The 17 most important questions you should ask during a discovery call

Closing calls are appealing. There's nothing more glamorous than moving a deal across the finish line, signing contracts, and receiving commission checks. In order to get there, you must first conduct a discovery call.

It is important to conduct discovery calls in order to increase the chances of closing a deal later on. A salesperson may spend 10 to 20 hours with a prospect depending on?who they are selling to?and what they are selling. By now, you should know whether the deal will close and how much it will cost.

Fortunately, you can find out right away. In this post, you'll learn the best questions you should ask your prospect on a discovery call to determine if they are a good fit. Let's begin.

What is a discovery call?

The discovery call is the first conversation you have with a prospect after they show interest in your product or service. During this call, you will learn the prospect's pain points, goals, and build a rapport with them. In a discovery call, questions will be asked to determine if the prospect is a good fit and whether to move them forward.

The discovery call is often the most important step in the sales process. Pre- and post-sale, it sets the tone for the entire relationship. Your ability to establish an authoritative relationship will either determine your success or your failure.

In the past, I have had deals that I thought would be relatively straightforward, but were unduly complicated because I did not dive deep into discovery.

Why are discovery calls important?

To understand a prospect's situation, sales professionals need to conduct discovery calls. As long as the call isn't an interrogation, most prospects are fine with participating in a discovery call.

Here are some benefits of the discovery call.

• Helps your prospect understand your business and product. The purpose of this event is to?answer specific questions?about your product and to gauge the interest of potential customers.
• Shows you’re invested in your prospect’s success. By making a good call, you will demonstrate to your prospects that you understand their problem and will provide a professional assessment to help them. Your investment in their success shows them you're not just interested in their money.
• Helps you gauge your chances of winning their business. You can qualify your prospect during the discovery call. Learning about their pain points and organizational influence is part of this process. In addition, you'll be able to see if they're willing to advocate for your product or how they compare it to a competitor's. For this, you can use a sales qualification framework such as?BANT?or an?alternative?to BANT.

There is no doubt that the discovery call is an essential part of the?sales discovery process. Asking the right questions will help you get the most out of your discovery calls.

Discovery Questions

The purpose of discovery questions is to determine whether a prospect is a good fit for your product or service. Ideally, these questions should be open-ended and focus on the prospect's obstacles, processes, and goals as they relate to your product or service.

These questions fall into four parts of the sales discovery process: setting the stage, qualifying the prospect, disqualifying the prospect, and determining the next step. You won't be able to answer every question on every call - and it might not be necessary.

All of the questions are open-ended. It's because open-ended questions encourage prospects to talk more than just "yes" or "no." Use the following questions to qualify prospects and disqualify them as needed.

Let's take a closer look at this.

Questions That Set the Stage

Here you validate your research and learn about the customer's situation. As a result, you're able to move forward with the proper insight.

1. Tell me about your company

The prospect's own company seems to be an easy topic for this seemingly simple question. It gives them a chance to introduce themselves on their own terms, but be careful: Asking this question too soon might make it seem like you didn't do any research. Start by stating what you already know, then ask the question so they can expand upon what you've said.

2. Tell me about your role. What do you do day-to-day?

The purpose of this question is to get to know the employee (not the company) in a more casual, low-pressure manner. The best part is that they'll be eager to share the details.

3. What metrics are you responsible for?

This is where the pressure begins to build. During the previous question, if they didn't mention what they were responsible for, this will uncover that information. The word "metric" is crucial here, since you're asking about a quantifiable measure of success. As a result, you can quantify how much your product can increase that metric.

Questions That Qualify

It's time to identify your prospect's goals and clarify their pain points after you've learned about them. During your discovery call, you can use the Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline (BANT) framework to help formulate your questions.

Get to know their problems so you can solve them for them.

4. Tell me about your goals (financial, customer-related, operational)

You may also add a timeline to this question: Tell me about your goals for the next month/quarter/year. Depending on the implementation process of your product, choose a timeline. If you sell an enterprise-level tool that takes six months to set up, you might ask about yearly goals instead of monthly goals.

5. What problem are you trying to solve?

The purpose of this question is to be vague. Prospects won't be pigeonholed into giving you a specific answer. You can gain a more comprehensive understanding of their business challenges if you allow them to share any problems they're facing.

