Discovery Call Conversation Techniques

I've spent 10 years perfecting the art of discovery calls: - reviewed over 2,500 discovery recordings - analyzed millions of discovery calls with AI - personally run (estimated) 3,000 disco calls Here's 5 of my best discovery call tips for 2023: 1. Discovery is a process. Not an event. It’s not a STAGE during the sales cycle. It’s a process. Your buyer’s situation is in flux. If you do “set it and forget it” discovery, you lose. Bad salespeople treat discovery as “check the box." They "front load" discovery. Great salespeople do continuous discovery. Don't set it and forget it. 2. The best discovery CREATES value. It makes buyers THINK. "Most" discovery CONSUMES value. It merely gathers info. Yes, you need to uncover things. But if that's ALL you do? You build a transactional relationship. Don't settle for transactional. Settle for transformative. - challenge your buyer - diagnose the cause of issues - make them consider new angles $500k+ earners do that. 3. Uncover the 'need behind the need.' For whatever reason: Most buyers share surface-level info. I'm not sure why. I suspect it's just how humans crystallize thoughts. Try asking this: "Thanks for sharing that. Do you mind if I ask what's going on in your business that's driving that to be a priority to begin with?" Or, ask them to take you back in time. Your buyer once had a meeting with colleagues to discuss the issue they're trying to solve. That triggered them to reach out to you (among other actions). Ask them about that: "I have to assume you had a meeting with colleagues where you discussed the issue, and agreed to act on it. What did that meeting sound like?" There's gold behind that question. 4. Re-validate everything. Never assume that what you uncovered remains true. Priorities change. Buyers’ needs are transient. When things change, you’d better know. If you followed the last tip, you’ll uncover priorities. But if you treat discovery as “set it and forget it," you’ll miss. Here’s how to re-validate: Start every follow up sales meeting with this: "What’s changed since the last time we talked?" 5. Phrase questions to get LONG answers Hate it when buyers answer with one-word responses? It sucks. According to data, successful salespeople get LONG answers to questions. Here’s how: SIGNAL to your buyer that you want a long response. Do that by phrasing your questions the right way. Start your question with one of these phrases: - help me understand... - walk me through... - talk to me about... This phrasing signals that you want your buyer to answer in depth. You’ll get richer answers. I'm out of space. If you want more, let me know? Until then, know this: Questions are the most powerful tool you have to sell. I spent 10 years collecting the best sales questions in a Google Doc. I tested them. I refined them. Now you can use them. Here's the mega list sales questions: https://lnkd.in/g-VRcCsq

A rep called me frustrated. "I ask all the right questions, but they clam up after 10 minutes. Discovery feels like pulling teeth." I listened to her last call. She was doing everything "right" according to most sales training. Except for one thing. She was treating discovery like an interrogation instead of a conversation. Here's what I told her: Stop trying to get everything in 30 minutes. You're not a police detective gathering evidence. Instead, go deep on what matters most → their pain. Three questions that changed her entire approach: "What's driving this to be a priority right now?" "What happens if you don't solve this in the next 6 months?" "How is this impacting you personally?" Notice something? No questions about budget. No stakeholder mapping. No buying process. Just pain. Deep, emotional, get-them-talking pain. Here's what happened on next call: Prospect spent 20 minutes explaining their challenges. Shared things she never heard before. Got emotional about the daily frustration. Old Rep would've panicked: "I didn't get the buying process info!" New Rep said: "Based on everything you've shared, this sounds complex. Let's schedule another call to walk through how companies typically solve this." Prospect immediately agreed. Why? Because she proved she understood their world. The follow up call? Prospect brought their boss. Shared budget range. Outlined their evaluation timeline. All because the first call was about them, not about her information gathering checklist. Look, I get it. Sales methodology says you need certain data points. But prospects don't care about your methodology. They care about feeling understood. When you nail the pain, everything else flows naturally. The reps's close rate went from 18% to 29% just by changing her discovery approach. Same questions. Same product. Different mindset. Sales VPs: teach your reps to be consultants, not interrogators. The reps who master this thinking close bigger deals because they uncover the real emotional drivers behind every purchase decision. Ever noticed how your best discovery calls feel more like therapy sessions than sales calls? Strange, isn’t it? 😎 — How 700+ clients closed $950 million using THIS 6 step demo script: https://lnkd.in/eVb32BUx

How to craft discovery calls your prospects would pay $500 to attend. Would your prospects pay $500 to attend your discovery call? It’s a bold litmus test, but it’s one I challenge every sales team to consider. I stole the idea from Jill Konrath's classic sales book - SNAP Selling. If your discovery call isn’t valuable enough for a buyer to see it as a true investment in their time, you’re not just losing the deal—you’re missing the opportunity to build trust. Earlier this year, I worked with a team of AEs whose discovery calls were falling flat. They were SDR-driven SQL meetings. Yet, their calls often focused on gathering surface-level information—basic pain points, timeline, and budget. These weren’t conversations. They were questionnaires. 👉 Here’s what we worked on to transform their approach: - Ask deeper, open-ended questions: 🚫 Instead of: “What keeps you up at night?” Try: "Based on conversations with other CIOs, it seems like cybersecurity and effective use of AI are their two biggest headaches. Are those the same conversations you're having or what's at the top of your priority list?" 🚫 Instead of: "Is this something you want to get done by the end of the year?" Try: “What’s changed recently that made solving this problem a priority now?” This single shift helps uncover the context behind their goals and reveals the urgency driving their decisions. Stronger #NeedsAnalysis creates a two-way dialogue. Buyers don’t want to feel like they’re being interrogated. A great discovery call is a conversation where both sides share insights. Here is how to bring a needs analysis approach into your discovery calls that prospects would pay $500 for: - Do real research - Have a unique POV - Connect the dots for them - Ask 11-14 needs-based questions To #EarnTheRight to your prospect's time and attention, you need to spend your discovery call uncovering the prospect's needs and delivering relevant value. 📌 Here's a quote from a prospect that I captured from Zoom. “I wasn’t planning on spending 45 minutes here, but this was the most productive conversation I’ve had in days.” They showed up to the call and sounded curt, maybe even annoyed. By the end of the call, they were locked in. 👉 Drop a comment with how much you think you a prospect would pay to attend a sales call with you! Anybody willing to make a claim at $500 +