5 Pipeline Plays
I'm taking these into 2026
Read Time = 3 minutes
I’ve been running into a few onboarding sessions with a group of “Founding BDRs” this month.
Between learning the product, figuring out the ICP, building their lists, writing emails…. they had one request: “can you just give us a few plays to run?”
Straight to point — so I put together a handful of prospecting tips, cold email ideas, and call openers to get them moving.
But once I got going, it turned into something bigger.
I layered in the cold email frameworks I actually use.
The talk tracks that consistently open conversations.
The prospecting shortcuts that save hours.
And some lightweight AI workflows to save time.
By the end, it wasn’t a quick guide anymore — it was 15 pipeline plays I use daily and the same ones that have helped my teams drive millions in pipeline.
I share five of them below, if you want them all click here (free) 👇
My best outbound plays— cold calls, emails, follow-ups, research systems, and AI workflows — to help you build more pipeline and drive revenue
Click to grab it
1. The Website Question Opener
My go-to cold call opener:
“Hey ___, was on your website and had a quick question — got 2 minutes?”
It doesn’t sound like a sales call, buys you a shot to start the convo, and is simple enough that any rep can run it immediately.
If you’re stuck on calling confidence, start here.
2. Seven Words to Start Emails
Your cold emails don’t need a full rebrand — they need a cleaner first line.
Start with one of these:
You
Saw
How
Spoke
Noticed
Referred
Remember
“Mark — noticed you recently hired a Head of CS.”
Short. Personal. Relevant.
Your reply rate will jump.
ZoomInfo GTM Workspace brings your prospecting, insights, and engagement tools into one workspace — built for speed, accuracy, and execution.
3. A Killer Subject Line
Subject line: next week
Body: one line.
“Are you around next week to talk about X?”
This is the simplest re-engagement play I know, and it consistently revives threads that died weeks ago.
Don’t overthink it.
4. The Old Opportunity Revival
Closed lost opportunities are the low hanging fruit of B2B outbound
Create a new account report in LinkedIn Navigator
Add "My CRM Accounts" list synced from CRM
Include recent activities ~ leadership changes, funding
Repeat quarterly
It’s wild how much pipeline is hiding in past conversations.
5. The Investor Pipeline Play
Here’s the sequence:
Map your customers to their investors
Track those investors’ new rounds
Reach out to the new portfolio companies with a warm opener:
It’s outbound, but it feels like a referral.
The Bottom Line:
If these five plays help you get unstuck, the full 2026 Outbound Playbook.
Cold email frameworks.
Cold call talk tracks.
Research shortcuts.
Follow-up angles.
And a few AI workflows I wish I had years ago.
I built it for a team I’ve been onboarding this month and it’s something that’s helped my teams drive millions in pipeline over the years.
Until next Thursday,
TSG
P.S. I reply to all emails.