6. Why hasn’t it been addressed before?

Knowing the roadblocks your prospect has faced in solving the problem can hint at the roadblocks they’re facing now (or could potentially face in the future). For instance, if your prospect cites budget as an issue, then you’ll know to focus on that as a qualifying factor.

7. What would a successful outcome look like?

Here, you’ll find out what their image of success looks like. Is it realistic? Is it something your product can help them achieve? Listen without judgment, but be sure to take note of their expectations to confirm whether you can actually help.

Questions That Disqualify

Next, ask questions that might disqualify the prospect. Find out what you can about the decision process, from budget to scheduling.

8. What are your primary roadblocks to implementing this plan?

Even if you have an idea of the roadblocks the prospect will face, it’s still important to ask this question so you can get an answer straight from them.

9. What’s your timeline for implementation?

This will give you a good idea of whether your product’s implementation timeline and your prospect’s timeline align. If not, then they’re not a good fit.

10. What’s the approximate budget for solving this problem?

Is there enough money to invest in a new product or project? When it comes to sales, it’s never too early to talk about budget.

11. Is the budget owner an "executive sponsor"?

An executive sponsor is a senior-level employee who’s directly involved in a project and is committed to its success. Whether that’s your prospect’s direct manager or a C-suite executive, it’s important to know whether the owner of the budget is a single person or the entire department.

Questions that Establish Next Step

Lastly, ask questions that move the prospect along the pipeline. Provide a solution and offer next steps.

12. Who else will be involved in choosing a vendor?

In order to understand whether your prospect is a?gatekeeper, influencer, or decision-maker, you must ask this question. Indirectly, you'll also learn how involved the decision-making process is.

13. Have you purchased a similar product before?

Knowing what your prospect has tried before will be instrumental in establishing a competitive advantage. You should be prepared to uphold your product above the competition’s even if the prospect doesn’t mention them by name.

14. Is this a competitive situation?

Who else is your prospect considering purchasing from? This question will uncover that without sounding whiny or defensive.

15. What’s the process for actually purchasing the product once you decide on it? Are there legal or procurement reviews?

If you’ve gotten to this point, you’ve probably built a high level of trust with your prospect. So you can ask right out about the purchase process without pushing them away.

16. How can I help make this easy?

The prospect might not have anything for you, or they might ask for additional resources and documentation. Either way, you want to give them a chance to articulate ways you can make the process easier.

17. Can I follow up with you on?mm/dd?

Close the call strongly by suggesting a date to follow up.

You’ll know that you’ve run a good discovery call if you and your prospect are able to create a written sales plan and delineate the next steps. If there’s still uncertainty when you hang up the phone, schedule another call to iron out remaining details.

Sales Discovery Process

In the sales discovery process, you research your prospects, connect by phone, ask them key qualifying questions, answer any questions they have, solve their challenges, and hopefully move them along the sales pipeline.

This process is the first step in the?connect phase of the sales process.

While the discovery call is the focus of the sales discovery process, you'll need to do a bit of preparation to get the most out of this sales process stage.

Research the prospect and their company

Research and understand your prospect's business as much as you can. Understand their vertical, their challenges, and their goals. Review their engagement history with your company. Did they download a particular resource? This will give you an idea of what their goals and needs are.

By doing so, you will be able to provide useful background information and may be able to formulate questions you would like to ask during your call.

You can target your research efforts with this?sales meeting playbook.

Gather what you’re looking for in a customer

Be clear about what you can and cannot offer the prospect before speaking with them. Consider your buyer personas, as well as pricing or region restrictions. You can focus your pitch by following these?prospecting best practices.

Separate your questions into 4 segments: Staging, Qualifying, Disqualifying, and Next Steps

This will help your conversation flow in a natural chronological progression.

Share relevant insights

Could you share industry insights relevant to your prospect's concerns? You can use statistics or case studies to demonstrate how your product helped similar organizations.

Be ready to connect your solution to the prospect’s goals

A discovery call helps you qualify a prospect, but it's also an opportunity to sell your product. Make sure you show how your solution will assist their organization in achieving its goals. Your suggestions should be tailored to their needs.

