Starting sales calls with rapport and a clear agenda.

In this opening lesson, you step into a realistic first conversation with a new prospect on a video call. You are the salesperson or account lead, and your goal is to sound credible from the first minute: friendly, confident, and structured. You will begin with a quick diagnostic and build a simple case file you can reuse across the course (your product or service, typical buyer persona, main competitors, and success metrics). Then you rehearse how to open the call, handle a brief small-talk moment naturally, and frame a clear agenda that wins agreement. You will practise language that keeps the meeting moving without feeling pushy, and you will learn how to regain control politely if the other person goes off-topic or jumps ahead to price. By the end, you will complete a short simulated call opening where you set expectations and create a professional tone for the whole conversation.

1. Your case file for today’s prospect.

Today we’re going to rehearse a very real moment: the first two minutes of a video call with a new prospect. Those two minutes decide the tone for everything that follows. Your goal is to sound warm, confident, and structured, without sounding scripted. Before we touch small talk or agendas, we need a simple “case file”. Think of it as your quick mental prep: what you sell, who it’s for, the competitors they might mention, and what success looks like in numbers. If you can name those elements clearly, your opening will sound credible. On your screen you’ll see a short scenario brief for a prospect called Emma. We’ll keep the same scenario across the whole lesson so you can build momentum. In a moment, I’ll ask you to write a compact case file in your own words. Don’t worry if it’s not your real product. The point is the structure: product, buyer, competitors, KPIs. Keep it simple, and make it sound like you could genuinely say it on a call.

Situation: first video call with a new prospect.

You’re about to join a 30-minute video call with Emma Lewis, Head of Revenue Operations at Northbridge Logistics. She agreed to a first conversation after a short email exchange.

In this lesson, you will stay in this same situation from start to finish. Your “can do” outcome is: open the call with rapport and a clear agenda that wins agreement.

Why a quick case file matters.

If you start the call with friendly energy but no structure, you can sound junior. If you start with structure but no warmth, you can sound cold. A short case file helps you do both:

• It gives you credible context (“teams like yours…”) without a long pitch.
• It helps you ask better questions because you already know the likely priorities.
• It stops you panicking when the prospect jumps ahead to pricing or solutions.

The Case File (simple version).

Write four lines you can actually use.

Useful starter chunks (you will reuse these later).

• “Thanks for making the time today.”
• “Just to give you a bit of context, we work with teams like yours to improve X.”

In the next block, you’ll hear a model opening. For now, build your case file so your language has something solid to stand on.

Practice & Feedback

Write a mini case file for the scenario above (Northbridge Logistics + Emma Lewis). Use 4 short lines, one for each heading:

1. Product/service (plain English)
2. Buyer persona (what Emma likely cares about)
3. Competitors/alternatives (2–3 examples)
4. Success metrics (KPIs) (2–3 measurable outcomes)

Keep each line to one sentence. Aim for wording you could genuinely say on a call. After you write it, read it back silently: does it sound clear and business-like?

Scenario brief (on-screen reference).

• Prospect: Emma Lewis, Head of Revenue Operations
• Company: Northbridge Logistics
• Meeting length: 30 minutes
• Your offering (example): a B2B tool that improves pipeline visibility and forecast accuracy for revenue teams

Reminder: keep it simple.

Good case files are not perfect. They are usable: short, clear, and focused on outcomes.

2. Model opening: small talk and checking timing.

Now let’s listen to a realistic call opening. Your job is not to memorise it word-for-word. Instead, listen for three things: first, how the seller sounds human with brief small talk; second, how they check timing without sounding robotic; and third, how they transition into the purpose of the call. At B2 level, the difference is often not grammar. It’s control: you can be friendly and still lead. Notice how the seller uses simple phrases like “Thanks for making the time” and “Before we start, could I quickly check…”. Those are small, but they signal professionalism. After the audio, you’ll answer a few comprehension questions. Then we’ll reuse the same structure with your own words. While you listen, imagine you are on video: camera on, slight smile, calm pace. You’re setting the tone for a proper business conversation, not a casual chat.

Listening focus: the first 60–90 seconds.

In the audio at the bottom of this block, you’ll hear a short opening between:

• You: the sales/account lead
• Emma: Head of Revenue Operations at Northbridge Logistics

This is the moment where you establish three things:

1. Warmth (you sound like a normal person)
2. Time control (you confirm the length and avoid drifting)
3. Direction (you set up the agenda you’ll propose next)

What to listen for.

