B2B Sales Discovery Calls done well can be the cornerstone for success in acquiring new clients.
A Discovery Call with a prospect should not be a scripted effort or an attempt to get answers to a list of qualifying questions.
Asking the right questions at the start of a discovery call is essential to understanding a potential customer’s needs, pain points, and priorities.
Two Great Discovery Questions
Once introductions are complete and you’ve confirmed how much time is available, the first question you should ask should be similar to: “What prompted you to accept this discovery call with me?”
Suppose there are multiple individuals from the prospect company on the call. In that case, this will be your first opportunity to understand who can articulate why they are investing time with you. If only one person answers on a multiple-person call, then you should attempt to ask the others if they would like to add anything to what the first person shared.
I’m sure you’ll ask clarifying questions to strengthen understanding and rapport.
Congratulations! You’ve started the call with the prospect talking. Please don’t mess it up by talking about your company.
There are multiple ways the call goes after the first question. However, let’s assume for simplicity they told you they are facing business challenges your solutions can address. Good news!
The second question allows you to demonstrate an understanding of their industry and its challenges. Let’s assume you (or your company) have a good bit of experience in their industry.
The second question you ask should be similar to: “Would you like me to share the top three initiatives we see companies like yours embarking upon to grow top-line revenue?”
Hint: Don’t ask this question unless you know what the top three initiatives are or cannot tell a compelling story around them. Prospects will engage with ideas about one or more of the initiatives I’ve shared and ask questions to know more.
The two questions I recommend are best suited for complex B2B selling. My experience is that a prospect will have talked at least 50% or more of the time during the first 20 minutes when I use the two questions.