When Socrates first met the rival lovers, he put little hope in conversation with the athletics enthusiast, who professed experience "in deeds (erga) and not in words (logoi)" (132d).
In this situation, Socrates' initial skepticism stemmed from his expectation that the athletic enthusiast would prioritize tangible achievements ("erga") over verbal articulation ("logoi"), as evidenced by the rival lovers' assertion of their expertise in "deeds" rather than "words".