As you listen, try to catch the exact wording for:

• Greeting and appreciation
• Small talk question (short and safe)
• Timing check
• A polite transition into business

You are not looking for “fancy” English. You’re looking for repeatable English.

Quick note: natural small talk for sales calls.

At work, small talk is not “talking about nothing”. It’s a short relationship signal. Good topics are neutral:

• “How’s your week going?”
• “How are things on your side?”
• “Thanks again for making the time.”

Avoid long personal questions early on. Keep it light, then move.

Micro-structure you will reuse.

A strong opening often follows this pattern:

Thanks → 2. Small talk → 3. Time check → 4. Transition

In the next block, we’ll add the agenda. For now, prove to yourself you can hear the building blocks clearly.

Practice & Feedback

Listen to the call opening. Then answer in short, clear sentences.

1. What is the first thing the seller says to Emma?
2. How does the seller check the meeting length?
3. Write one phrase from the audio that sounds warm and professional.
4. What is Emma’s response to the timing check?

If you can’t remember the exact words, write your best version. We’ll improve it together using the phrases from the lesson.

3. Proposing an agenda and getting agreement.

You’ve heard how the opening starts. Now we’ll add the piece that makes you sound properly in control: the agenda. At B2, a clear agenda is your best confidence tool because it tells the other person, and you, what happens next. The key is to make your agenda sound collaborative, not bossy. We do that with softeners and checks, for example: “What I’d like to do today is…” and “Does that agenda work for you?” That language gives structure while still inviting agreement. On the screen, you’ll see a model agenda for a 30-minute first call with Emma. You’ll also see a few variations so you can choose what fits your style. After that, you’ll write your own agenda in two sentences, using your case file from earlier. Keep it tight: goal, questions, next steps. Then we’ll polish it so it sounds natural and confident.

From small talk to structure: the agenda move.

In the previous block, the seller created warmth and checked time. Now you need to take the steering wheel politely.

A good agenda does three jobs:

1. Sets expectations (no surprises)
2. Signals professionalism (you lead the process)
3. Creates commitment (they agree to the plan)

Model agenda (30-minute first call).

Here is a strong, sales-ready version:

> “What I’d like to do today is outline the goal, ask a few questions about your current reporting and forecasting process, and then, if it makes sense, agree next steps. Does that agenda work for you?”

Notice how it’s structured, but not heavy.

Useful chunks to recycle.

From the lesson chunk bank:

• “Before we start, could I quickly check we still have 30 minutes?”
• “What I would like to do today is outline the goal, ask a few questions, and agree next steps.”
• “Does that agenda work for you?”
• “If anything is not relevant, please tell me and we will adjust.”
• “Where would you like to focus today?”

Optional variations (choose what fits your style).

You can keep the same meaning but vary the tone:

• Slightly more formal:
• “The aim today is to understand your current setup and see whether there’s a fit. Then we can decide the next step.”

• Slightly more collaborative:
• “I’ve got a suggested plan for the 30 minutes, but I’m happy to adapt. Would that work?”

• More time-controlled:
• “I’ll keep us on time. We’ll spend ten minutes on context, ten on questions, and we’ll leave ten for next steps.”

Mini-rubric for a strong agenda (quick check).

Your agenda is working if it:

• mentions time (30 minutes)
• includes questions (discovery)
• includes next steps (decision at the end)
• ends with a check (“Does that work?”)

Next, you’ll write your own agenda. Keep it to two sentences so it sounds like spoken English, not an email.

Practice & Feedback

Write what you would say to Emma to set the agenda after the small talk and timing check.

Write two sentences:

• Sentence 1: your proposed plan for the 30 minutes (goal + questions + next steps).
• Sentence 2: a check question to get agreement (for example, “Does that agenda work for you?”).

Use at least two chunks from the list on the screen (you can adapt them). Keep it natural, like you are speaking on a video call.

Agenda building blocks (pick and combine).

• “What I’d like to do today is …”
• “The aim today is …”
• “ask a few questions about …”
• “share a bit of context …”
• “and then agree next steps.”
• “If anything isn’t relevant, please tell me and we’ll adjust.”
• “Does that agenda work for you?”
• “Where would you like to focus today?”

