A discovery call is often decided in the first few minutes. Not because the buyer has made up their mind, but because the rep has set a tone that either invites honesty or invites politeness.
Four ways it goes wrong
- The call starts with a pitch. The buyer learns what you do before you learn what they need, and the rest of the call is a pitch with questions attached.
- The questions are a checklist. The rep works through a list, ignoring what the buyer just said.
- The rep assumes the problem. They hear a keyword and race to a solution.
- Nobody agrees the purpose. The buyer expects a demo. The rep expects discovery. Both leave frustrated.
What strong openings do
- Agree the purpose. "Is it useful if I ask some questions first, and then we decide together whether it is worth going further?"
- Ask what prompted the call. It often reveals the real trigger.
- Invite honesty. "It is fine if this turns out not to be a fit."
- Listen for specifics. Numbers, names and dates are signs of a real problem.
Questions that help
Strong discovery asks about the situation, the problem, the impact, the urgency, the decision process and success criteria, in an order that follows the conversation, not a script.
Know when to stop asking
If the buyer has told you the answer twice, move on. If they are getting short, check in. If you can write the problem, the impact and the decision process in three sentences, you have enough.
The best next question is usually inside the answer you just heard.
The Discovery Call Question Bank below has over sixty questions in ten groups, with what to listen for and what to avoid.