Discovery call

Everything later in the deal, the demo, the proposal and the price, lands better when it is built on what was actually said here. Skip proper discovery and the result is a demo of features nobody asked about, or a proposal that misses the real reason someone would buy. A weak call does not only waste an hour. It pulls every later stage off course.

• Research the prospect first, so the questions sound informed instead of generic.
• Open with how they work today, not with your product.
• Ask what is making them act now, and what happens if nothing changes. A problem with no cost rarely turns into a sale.
• Find out who else is involved in the decision and what the buying process looks like.
• Close with a clear next step in the calendar, and a one-sentence summary of the problem you would solve and for whom.
• Write notes into the CRM on the same day, so the next conversation starts where this one stopped.

A discovery call comes before the demo and the proposal. The seller does most of the asking and the buyer does most of the talking. The aim is to learn how the prospect works today, what problem is pushing them to look for a change and what it costs them, who else decides, and how the purchase will be made.

It also works as a filter. If the problem is too small, the budget is missing or the timing is wrong, finding that out early saves both sides time.

• Pitching in the first five minutes.
• Running down a checklist like an interrogation instead of following what the prospect says.
• Ending without a booked next step.

• "What made you start looking at this now?"
• "How do you handle it today, and where does that break down?"
• "What does that cost you in time or money?"
• "Who else would need to agree before this goes ahead?"