4. Regaining control if they go off-topic or jump to price.

Even with a good agenda, prospects don’t always follow your plan. A common moment is when they go off-topic, or they jump ahead: “So what’s the price?” If you answer too fast, you can lose the discovery stage and end up in a weak position. Your skill here is calm redirection. You acknowledge the question so you don’t sound evasive, but you also protect the structure of the call. Phrases like “That’s a fair question” and “Let me address that briefly and then continue” are extremely useful, because they’re polite and they keep you in charge. On your screen, you’ll see a short mini-dialogue where Emma asks about pricing early. We’ll break down the language: acknowledge, park, and re-focus. Then you’ll write your own two-line response: one line to acknowledge, one line to steer back to the agenda and questions. The aim is to sound confident, not defensive.

The difficult moment: price too early.

You have set the agenda, but Emma interrupts:

> “Before we go further, can you give me a sense of pricing?”

This is normal. It doesn’t mean the deal is lost. It means you need a professional repair move.

A calm structure to regain control.

Use this sequence:

1. Acknowledge (show you heard the question)
2. Give a limited answer or condition (don’t over-commit)
3. Re-centre on the agenda (why you need context)
4. Check / invite agreement (keep it collaborative)

Model responses (spoken, natural).

Option A (park it politely):

> “That’s a fair question. Pricing really depends on scope and number of users, so if it’s OK, I’ll ask a couple of quick questions first, and then I can give you a realistic range. Does that work?”

Option B (light range + refocus):

> “Sure. Broadly, teams like yours are usually in the low five figures annually, but it varies. If we spend ten minutes on your requirements, I can be much more accurate. Shall we do that?”

Option C (time control):

> “Happy to cover that. To make it useful, can we first confirm what success looks like and what you’d actually need? Then we’ll talk numbers with context.”

Key phrases to notice.

• “That’s a fair question.”
• “It depends on…”
• “If it’s OK, I’ll…”
• “So I can give you a realistic range…”
• “Does that work?” / “Shall we do that?”

What to avoid.

• Avoid sounding secretive: “I can’t talk about price.”
• Avoid sounding pushy: “We won’t discuss price until later.”
• Avoid over-promising: “It’ll be cheap.”

In the activity, you’ll write your own redirect. Keep it calm and matter-of-fact.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are speaking to Emma on the video call. She interrupts right after you propose the agenda and says:

“Before we go further, can you give me a sense of pricing?”

Write a two-part reply (2–3 sentences total):

1. Acknowledge her question politely.
2. Re-centre the call: explain briefly why you need context first, and suggest returning to the agenda or asking a couple of questions.

Use at least one phrase from the models on the screen (you can adapt it). Aim for a calm, confident tone.

Quick language bank for polite redirection.

• “That’s a fair question.”
• “It depends on scope / number of users / implementation.”
• “If it’s OK, I’ll ask a couple of quick questions first…”
• “Then I can give you a realistic range.”
• “Does that work?”
• “Shall we park that for ten minutes and come back to it?”

5. Chat simulation: opening the call in real time.

Now we’ll put this into a short, realistic simulation. Think of it like a chat-based version of the first two minutes on a video call. You’ll lead; I’ll play Emma. Your job is to move through the sequence smoothly: greeting and thanks, small talk, timing check, agenda proposal, and agreement. If I challenge you with a small interruption, you’ll use the polite redirection language from the previous block. The key skill here is speed with control. You don’t need long sentences. You need clear turns that sound natural. Also, keep an eye on the relationship: one warm line is enough, then you transition. On the screen you’ll see the five-step flow and some helpful chunks. When you’re ready, write your first message to Emma. After that, I’ll reply as Emma and you continue. Keep it to a few short lines, as if you’re speaking, not writing an email.

Live-style simulation (chat format).

We’ll simulate the call opening as short chat turns. The content is spoken-call content, but the format is chat so you can practise quickly.

Your goal.

By the end of the exchange, you should have:

• greeted Emma professionally
• done one short small-talk move
• confirmed you still have 30 minutes
• proposed an agenda
• got agreement (“Sounds good”, “Yes”, “Works for me”)

The five-step flow (keep it simple).

1. Thanks + greeting
2. Small talk (one question)
3. Timing check
4. Agenda (goal + questions + next steps)
5. Agreement check

Reference chunks (use and adapt).

