Discovery and qualification

Discovery is a mutual qualification process between seller and customer.¹ Both sides should leave with a clearer decision about the problem and the path ahead. You test whether the problem is worth pursuing, while the prospect tests whether you understand it and can help. A strong call creates a shared view of the problem, the people involved, and the next decision. Leave enough room for the prospect to judge your thinking.

Prepare the call

Go into the meeting with a reason for it and a decision you want to reach. A loose list of questions can collect detail without changing what happens next.

Decide what you want to obtain from the meeting before choosing what to ask. Sellers can ask what they are trying to get from each meeting, even in a meeting based sales process.² Build an agenda to give the call shape. A discovery call coaching framework can include an agenda, good questions, and next steps.^{3, 4} Establish the next step at the beginning of the sales call.⁵

Write down the problem you need to understand, the decision you want the prospect to make, and the information that would help you earn that decision. Keep the plan short enough to use while listening.

Open with a shared outcome

Make the call easy to enter. Find the reason for the meeting, agree how to use the time, and give the prospect a chance to correct your understanding.

When you do not already know the reason, start by finding out why the prospect took the call.⁶ Set a mutual frame of reference about what the prospect is working on.⁷ Prospects attend sales calls to get their questions answered and determine how the seller can solve their problem.⁸

Ask, "What prompted you to take this call?" Then ask, "What would make this conversation useful?" Listen for a reason you can explore during the meeting. If the answer stays broad, ask what prompted it and what outcome they want to change. Move on when you have a shared topic for the call.

Work from situation to problem

Use the middle of the call to establish a problem worth solving. Stay with the prospect's answers until you have enough detail and confirmation to decide whether the issue has substance.

The middle of a discovery call consists of discovery questions.⁹ Make the exchange reciprocal by giving context when it helps the prospect answer. Discovery should produce details and confirmation that there is enough substance to proceed.¹⁰

Ask what happens today and where the process breaks, then explore what the issue creates for the people dealing with it. Ask the prospect to describe the problem in their own words. Getting the prospect to agree that a problem exists is part of the discovery process.¹¹ If the prospect does not recognize the pain, ask enough questions to plant pain.¹²

Listen for ownership and detail, along with a consequence the prospect accepts. Move on when the prospect can confirm the problem without you carrying the whole explanation.

Qualify the path

Once the problem is agreed, test whether the opportunity can move. A real problem can still lack a workable path to a decision.

After the initial discovery call, determine which problems you are solving and who should be involved.¹³ Map the steps between this conversation and a decision. Ask who can give a commitment and what that person needs to see or approve. Mapping the deal steps helps determine whether the buyer can make a commitment.¹⁴

Use the qualification framework your company already uses to map the remaining actions. Ask, "Where do you think we are?" and use the answer to identify what still needs to happen.¹⁵ Ask what has to be true for the prospect to continue, who owns each action, and what the next meeting must settle.

If integration risk matters, use validation and possibly an initial business case before the next stage.¹⁶ Use that work to test whether the proposed path can hold. Move on when the prospect agrees to the action it supports.

Close against an exit criterion

Close by testing whether the call earned another step. Make sure both sides understand what the next meeting needs to accomplish before agreeing to it.

At the end of the meeting, validate the exit criteria with the prospect by asking three questions.¹⁷ Confirm the problem, the reason to keep exploring it, and the action the prospect agrees to take. A discovery call is a win when it identifies one solvable problem and the buyer agrees to continue exploring it.¹⁸

Use the end of the call to decide what the next meeting should accomplish and what you will ask the prospect for at its end.¹⁹ Ask, "What should we be able to decide or complete in that meeting?" If the answer is vague, keep working on the exit criterion before scheduling anything.

What not to do

These mistakes can make a call look active while leaving the qualification decision unresolved.

• Do not move to a demo before discovery. Conduct discovery first, then run the demo.²⁰
• Do not treat a booked and held meeting as qualified by itself. A meeting can still fail qualification.²¹
• Do not try to win every opportunity. Qualify the opportunities that are right to pursue.²²
• Do not let a broad attendee list replace clarity on the desired end state. When a prospect wants to involve a broad group early, run more discovery and clarify that end state.²³
• Do not agree to the next step before understanding the timeline and path to completion.²⁴

Before the next call, write the meeting outcome at the top of your notes and decide what answer would earn continuation. During the conversation, keep asking until the prospect can state the problem, the path, and the next request in terms both sides can use.