# Cold Call Ride-Along / Call Shadowing Checklist

> A before/during/after checklist for shadowing a rep's live cold calling block: what to listen for in each phase of the call, and the rules for delivering feedback without shutting the rep down mid-session.

Free checklist for sales managers. Topic: [Cold Calling & Phone Skills](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/cold-calling-phone-skills/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/cold-call-ride-along-shadowing-checklist/

## How to use it

Print this or keep it open on a second screen while you silently listen in on a rep's full dial block, checking items off in real time rather than trying to reconstruct the call from memory afterward.

## What's inside

- Before-session checklist: consent, block length, muting, scorecard-in-hand rules
- Phase-by-phase listening checklist for the opener, discovery, objections, and next-step securing
- Whole-block checklist: energy drop-off after rejection, warm-up time, timestamped moments worth replaying
- After-session feedback rules: timing, sequencing, and the one-moment discipline
- A short Do / Don't list for shadow etiquette

**Use this every time you silently join a rep's live dial block: as a manager, peer mentor, or enablement lead.**

## Before the session

- [ ] Rep knows this is developmental, not a performance review, and was told in advance: never surprise a rep with a silent shadow
- [ ] Confirmed which block you're joining (minimum 45 minutes / a full dial session, not 2 cherry-picked calls)
- [ ] Your line is fully muted; confirmed the rep can't hear you breathing, typing, or moving
- [ ] Call Monitoring & Coaching Scorecard is open and ready: not filled in from memory afterward
- [ ] Decided in advance whether you're giving live micro-feedback via chat, or saving everything for after (default: after, unless both agreed this is a live-coaching session)

## During: Opener phase (per call)

- [ ] Did the opener sound conversational, or read off a script?
- [ ] Did the rep adapt when the first 5 seconds didn't go as expected?
- [ ] Noted the exact prospect pushback line used (for the objection-handling review later)

## During: Discovery phase

- [ ] Counted how many open-ended questions were asked before any pitch
- [ ] Did the rep let a silence sit, or fill it immediately?
- [ ] Did the rep reference something the prospect said earlier in the same call?

## During, Objection handling

- [ ] Did the rep acknowledge before responding?
- [ ] Did tone shift (defensive, rushed) after pushback?
- [ ] Was the objection actually addressed, or talked past?

## During: Next steps

- [ ] Was a specific day/time asked for, or left vague?
- [ ] Did the rep confirm the meeting before hanging up?

## During, Across the whole block

- [ ] Did energy or quality drop after a rejection or two in a row?
- [ ] How many calls before the rep "warmed up"?
- [ ] Any moment worth replaying in a coaching session: timestamp it now, not from memory later

## After the session: feedback delivery

- [ ] Feedback happens within 24 hours: never immediately after a bad call, in the middle of a live block
- [ ] Lead with one specific thing that worked, named precisely (not "good job")
- [ ] Pick ONE moment to work on and carry it into the 1:1 Cold Call Coaching Session Template: don't dump the whole list
- [ ] Ask the rep what they noticed before giving your own read
- [ ] End with a forward commitment, not just a critique

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## Do / Don't

**Do**
- Take timestamped notes so you can return to the exact moment later.
- Shadow a full block, not a highlight call, average calls tell you more than best calls.

**Don't**
- React audibly, laugh, or sigh: even muted, reps sense a shadow's energy through their own nerves.
- Shadow the same rep the day right after a hard coaching conversation, let it land first.