Why Discovery Calls Matter

The most common approach in B2B Sales, especially when it comes to selling software, is Solution Selling. Solution Selling helps us to understand the challenges a prospect is facing and then match our solution to these challenges. The Discovery Call is our core tool in uncovering the prospect's challenges. It helps us in:

• Building Rapport: Establish a relationship of trust and credibility with the prospect.
• Understanding Needs: Uncover the prospect's pain points, needs, and goals.
• Setting the Stage: Lay the groundwork for future conversations and sales activities.
• Qualification: Determine if the prospect is a good fit for your product or service.

By effectively conducting discovery calls, you can ensure that your sales efforts are focused on the most promising leads and tailored to meet their specific needs.

Preparation: The Foundation of a Successful Discovery Call

Before your call actually happens there are multiple things you should do to properly prepare it. Here's how to get ready:

Research the Prospect

Before the call, gather as much information as possible about the prospect's company, industry, and specific role. Look into their business model, recent news, and any challenges they might be facing. This research will enable you to tailor your questions and demonstrate genuine interest in their business.

Set a Clear Agenda

Having a clear agenda for the call helps manage expectations and keeps the conversation on track. Share this agenda with the prospect at the beginning of the call and ask whether they see additional points that should be covered. A typical agenda might include:

• Introduction: Briefly introduce yourself and your company. Ask them to introduce themselves.
• Purpose of the Call: Clarify the reason and goal of the call.
• Discussion: Outline the topics you would like to discuss to reach the goal.
• Next Steps: Mention that you'll discuss potential next steps towards the end of the call.

Conducting the Call: Techniques and Best-Practices

Do you like to be interrogated? Neither does your prospect. Creating a meaningful conversation is key. Every Discovery Call will be different, but you can still follow a similar structure that you can fill with questions that are adapted to each specific prospect.

Build Rapport

Start the call by building rapport. Use a friendly tone and show genuine interest in the prospect. You might begin with a light comment about a recent industry trend or a compliment about their company's achievements. Establishing a connection early on can make the rest of the conversation more productive.

Use Open-Ended Questions to validate Pain Points

Open-ended questions are crucial in discovery calls. They encourage the prospect to provide detailed answers, giving you deeper insights into their needs and challenges. When the prospect mentions a pain point, acknowledge it. Show empathy and understanding.
If you are looking for some best-practice questions that have been proven to work, you can download the favourite discovery questions of Koyos' sales instructors

Listen Actively

Active listening is key. Pay close attention to the prospect's responses, and don't interrupt. Use verbal nods and follow-up questions to show that you are engaged and interested in what they are saying. This not only helps build trust but also ensures you gather all the necessary information. Your goal is to make the prospect talk at least the majority of the time, as this is about understanding them better and only guiding the conversation.

Probe Deeper

Don’t be afraid to dig deeper. If they mention a challenge, ask follow-up questions to understand more. It's basically asking "Why" three times. But please don't just use "Why"! Ask proper questions that build on what you have just heard to uncover hidden reasons. Often you will experience that the prospect lacks answer to your questions. That is your opportunity to provide guidance and show expertise.

Qualifying the Prospect

During the call your goal is to figure out if the prospect is a good fit for your solution. This won't always be the case and that is fine. In fact, only about half of your prospects will reach the next stage after your discovery call.

There are plenty frameworks out there that cover which elements should typically be qualified. We suggest you choose one of them and adapt it to your specific needs. Basically, all of them cover the following aspects in one way or another:

• Need / Pain / Problem: What is it that your prospects / their business are facing they want to change?
• Time / Compelling Event / Why now: What are the reasons that this needs to be solved in the near future?
• Authority / Decision-maker / Buying Center: Who needs to be involved to get to a decision?
• Process: What needs to be done to get to a decision?
• Solution fit / Value / ROI: Is your solution able to solve the problem and how is it creating business value?

Closing the Call: Next Steps and Follow-Up

Summarize Key Points

At the end of the call, summarize what you’ve discussed. This shows you’ve been listening and helps clear up any misunderstandings. You might say: "To recap, it sounds like your main challenges are X, Y, and Z, and you’re looking for a solution that can help you achieve A, B, and C. Is that right?"

Schedule Next Steps

Always propose a clear next step before ending the call. This could be scheduling a demo or setting up another meeting to continue the discoussion around your prospects goals. Always, make sure the prospect agrees and commits to a specific date and time. If your prospects have initially agreed to provide honest feedback at the end, about whether they would like to move on, this is the time to ask them about it.

Send a Follow-Up Email

After the call, send a follow-up email summarizing the discussion and confirming the next steps. This keeps the momentum going and ensures everyone is on the same page.

Conclusion

Mastering the discovery call is a lasting endeavour. It takes preparation, practice, and continuous improvement. By proper preparation, asking the right questions, and listening carefully, you can uncover valuable insights, build strong relationships, and set the stage for a successful sale.

Although, your technique of guiding and controling the conversation is critically, sometimes the right questions helps you to dig deeper and unveil extremely valuable insights. That is why we have compiled a collection of best-practice questions that will help you to reach the next level in your next calls. Grab it below ...

Do you want to master all aspects of B2B sales and push your quota attainment to the sky? Then check out Koyos Bootcamps that will help you to get there: Koyos Bootcamp Overview