The second sync call was the problem.
Last quarter we shortened client onboarding from eleven days to four. The unlock was not a new tool or a new hire — it was killing the second sync call. Most buyers did not need it. The reps assumed they did, because the second call felt like the polite thing to do.
That polite thing was costing us a week. The hand-off was already covered in a deck the team had stopped updating, and the extra call was calendar insurance for the rep, not value for the buyer.
The first week after we cut it was rough. By week three the reps were closing more deals, not fewer — the pipeline numbers did the talking. If you are selling into a buyer who needs hand-holding past the demo, the second call still earns its slot. If you are not, it is the most expensive polite gesture on the calendar.