Did you know you only have 27 seconds to make a good impression?
Yup, that’s it.
27 seconds. And the clock starts ticking as soon as your prospect opens that first email, video, chat, or call.
So, if you want to leave a great impression on someone, you have to nail the beginning. Like a clever first line that makes a book impossible to put down, an exciting pilot episode that has you bingeing the entire series in one weekend, or a sales opener that leaves your prospects hungry to learn more.
We know that delivering the perfect opening line is notoriously tricky, so today we’re talking about what a sales opener is and providing you with examples you can steal.
Let’s dive in 🤿
What Is a Sales Opener?
A sales opener is the first line you open with when talking to a prospective customer. It holds a lot of weight — and can be the difference between a closed deal or a closed door.
Think about it: These days, people are constantly being bombarded with sales openers, making it more and more difficult for sellers to stand out to their ideal customers.
So past methods, like email subject lines which include the buyer’s name, won’t cut it anymore. And if the body of that email is just a generic pitch about your product or service? Forget about making quota.
Remember, 88% of buyers are only willing to buy from sales reps that they consider trusted advisors. And generic openers just don’t build meaningful and trusting relationships.
So, to get your foot in the door, you need an engaging opener that is personalized, timely, and relevant. That’s the key to starting meaningful conversations and catching your buyer’s attention.
What Are the Benefits of a Great Sales Opening Line?
When you have a great opener, your chances of closing the deal are much higher. A successful first conversation draws your prospect in and sets you up to have more quality conversations in the future.
When you give your customer a personalized experience, it means they’re 80% more likely to make a purchase. Engaging these visitors with real-time personalization gets their attention and moves them through the pipeline.
And after strategically engaging with your buyer (via The Conversational Framework), you can get the information you need from them faster and more organically. This information helps you better understand their needs and recommend the right solution.
This way, you can keep the conversation flowing and strengthen your relationship with leads and stakeholders by leaving them with a great first impression. You’ll also know who the key decision-makers are and waste no time when making the right connections.
In short, by connecting genuinely with buyers, you build trust and set the expectation for great customer service throughout the buying process and beyond.
Kick Off the Conversation with These 28 Sales Openers
Now that you know what a sales opener is and the benefits of having a good one, let’s dive in a little deeper.
The best sales openers are personalized, timely, and relevant for each customer. Below we’ve compiled a few of our best openers, each one aimed at a different type of buyer (depending on what stage of the buyer’s journey they are in).
Whether you’re reaching out to your buyers through email, chat, or video, these sales openers are guaranteed to engage them and get the conversation started.
First Touch Use Case
It’s your very first impression. You may not know about your prospect’s exact needs yet, but you can still engage them using an opener that grabs their attention.
Chat Openers
- Hey there, [your name] here 👋 Doing some research on [your company name]?
- Human here, human there? 👀
- Hey [site visitor’s name] 👋 Can I ask you a quick question?
- Thanks for stopping by! Looking into a solution for [their company name]?
- Trying to figure out the right [your solution] is hard, right?
Email Openers
- What would you do with 30% more MQLs?
- Can I ask you a quick question?
- I started searching for the best [their solution] companies…
Video Openers
- Hey [their company name] team. Hope you’re doing well. I wanted to record a quick video introducing myself and share a few ideas for how [your company name] can work for [their company name].
- I saw your post on LinkedIn — very interesting. X, Y, and Z stuck out to me the most. [Your solution] relates well to some of the ideas you mentioned.
What’s next? After engaging the site visitor with an opener — or hook — that reels them in, understand the buyer’s needs and recommend scheduling a first meeting or call.
Frequent Flyer Use Case
Buyers today complete 57% of their purchase decision before ever talking to a sales rep. Instead, they interact with your site through blogs, pricing pages, and product feature pages. So don’t sit back and wait for them to come to you. Take the first step and engage with return visitors — leveraging insights from previous interactions.
Chat Openers
- Hi [their name] — welcome back! I’m [your name], your account manager.
- Hey [their name] 👋 I know you checked out our product pages last night — what brings you back?
- I see you’ve been poking around our pricing page. Any questions I can help answer?
- Hey [their name]! Got the notification you were looking into [feature] a bit. Anything I can help clear up while you look around?
- Hi 👋 Still deciding? Maybe I can help!
Email Openers
- Checking us out? 👀
- Want more info on that [feature] you’ve been looking at?
Video Openers
- Hey [their name]! I got the notification you were looking into [feature] a bit so I figured I’d shoot over a quick video to show how it could work for [their company name].
- I see you’ve been poking around our site and wanted to send over a video to introduce myself! Happy to help answer any questions.
What’s next? After engaging them by welcoming them back to the site, understand their current pain, recommend a demo, and follow up with a video.
Red Carpet Use Case
Red carpet, white gloves, whatever you prefer. Your target accounts should get personalized, relevant, and timely outreach. Use one of these hooks to get the conversation started.
Chat Openers
- Hey [account name] 👋 It’s [your name], your account manager. Let me know if you have any questions!
- Hey [account name], back to learn more about pricing?
- Hey [account name]! It looks like you’re chatting with a member of our team, that’s awesome 🤘 I won’t bug you as you poke around the site, but I’m here if you have any questions!
- Hey [account name]! We work with a lot of businesses like yours, so we think you’d be a great fit. What are you looking for in a solution?
Email Openers
- 5 ideas you can use right now [account name]
- How is your experience with [your competitor] so far?
- [Their first name], looks like your team has been checking out our site lately… 👀
Video Openers
- Hi [prospect name]! I work with businesses just like [their company name], like [their competitor] and [their competitor], on implementing [your solution], so I wanted to connect. What are your biggest goals this quarter on the marketing team?
- Hi [prospect name], I see you work for [their company name]. I think you would be a great fit for [your company name]. Our solution is built for large enterprises like yours.
What’s next? After engaging with a personalized opening, understand why they are on the site, and recommend a demo.
Drift’s Best Sales Openers Are Yours for the Taking
Getting inspired? Or are you still looking for more?
We get that these are just a handful of the use cases sales teams are faced with every day. That’s why we wrote a book that’s chock-full of sales openers, with 40+ examples inside. All tried-and-true methods that your sales team can steal today so you can start having great conversations, scoring meetings, and generating pipeline.
Get The Drift Book of Sales Openers to learn the best conversation starters and when to use them.
