7 Things to Not Say During a Discovery Call

Discovery calls are crucial for sales professionals to understand the details of a prospect’s situation. A discovery call is a call that sets the tone for any customer relationship. During a discovery call, sales teams get to ask questions to know the customer and see if they are a good fit for the business.

The term discovery means to uncover things you probably didn’t know about your prospect or that you will dig deep to find so that you can match your value proposition along those lines. It should aim to ease the status quo, establish the salesperson as an authority and an expert in the product also help express empathy in understanding the pain points of the prospect. To be as productive as possible, we have listed 7 things you should banish in your next discovery call. 

# Don’t ask what you already know: 

It is important to do your homework first on the prospect. A good way to get the conversation going is to ask open-ended sales questions. Open-ended questions invite more conversation. With more conversations with your prospect, you get more insight into the problem they are trying to solve. 

# Don’t Talk (too much)

Discovery conversations are about having a dialogue and never a monologue. First off, monologues can bore your prospect and you are never going to get any closer to discovery. Sales reps who front-load questions often give the feeling of interrogation to the prospect and make the prospect end the call quickly. Make silence your companion. Give time to your prospects so they take their time to answer your questions. 

# Don’t pop the question, yet! 

Trying to squeeze a demo in your first call actually can result in a catastrophe. A consultative approach is the best way towards discovery. While eventually, you will want to pull them for a demo, you just need to be leading them. 

# Don’t jump in without an agenda:

They say any call without an agenda is futile. When it comes to prospects letting them know the purpose first-hand builds trust. It will clear the air and provides them a comfort zone where they needn't feel obliged or pressured to agree to the outcome. 

# Don’t miss the pain points : 

Always focus on the pain points. Empathy matters. It is also a good idea to repeat what the prospect describes to show that you are empathizing and would like to help by pushing them to discuss further. It’s best to use storytelling – where you could narrate a similar situation faced by any other prospect to show that you understand.

# Don’t just call:

We are always looking for trust and authenticity as human beings.  It is a great way to start building rapport with the prospect because this allows the prospect to have a real conversation. Another great way to build trust is when they see the face. People tend to listen attentively to the voice when they can see the face. They attach value to questions asked, which otherwise might be eschewed.

# Don’t assume :

It is important to validate assumptions. It not only helps you be sure of what you know about the company or profile but also provides clarity on inside nuances which might otherwise be misconstrued. 

Spreading your questions throughout the session, consistently and keeping the prospect engaged by addressing more than one distinct problem point, most importantly gauging if the prospect is educated can significantly help in a successfully closed deal. Take a look at our detailed blog for a template that you can set for your next discovery call.