If you're looking for inspiration, check out these?sales pitch examples.

How to Run a Discovery Call

1. Research your prospect’s business ahead of time

In order to have a productive discovery call, research is essential. Research your prospect's business until you feel you know it better than they do.

2. Create an agenda and send it to your prospect

This is a crucial tip. Don't forget to?create an agenda for the sales meeting. The stakes of discovery calls may seem lower than those of other sales calls because you're still in the early stages of the sales process. I think this is incorrect. It is the discovery calls that determine the fate of a deal that have the highest stakes.

Ensure that you cover everything your prospect wants to discuss by sending them an agenda. If necessary, let them add more items.

3. Set a time and date that works for both of you

Send the agenda at a time and date that is convenient for both parties. Ask your prospect how much time they will have. Take into account their preference to meet for 30 minutes rather than an hour.

You might even be able to demo the product during the discovery call, depending on their flexibility. Demonstrating the product too soon may lead to you forgetting about the prospects' needs and challenges.

5. Set the stage

Let's use the discovery questions above. The following questions are a great place to start:

• Please tell me about your company.
• Please describe your role to me. What do you do day-to-day?
• What metrics are you responsible for?

If they describe their day-to-day work with metrics of success, you can skip the last question.

6. Qualify the prospect

Based on the previous questions alone, you probably have a good idea whether your product can help. Ask the prospect at least three of the following questions to further qualify them:

• Tell me about your goals (financial, customer-related, operational).
• What is the deadline for achieving these goals?
• What problem are you trying to solve?
• Are you having problems in [area as relates to the product]?
• What’s the source of that problem?
• Why is it a priority today?
• Why hasn’t it been addressed before?
• What do you think could be a potential solution? Why?
• How would a successful outcome look?
• Do you have a plan in place if you didn't choose a product?

Remember to keep the tone conversational. It is important that these questions flow naturally.

7. Ask disqualifying questions

Disqualifying the prospect is just as important as qualifying them. By doing so, you won't waste your time. Consider the following questions:

• What are your primary roadblocks to implementing this plan?
• Is there a timeline for implementation?
• What’s the approximate budget for solving this problem?
• Whose budget does the funding come from?
• Is the budget owner an "executive sponsor"?

Let's get a bit more firm here and make the tone less conversational. It is important that the prospect thinks carefully before answering and not just throw out the first thing that comes to mind.

8. Establish next steps

Last, set up next steps. To move the deal forward, there should be no question about what the prospect (or you) should do. Make sure you ask:

• Who else will be involved in choosing a vendor?
• Is there a written decision criteria for choosing a vendor? How were these criteria compiled?
• Have you ever purchased a similar product?
• Is this a competitive situation?
• What’s the process for actually purchasing the product once you decide on it? Are there legal or procurement reviews?
• What are some potential curveballs?
• How can I help make this easy?
• How will this solution make your life better?
• If you implement this solution, how do you hope things are different in one year?
• Can I follow up with you on mm/dd?

Discovery Call Template

You have done your research, drafted your questions, and are ready for your first discovery call. In sales, it can be tough to keep conversations casual, especially if you are trying to meet aggressive goals.

It can be helpful to have a discovery call template with some quick scripts, such as the ones below, to keep the conversation flowing.

Organizing these suggestions chronologically allows you to create your own custom template, or pick and choose from the sections that are most relevant to you.

Introduce yourself

• "Hi there, [prospect’s name], it’s [name] with [company name]. It’s a pleasure to speak with you today. I’m hoping to learn more about your business and how we might be able to help."
• "Hello [prospect’s name], I'm [name] with [company name]. I’ve been doing some research on [your company] and I'm impressed with what I’ve seen so far. I’d like to learn more about [name a specific goal, challenge, or opportunity] to see if there is a way we can work together."
• "Good [morning/afternoon] [prospect’s name], it’s [name] with [company name]. I was initially referred to you by [referral name]. They mentioned you're looking to [insert potential pain point]. I’d love to learn more about your situation and see if we can help."
• "Hey [prospect’s name], it's [name] from [company name]. I recently noticed [something positive about the company/compliment]. I wanted to connect with you to see if there might be a way we could work together."