• “Thanks for making the time today.”
• “How are things on your side?”
• “Before we start, could I quickly check we still have 30 minutes?”
• “What I’d like to do today is outline the goal, ask a few questions, and agree next steps.”
• “If anything isn’t relevant, please tell me and we’ll adjust.”
• “Does that agenda work for you?”
• “Shall we get started?”

If Emma interrupts (optional).

If Emma jumps to pricing or tries to skip ahead, use:

• “That’s a fair question. It depends on… If it’s OK, I’ll ask a couple of quick questions first, and then I can give you a realistic range. Does that work?”

Mini-rubric (how you’ll be assessed).

• Clarity: short, easy-to-follow turns
• Tone: warm but business-like
• Control: you lead to an agenda and a clear start

In the activity, start the conversation. Write your first message to Emma.

Practice & Feedback

Start a chat-style simulation of the call opening. You are the seller and I am Emma.

Write your first message to Emma (1–3 short lines). Include:

• a greeting + thanks
• one short small-talk question

Then stop. After I reply as Emma, you will continue in your next turn (timing check → agenda → agreement).

Keep your lines short and natural, like spoken English on a video call. Try to use at least one chunk from the reference list on the screen.

Chat format reminder.

Write like this:

You: …

(Then wait for Emma’s reply.)

Optional detail to make it realistic.

Emma is busy today, but polite. She prefers direct, structured conversations.

6. Performance check: your full call opening script.

Let’s finish with a short performance task you can genuinely reuse. You will write a complete opening for the call with Emma: from greeting through to agreeing the agenda and starting the discovery. This is where you combine everything: your case file context, warm small talk, timing check, and a clear agenda. The target is not a perfect speech. The target is a practical script you could glance at before a real call. As you write, imagine Emma is intelligent and busy. She wants you to get to the point, but she also expects professional politeness. Keep it to around one minute when spoken. If you make it too long, you lose control. If you make it too short, you can sound abrupt. Use the chunk bank as your toolkit, but make it sound like you. When you finish, I’ll give you corrections, a stronger version, and a quick checklist you can apply to your next meeting.

Your final task: one-minute call opening (script).

You now have all the building blocks. Your job is to produce a short opening that sounds:

• warm (human, not robotic)
• credible (you understand the context)
• structured (clear plan and next steps)

Script structure (recommended).

Write 8–12 lines in this order:

1. Greeting + thanks
2. Small talk (one line)
3. Timing check (30 minutes)
4. Context line (one sentence from your case file)
5. Agenda proposal (goal + questions + next steps)
6. Permission to adjust (optional)
7. Agreement check (“Does that work?”)
8. Start (“Shall we get started?”)

Model (for reference only).

This is a model; you will write your own version.

You: “Hi Emma, thanks for making the time today.”

You: “How are things on your side?”

You: “Before we start, could I quickly check we still have 30 minutes?”

You: “Great. Just to give you a bit of context, we work with RevOps teams to improve forecast accuracy and pipeline visibility.”

You: “What I’d like to do today is outline the goal, ask a few questions about your current setup, and then agree next steps.”

You: “If anything isn’t relevant, please tell me and we’ll adjust.”

You: “Does that agenda work for you?”

You: “Perfect. Shall we get started?”

Mini rubric (self-check before you submit).

• Did you include the timing check?
• Did you propose an agenda with questions + next steps?
• Did you use a check question to get agreement?
• Does it sound like spoken English, not an email?

Now write your script for Emma and Northbridge Logistics.

Practice & Feedback

Write your full call opening script for the video call with Emma at Northbridge Logistics.

Requirements:

• 8–12 lines (use “You:” at the start of each line).
• Include: thanks, small talk, timing check, one context line from your case file, agenda, and a check question.
• Keep it to roughly one minute when spoken.
• Use at least three phrases from the lesson chunk bank (you can adapt them).

After you write it, quickly read it and check: does it sound calm, confident, and easy to follow?

Chunk bank (use at least three).

• “Thanks for making the time today.”
• “How are things on your side?”
• “Before we start, could I quickly check we still have 30 minutes?”
• “What I would like to do today is outline the goal, ask a few questions, and agree next steps.”
• “Does that agenda work for you?”
• “Just to give you a bit of context, we work with teams like yours to improve X.”
• “If anything is not relevant, please tell me and we will adjust.”
• “Where would you like to focus today?”
• “If it is helpful, I can share my screen later.”
• “Shall we get started?”