How to Signal Intent Without Being Pushy

How can you structure your day to hit an 800% increase in new appointments? My guest, James Donaldson, founder and CEO of Stakki, joins me to share how his team achieved it through cold calling. He shows that success is not just about working hard. It is about working smart with the right process and structure.

Before the 800% Growth: The Spray-and-Pray Struggle (00:05:17–00:08:53)

·  Before the wins, things were messy. James Donaldson explains how the team was working hard but not necessarily smart. 

·  They were calling big lists, hoping something would stick, but there wasn’t much structure or tracking. It was very “spray and pray.” No real follow-up system. No focus on the right prospects. 

·  And they weren’t even measuring simple things like how many times they dialed a specific prospect. 

·  Sound familiar? 

The Mindset Shift: It’s Not Just “Booked or Not Booked” (00:09:22–00:14:13)

·  James talks about a major turning point. They stopped treating every cold call like it’s a win-or-lose situation. 

·  Instead of thinking, “Did I book the meeting or not?” they started paying attention to all the good things that can happen before a yes. 

·  Maybe the person asks for more info, gives a referral, or wants a call back. Those are wins, too. 

·  Once reps started tracking these “gray area” outcomes in the CRM, they could finally build momentum and stack more meetings over time.

Systems, Scripts, and Tech: How They Scaled Their Outbound (00:17:11–00:23:10)

·  So how did they jump to 800% growth? James breaks it down. 

·  They created repeatable cold-call structures: quick permission-based openers, short value statements, and clear calls to action. 

·  Then they organized their CRM so reps always knew who to call next, what status each prospect was in, and how to follow up. 

·  No more wasting time guessing. With feedback loops built in, the team stayed focused, confident, and way more productive.

Final Advice for Sales Teams (00:25:47–00:26:07)

·  James leaves you with this: focus on the processes that help you have more quality conversations. 

·  If something doesn’t lead to more human connections or better feedback, cut it. Keep it simple. Keep it repeatable. That’s how you win.

"The most important thing on the cold call is that initial introduction, getting permission, giving them something to be curious about." - James Donaldson.

Resources

Connect with James on LinkedIn or visit Stakki.io to unlock massive growth in your outbound sales efforts.

Join my Sales Mastermind group! This 90-day program gives you hands-on practice, real-world challenges, and expert guidance alongside driven sales professionals. 

Sponsorship Offers

1.  This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.