Create a connection

• "Just so I can make sure I understand your needs, could you tell me a little about what your company has been focusing on lately?"
• "What challenges are you currently facing with [related pain point]?"
• "I noticed your background in [related industry or experience]. I've actually worked with a few companies in your industry before. Can you tell me more about your current situation?"

If these starters feel too fast or formal for your prospect, check out this list of?conversation starters.

Set expectations

• "Just a heads-up, our call shouldn't take more than [specific time you have in mind]. I'm hoping to get a better understanding of your business and the challenges you're facing. Does that sound good to you?"
• "I'm looking forward to our call today. My goal is to get a better understanding of your current situation so that I can see how we may be able to help. How does this fit with your objectives for the call?"
• "To make the most of our time, I've prepared an agenda with a few items I'd like to discuss. We'll start with [first item] and move on to [subsequent items]. Do you have any questions before we get started?"
• "By the end of our call today, I hope to have a clear understanding of your business and goals and share how we could help. Then the next step would be for us to schedule another call to dive deeper. Does that sound like a good plan?"

Find top pain points

• To gain a better understanding of your organization and the challenges you face, I have a few questions."
• "I saw on your website that you recently posted a [blog/article] about [topic related to pain point]. Can you tell me more about the situation that led you to publish that post?"
• According to other companies in your industry, [pain point] is a common challenge. Do you experience this as well?"
• "I know it's been a tough time for businesses in your industry. What challenges has [your organization] faced over the past few months?"

In addition to the qualifying questions above, creative?open-ended questions?are a great way to surface pain points.

Find and explain your best solution

• "Based on what we've discussed, it sounds like [product/service] might be a good fit for your organization. Can I give you a quick overview?"
• "I've been thinking about how we might be able to help solve {pain point]. Our [product/service] is designed to [brief value proposition]. Would you like to hear more about it?"
• "I've been through similar challenges with other clients in the past. We were able to help them by [brief case study or testimonial]. Does this sound like it would work for you?"
• "It seems we both feel [related topic] is important, and our conclusions on [pain point] aligns with that. Do you think [product/service] could improve your situation?"
• "Can you walk me through the specific needs of [project], so I can share how we can customize [product/service] to meet those needs?"

Anticipate and handle objections

"It sounds like you're not ready to implement this solution. Let's talk about any concerns you have.

In my experience, some clients hesitate to move forward because of [related objection]. Would you mind sharing your thoughts on this?"

We understand that it's common to have concerns about trying something new. I'm here to listen to your objections so we can resolve them fully."

Some people may be hesitant to use a new resource because of [related objection]. I'm here to work with you to develop a solution that meets your specific needs."

This?guide to objection handling?is essential if objections are a deciding factor in the outcomes of your discovery calls.

Summarize your conversation

• "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. Based on our conversation, it seems like your top priorities are [insert priorities]. You're looking for a product that can help you [goals for solution or product]. Is that right?"
• "To summarize, it sounds like you're facing [insert challenges] and you want a solution that can help you [insert priorities]. Does that sound right to you?"
• "To recap, you're looking for a tool that can help you with [insert priorities]. And the features that are most important are [insert features]. Is that a good summary?"

It's also a good idea to take notes on your summary so that you can include specific details in your?follow-up email.

Confirm the next steps

• "To pin down the next steps, I'd like to learn more about [questions you didn't get to ask during the conversation]."?After this intro, follow up with?Qualify Questions,?Disqualifying Questions, or?Questions that Establish Next Steps.
• "Thanks again for your time today. Based on what you've shared, it seems like the best next step is for me to send over some more information about [specific product or features]. Does that sound right to you?"
• "To get started, we'll need to complete some specific steps. First, I'll [specific action, like send you a proposal], and then we can schedule a call to review it. How does that sound to you?"
• "It sounds like we agree that [product] can help solve [pain point]. What would be your ideal next steps to move forward?"

Great Discovery Calls Will Help You Close More Deals

You will be able to determine for sure whether a prospect would be a good fit for the product by creating a great discovery call. Your time will be better spent on prospects who are more likely to close. By doing this, you can excel in your job and become a standout performer.