What are discovery questions?
Essential questions in a discovery questionnaire
A well-crafted discovery questionnaire is a valuable resource for the sales rep. Here’s an exhaustive list of discovery questions that go beyond common frameworks like BANT and MEDDPICC.
Understanding the prospect’s business goals, pain points
What are your short-term and long-term goals?
What are the biggest issues you’re trying to solve right now?
How do these issues impact your daily operations or long-term goals?
What would success look like after solving these issues?
What are the consequences of not addressing this problem?
Understanding the prospect’s challenges with current processes and solutions
How long have you been using your current solution?
What challenges are you facing with your current solution?
Uncovering tech stack
What tools, systems, or processes are you currently using?
Identifying decision-making process
Who is involved in the decision-making process?
What is your timeline for making a decision?
What are your key criteria when selecting a solution?
What’s your timeline for implementing the solution?
Budget and resources
Do you have a budget allocated for this project?
What other resources (time, team, technology) do you have available to implement a new solution?
Are there any constraints we should be aware of?
By incorporating these essential questions, sales reps can gather meaningful insights during discovery, build a better understanding of the prospect's needs, and set the stage for a more effective sales process going forward.
Three types of discovery call questions
A well-crafted discovery questionnaire is a valuable resource for the sales rep. Here’s an exhaustive list of discovery questions that go beyond common frameworks like BANT and MEDDPICC.
Open-Ended Questions: These questions encourage prospects to provide detailed responses and share more about their challenges, needs, and goals. They help uncover deeper insights and create a more engaging dialogue. For example, "What are the biggest challenges your team is currently facing?" or "Can you tell me more about your goals for the next year?"
Closed-Ended Questions: These are specific, focused questions that usually require a yes or no answer or a short response. They are useful for confirming information or getting clear, direct answers. For example, "Are you currently using any solutions to address this problem?" or "Do you have a set budget for this project?"
Closed-Ended Questions: These are specific, focused questions that usually require a yes or no answer or a short response. They are useful for confirming information or getting clear, direct answers. For example, "Are you currently using any solutions to address this problem?" or "Do you have a set budget for this project?"
By balancing open-ended, closed-ended, and follow-up questions, sales reps can conduct a more thorough and effective discovery call.
How can sales reps prepare for a discovery call
To effectively prepare for a discovery call, sales reps should follow these steps:
Prospect and company research: Before the call, collect all the required information about the prospect and the company by conducting thorough research on platforms like ZoomInfo, Apollo, 6sense, Crunchbase, LinkedIn, Clearbit, Bombora, news websites, etc. Understand their industry, challenges, and potential requirements. Try to answer as many discovery questions as you can through the research process so that you can spend the bulk of the the discovery call focusing on the deeper-level questions.
Research current tech stack: Look into the tools, softwares, and services the company is already using. Tools like BuiltWith provide this info. This will help sales reps understand how their solution fits into this tech stack and also helps them highlight integrations with the prospect’s current tech stack.
Prepare discovery questions list to be asked during call: After doing all the above research, sales reps will be left with a list of things they need to ask the prospect. The next step will be to make a list of these questions. These questions should guide the conversation and show that you're focused on solving their problems.
Prepare the pitch: Based on the research, sales reps should also prepare some notes on how their solution can directly address the prospect’s immediate pain points and challenges.
Create an agenda for the call and share with prospect: The final step is to outline the agenda of the call and share it with the prospect beforehand. This helps the prospect have the answers to your questions ready and ensures that both parties are aligned on expectations for the conversation.
If this sounds overwhelming, we have AI agents that can do all of this for you. Learn more about our AI agents here.
How to run a sales discovery call in 9 steps
To effectively prepare for a discovery call, sales reps should follow these steps:
Start with a warm introduction and reminding the prospect of the agenda - Begin by introducing yourself and your role. Set a friendly, professional tone and establish the purpose of the call. Clearly communicate the value the prospect will gain from the conversation and what you aim to achieve by the end of the call.
Start with open-ended discovery questions - Dive into your prepared discovery questions to uncover the prospect’s goals, pain points, and decision-making criteria. Use open-ended questions such as “What challenges are you currently facing?” and “How does your current process work?”
Listen actively and direct the call accordingly - Let the prospect talk. Take notes, ask follow-up questions, and show genuine interest in their responses. Active listening helps build rapport and demonstrates that you’re focused on solving their problems, not just selling your product.
Dig deeper into pain points - As you ask questions and listen to responses, pinpoint the prospect’s core challenges. These pain points are the key to positioning your solution as the answer to their problems. Summarize what you’ve learned to confirm your understanding: “It sounds like your biggest challenge is X. Is that correct?”
Provide insights into your solution - Once you’ve identified the prospect’s needs, offer insights that align with their pain points. Share relevant use cases or success stories that demonstrate how your solution has helped similar companies. However, avoid going into a full pitch mode—focus on showing that you understand their specific needs.
Ask more discovery questions to qualify the prospect - Assess whether the prospect is a good fit for your product. Ask about their budget, timeline, and decision-making process. You can do this by asking questions like “What’s your budget for this initiative?”, “What’s your timeline for finding a solution?” and“Who else would be involved in the decision-making process?”
Address concerns and objections - Encourage the prospect to share any concerns they may have about your product or the process. Address these objections calmly and confidently to prevent them from becoming roadblocks later in the sales process.
Summarize the conversation - At the end of the call, summarize key takeaways and confirm mutual understanding. Restate the prospect’s challenges, desired outcomes, and any next steps agreed upon.
Outline next steps - Close the call by outlining the next steps in the process. This could involve setting up a demo, sending additional materials, or scheduling a follow-up meeting. Make sure the prospect is clear on what happens next and when.
By following these steps, sales reps can uncover valuable insights, build stronger relationships, and move prospects further down the sales funnel.
