The shape of the call
Say (the offer, whenever you book a first call)"Thirty minutes. We'll show you Holly drafting for someone in your role, on a demo workspace, and you can judge it for yourself."
| Call | Length | Ends with |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound or event follow-up | 15 minutes: up-front contract, then shortcut three (Q2, Q8, Q14). Step 1 only if they are at a screen, the NDA is signed or waived, and you are Alex or John Cooper | Booked 30-minute call, self-serve signup with onboarding booked, or an honest "not a fit" |
| Direct (1 to about 10 seats, owner-led) | 30 minutes | Signup with onboarding booked, or a dated decision call |
| Considered (10 plus seats, or any compliance, IT or partner sign-off) | 45 to 60 minutes of discovery; demo may be a second meeting with the economic buyer and compliance owner | A written mutual action plan with dated steps |
The 30-minute call: 0 to 2 up-front contract and the negative; 2 to 4 peer pattern; 4 to 13 discovery (founder story after Q2); 13 to 15 Situation Slide read-back and AI accusation audit; 15 to 24 core demo; 24 to 27 stop and ask, price, one recommendation; 27 to 30 next step booked before you hang up. Price comes late: Gong found top reps raise it at 38 to 46 minutes of an hour, against 12 to 15 for others (vendor data, correlational). With several people on the call, get the economic buyer and compliance owner each speaking before the demo. A buyer who has already bought online gets an onboarding call, not a demo.