ricky's field manual
SUCCESS WITH
SMS + AI CALLING
Email warms them up. Texts and calls close them. Here's the six-play system for stacking SMS + AI calling on your sequences without burning numbers, leads, or goodwill — from a guy who has never once forgotten to follow up.
PLAY Nº1
WARM THE METAL
Carriers treat a fresh, unregistered number like a bouncer treats a guy in a rented tux. Get registered, get patient, and the doors open.
- Register 10DLC before the first text. Unregistered traffic gets filtered before it ever buzzes a pocket. (Ricky files this for you on every plan.)
- Ramp new numbers slowly. Start at 20–30 texts a day per number and roughly double each week.
- Match area codes to your list. A 305 lead answers a 305 number.
- Never cycle numbers to dodge filters. Carriers notice, and they hold a grudge.
🕶 PRO TIP FROM RICKY"A new number is like a new suit. You don't wear it to the biggest meeting of your life on day one. You break it in."
PLAY Nº2
TEXT ON A SIGNAL, NOT A PRAYER
The worst text is the one that comes out of nowhere. The best one lands right after they showed interest and thinks it's a coincidence.
- Fire the first SMS off engagement — two opens, a click, or a reply that ghosted. Not off a calendar.
- Day 3, after the second email, is the sweet spot. The thread is warm; their inbox has moved on.
- Send between 10:00 and 16:00 local. Ricky enforces quiet hours either way, but aim for the middle of the day.
- One text per step. Two steps of silence? Slide back to email and let it breathe.
🕶 PRO TIP FROM RICKY"Texting a stone-cold stranger is asking for a loan. Texting somebody who clicked twice is catching up with a friend who owes you one."
PLAY Nº3
WRITE LIKE A HUMAN WITH A DEAL
Your lead's phone is where their mother texts them. Sound like a person, not a platform.
- One segment. 160 characters. One idea, one question. If it needs a scroll, it needed an email.
- Reference the thread: "sent you something Tuesday — worth 90 seconds?"
- No links in the first text. Earn the link on the reply.
- Lowercase energy beats corporate perfume. First names only.
- Opt-out language in message one. It's the law, and it reads confident — like a guy with nothing to hide.
🕶 PRO TIP FROM RICKY"'saw you looking… 👀' has outperformed 'Dear Sir or Madam' since the invention of thumbs."
PLAY Nº4
GIVE THE ROBOT A TIGHT LEASH
An AI caller with vague instructions is a rookie with a company card. Script it like you'd script your newest rep — tighter, actually, because this one listens.
- One goal per call: book the slot. Not five goals. One.
- Clone your best rep's voice. Familiar closes; robotic gets hung up on.
- Write handling instructions like a script, not a vibe: qualification questions, three objections deep, then book or bail.
- Feed it your docs, pricing, and FAQ so it never freelances a discount.
- Cap calls around three minutes. The best closers say less. Same goes for robots.
🕶 PRO TIP FROM RICKY"If your AI can't answer 'how much is it?' without making something up, it's not ready for the phones. Neither was Vinny."
PLAY Nº5
HAND OFF THE HOT ONES FAST
The AI's job is to find the heat, not to hog it. The moment a lead sounds like money, a human should be saying hello.
- Pricing questions, timeline talk, "how does this work?" — that's a live transfer. Now.
- Reps only pick up transfers. Every conversation they have starts warm.
- Transfer missed? The AI books the meeting instead. A hot lead never dead-ends.
🕶 PRO TIP FROM RICKY"Nobody ever got colder by being handed to a human faster."
PLAY Nº6
ONE THREAD OR NO THREAD
Channels that don't talk to each other text people who already said yes. That's how you burn a list — and a reputation.
- A reply on any channel stops every channel. No exceptions. This is the whole trust game.
- One timeline per lead — emails, texts, recordings, transcripts — synced back to the CRM.
- Watch four numbers weekly: SMS reply rate (8–15% is healthy on a warmed list), call connect rate, meetings per 100 leads, cost per meeting.
- Kill the step that doesn't book. Double the one that does.
🕶 PRO TIP FROM RICKY"The money's in the follow-up. The yacht's in the spreadsheet."
THE FINE PRINT
THE PART RICKY'S LAWYER MAKES HIM SAY
- Bring a lawful basis to contact your list. Ricky stacks channels; he doesn't launder lists.
- Every opt-out is honored everywhere, instantly — Ricky handles the mechanics, you honor the spirit.
- Quiet hours are sacred. So is SHAFT: no sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, or tobacco content over SMS. Ever.
- Call-recording consent rules vary by state. Know yours.
🕶 PRO TIP FROM RICKY"Sleazy is a vibe. It is not a compliance strategy."
Now you know the plays. Ricky already knows the phone numbers.