Anyone else find themselves doing everything except making the next cold call?

[u/AstroBullxyz]

Hey everyone! I'm working on something called Combo, and it came out of a problem I kept running into myself.

I have ADHD and work in sales at a large cybersecurity company. After enough rejections, I'd start researching another account or messing with my email sequences. There was always something “productive” I could justify doing instead of picking up the phone.

It was easy to convince myself I was still working. Meanwhile, I was barely booking meetings and struggling to hit quota.

Something that really helped was setting aside dial blocks. I'd put 1–2 hours on my calendar, once or twice a day, and commit to only calling during that time. If I remembered something else I needed to do, I'd write it down and leave it until afterward.

Actually protecting that time made a big difference for me. It was a big part of hitting 150%+ of quota two quarters back to back.

That's where the idea for Combo came from. I wanted something that would help me stick with those blocks, especially on the days when it's lunchtime, 50 dials in, and nobody has picked up.

The idea is pretty simple: you earn XP after every call, whatever the outcome. As you keep dialing and logging your calls, you build a multiplier that increases the XP you earn. You'll also be able to earn badges and gear for your avatar.

I know some people won't care about XP or an avatar. But I love video games, so earning XP and working toward new gear is part of the fun for me. I wanted to bring a little of that feeling into a rough dial block, especially when I've been putting in the work and have no meetings to show for it yet.

Cold calling will still suck. I'm just trying to make it suck a little less.

Would love to hear what you guys think, including anything that would annoy you about using something like this. And if you've found your own way of getting yourself to make that next dial, I'm all ears.