to be with the same company for 10 years to be able to get that done—and I’m looking forward to setting another thousand to get to 7K.

BET: Do you remember the first appointment you ever set?

RG: I do. It was at Pabst Blue Ribbon. It was my first week on the phone, on a Thursday, at like 4:55 pm. The client was a VAR in the Boston area called ConRes.

BET: What have you learned in the 5,999 appointments you’ve set since then?

RG: Perseverance. Grit. Determination. Hard work. Focus. I’m still constantly trying to fine-tune my craft—I’m always learning, and always trying to get better.

BET: What’s changed since you started out?

RG: I was obviously a lot younger back then. I was still a bit nervous on the phone. I had done cold calling for financial planning, but cold calling into businesses is a little different. I’m definitely a lot more confident now, and a lot more knowledgeable. Back then, I didn’t know what a server was. I didn’t know what a switch or a router was. Now I know all that stuff, and more. I’m also much better at reading people, and picking up on nuances.

BET: What keeps you going?

RG: Money. I love money—who doesn’t? But I also have a very high amount of drive and self-motivation and willingness to be the best, to be better than everyone else. It just so happens I got really good at this particular skill set, and I love doing it. Appointment setting is like a game to me. It’s fun. I love doing it, I love winning. I learned at an early age that even if you’re the best at something, you might not get recognized for it. But where I am and what I do now, you get recognized for all the hard work you put in.

BET: What’s your favorite solution set to call into?

RG: Probably analytics or process automation. I like helping companies take advantage of the mounds of data they’re gathering, which is growing exponentially year after year. They’re always looking to hear about solutions. You can call the line-of-business folks, who probably aren’t getting as pounded by cold calls, so that helps. I get to talk about business challenges vs. just we can sell you more storage or give you a faster network—it’s a more strategic conversation.

BET: What’s your favorite appointment setting story?

RG: About five years ago, I spoke with a CISO in Kansas whose last name was Byers. He asked where I was from, and I said Boston. He asked if I was a Bruins fan and I said that I was. He told me his cousin plays for the Bruins. I said, Lyndon? Sure enough, it was. That was definitely a memorable call.

BET: What’s the biggest piece of advice you’d give to others?

RG: Hold yourself responsible and accountable. That’s the biggest thing. In sales, it’s easy to point fingers and look for something or someone to blame when they can’t get something done. You need to be determined to get it done. Make sure you do everything you can—don’t be lazy. You need to take the next step to get someone back on the phone or follow up with them. Too often people will do it once and then say, I tried. But did you try? You didn’t try that hard. You could have tried harder. You can’t try once and give up. So be persistent, have drive, work hard. That’s a life lesson, too.

BET: What’s next for you?

RG: Another 1,000 appointments, I hope! I just keep going, trying to be the best I can be. I want to stay on top and I’m always working to be MVP every month, every quarter, every year.