Your Opener Is Killing Your Business

Most consultants lose the sale in the first ten seconds.
The moment someone asks, “So what do you do?” the clock starts ticking.

If your opener doesn’t land, they mentally check out. Game over.

Where It Goes Wrong

Almost everyone leads with their résumé.

“For the past 5 years, I’ve been helping teams drive operational efficiency…”

That’s where you lose them. They don’t care about your background.

They care about one thing:
Can you fix their problem?

If your opener sounds like a list of features instead of pure value, it’s
dead on arrival.
Vague is forgettable.

“I help founders, teams, and SMBs grow revenue through workflow
operational efficiencies.”

That’s a niche salad. Nobody remembers it.

Going into the mind of the buyer: What’s Really Happening
When you’re unclear, your audience loses trust.
If there's no recall, then there's no sale.

The moment you confuse them, they hit “skip.”
It’s not their job to decode you.

How to Fix It
After 30 years of selling high-trust services on Wall Street, I’ve learned one thing: speed-to-clarity builds trust. Meaning, the faster people understand what you do, the faster they’ll believe you
can help them.

The best approach to achieve that combines messaging and sales into a single communication system. Here's how to:

Step 1: The Authority Sentence
Have one line anyone can repeat:

I help [WHO] with [PAIN] achieve [OUTCOME] through [PROCESS].

That’s it. One clean sentence that files you instantly in your buyer’s
mind.

Step 2: The 90-Second Talk Track
This is a short bridge from curiosity to conversation. It must be delivered in five beats:
1. Hook the pain (in their words)
2. State the outcome you deliver
3. Explain your mechanism (how it works)
4. Show one proof-point
5. End with a clear next step

Example: 

1: “I help consultants who struggle to explain what they do.”
2: “By fixing their sales narrative, their calls close faster.”
3: “We do this through three live training sessions.”
4: “So far, four of my clients have become best-selling authors.” 

5: “If you care, I host a free workshop called What to Say When You
Sell.”

At that point, they either lean in to hear more or they don’t.
Both are fine.

You stopped losing opportunities to confusion.

Action items:
1. Audit your opener. Can someone repeat it after hearing it once? If not, rewrite it.
2. Memorize it. Write it neatly on an index card. The act of writing locks it into your brain faster than saying it out loud.

Clarity isn’t a decorative buzzword. It’s the required first step in growing your business.

When You’re Ready
There are four ways I can help you sharpen trust into revenue:
1. Free Live Workshop: “What to Say When You Sell”
Learn how to open any sales conversation so prospects instantly trust
you. → https://www.trustdrivensales.com/what-to-say-when-you-sell
2. The 10-Day Sales Narrative Fast-Track
Fix your message, align your narrative, and turn trust into revenue in just
10 days. → https://www.trustdrivensales.com/sprint
3. VIP Narrative Strategy
Private, done-with-you messaging support in 7 days.
→ https://calendly.com/marc-angelos 

4. Free Discovery Call Playbook
Lead better calls with five simple questions.
→ https://www.trustdrivensales.com/How-to-Lead-Discovery-Call