🧲 Stop schmoozing—open like a pro

Open Zoom. The lead shows up.

You’ve got about 90 seconds before another notification wins their attention.

Most sellers fill that time with “How’s the weather in Boston?” or “How's your day going?”

• Lame

• Useless

• Zero credibility boost

99% of sellers try to schmooze their way into their leads' pockets. And it's a huge downer.

Instead, show them you value their time, and open with a kick-ass line.

Rock the first 90 seconds of your discovery call

First of all, the foundations:

• A discovery call should last 15-30 minutes

• Set it up to:

  • Build rapport (first 90 seconds)

  • Explore the specifics of your leads' problems

  • Understand if they’re going to buy and when

Here's how to make the most of those first 90 seconds.

5-minute prep that pays

1. Check their website and social media

2. Find something about their business that you can relate to the problem you solve

Most of the time, this shouldn't be difficult (especially if the lead doesn't come from a cold email).

If you find yourself in a bind, don't revert to weather-BS. Instead, expand your research to the industry your client is in. While less specific, it will still give you valuable insights into their business.

When the call begins, highlight that you prefer to dive straight into the call's main topic: "If it's okay with you, I'd focus on the business at hand."

It shows that you don't have time to waste, and more importantly, that you are respectful of their time.

Then you can continue with one of these openers.

4 openers that elevate you above the average seller

1. Recent move

How it works: Reference a specific, recent move inside their company and link it to the pain you solve. You prove you’ve done your homework and invite them to talk numbers.

Examples:

• Context: Your lead has just switched to usage‑based pricing, and you offer a churn analytics platform.

  Opener: “Congrats on rolling out usage‑based pricing last quarter. I'm curious how churn’s trending. I’ve seen it spike by 4–6 pts during similar switches. Same for you, or are you bucking the trend?”

• Context: Your lead is hiring RevOps analysts, and you sell a revenue‑expansion solution.

  Opener: “I noticed you’re hiring two RevOps analysts. Does that mean expansion revenue is the current priority?”

2. Industry insight

How it works: Point to clear patterns you’ve uncovered while working with similar companies. You show you live in their world and nudge them to confirm or correct the trend.

Examples:

• Context: You sell an ads‑manager service to DTC brands

  Opener: “Across the DTC stores we support, the most effective channel is Instagram. Its performance is 10-30% higher than any other platform. What has been your experience so far?”

• Context: You offer a ghostwriting service to SaaS founders

  Opener: “Most of our founder clients are enthusiastic about 𝕏. For most of them, posting three weekly threads brings in more engagement than on any other platform. Were you considering that channel as well?”

3. Metric punch

How it works: Surface an insight hiding in plain sight—public metrics, user reviews, or product changes—to prove domain savvy and spark a meaningful reaction.

Examples:

• Context: You run a lead‑gen agency

  Opener: “Apollo’s 2025 report says the typical cold email sees a 1.2 % reply rate. Teams that add intent data usually push past 2 %. Where do your campaigns land right now?”

• Context: You offer a fractional CTO service

  Opener: “Carta’s latest startup survey shows engineering spending jumps ~40 % between Seed and Series A when there’s no senior tech lead in‑house. Seeing a similar burn, or do you have it contained?”

4. Outcome teaser

How it works: Frame the call around a concrete, high‑value result you can co‑validate quickly.

Attention: Use this only if you already have solid credibility—otherwise, it can feel pushy and put the buyer on the defensive.

Examples:

• Context: You sell onboarding automation.

  Opener: “If we can find two quick wins that shave 20 % off your SDR ramp time, is that worth our next step together?”

• Context: You provide revenue intelligence software.

  Opener: “We cut forecast variance in half for RevOps leaders within 30 days. Worth checking if that’s realistic for you?”

Pick one, deliver it clean, and shut up.

Do that, and you'll start sounding like the person they want to keep talking to—no weather chat required.

That’s it for now, everyone! We’ll meet again next week to discuss some more of this!

Feel free to reply to this email. It goes directly to me.

Cheers,

Yannick