Anatomy of Deep Discovery: Understanding Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Questions

Introduction: The Truth behind Why Most Discovery Meetings Are Worthless

Discovery meetings have become commonplace for enterprise sales. A few probing questions are asked, data is collected, and the discussion shifts to a product demo or solution.

From an outside perspective, everything seems to be moving smoothly. However, the truth is that most discovery meetings lack significant value creation.

And why is that?

Because discovery meetings are not deep enough.

The client discusses issues at the superficial level. The salesperson listens to the issue without diving deep into the situation. The solutions offered by the seller are based on incomplete information. This leads to poor positioning, small deal size, and tough competition.

And this is precisely when deep discovery can be seen as an advantage in the enterprise sales environment.

What Shallow Discovery Looks Like in Enterprise Sales

It is essential to understand what shallow discovery entails to appreciate how deep discovery works.

When engaging in enterprise discussions, the discovery process does not always go further than it should. The discussion focuses on the problems that a buyer faces, for instance, inefficiency, delay, and lack of visibility.

A prospect may say something like, "our reporting process is inefficient" or "our challenge is coordination between different teams."

The answers given by prospects may come in handy in the negotiation process. Still, there is nothing concrete from which a buyer can build their own case.

They do not provide an understanding of the reasons behind the problems, their consequences on the business, and the impact that they have on the company.

There is no depth of knowledge here; the buyer cannot explore further and understand the situation beyond what is visible.

This is what makes these talks end up in commoditized transactions. It is hard for vendors to differentiate themselves from one another when they are talking about problems that everybody knows well.

3 Levels of Deep Discovery

The foundation of deep discovery lies in a straightforward yet profound structure. It includes three levels of discovery questions, each revealing more profound insights.

 

Level 1: The "What" Recognizing the Problem at Hand

Level 1 involves discovering the problem that needs addressing.

They are the most frequently asked questions during a sales call.

For example:

• What issues are you encountering in your existing process?

• What is not functioning as intended?

• What areas of inefficiency have been noticed?

Level 1 forms an essential base; however, it is inadequate by itself.

It sets the stage for deeper inquiry but fails to foster urgency or create distinctions.

Level 2: Why? Significance and Urgency

In Level 2, we move beyond superficiality and into the reasons why this problem is significant.

On this level, our objective changes from describing the problem to identifying its significance. That means discovering how the problem impacts your team, department, or organization.

Questions might be:

• Why is this an urgent problem?

• Why is this an important problem at this point?

• Why is this impacting your team's ability to perform?

• What happens if this problem is ignored?

Through these types of questions, we start to discover urgency. We find out whether the problem is serious or merely annoying.

However, this is typically where the majority of salespeople stop. More valuable information awaits one level down.

Level 3: The "Impact" Connecting It to Business Implications

Level 3 is when deep discovery sets apart exceptional performers.

At this level, you connect the issue to its business implications. These will be around financials, costs, or strategic risks.

For example:

What are the financial implications of this issue for the business?

How does it affect its financials?

What strategic risks will this create?

Here is when you connect it to the business reality.

Once an issue is connected to revenue leakage, increased costs, or risk, it stops being an operational issue and becomes a business issue.

Enterprise-level sales deep discovery happens when one is able to consistently get to level 3.

Why Most Salespeople Do Not Get to Level 3

Even though this stage is very important, most salespeople find it difficult to get to the third level of discovery.

The first problem is one of discomfort. It might be uncomfortable to ask a customer about their potential impact and risks.

Secondly, there could be the problem of confidence. Unless the salesperson understands how to calculate business impact, they will find it difficult to pursue this line of questioning.

Finally, some salespeople will find it necessary to move to a solution faster because of time pressure.

These barriers naturally prevent the conversation from becoming more in-depth.

But ignoring these questions does not make the sale any easier. It actually makes it worse.

How Deal Architects Lead the Layered Discovery Dialogue

Deal Architects take an organized approach when conducting the discovery dialogue.

They don't pose questions without logic. Instead, they lead the discussion in a certain direction, from general comprehension to the revelation of deeper insights.

They start their discussion with questions at level one in order to understand the customer's problem. Once they've identified the challenge, they proceed to discuss its urgency with questions at level two.

Then, they advance to the next stage, connecting the discovered problem with business outcomes through the questions at level three.

This progression seems quite organic to the client. They are not asked random questions; every next question is connected to the previous answer and leads somewhere.

Deal Architects always conduct active listening and notice subtle nuances that can help them formulate new questions. In other words, they make their dialogues dynamic and engaging.

However, there is even more to this process than just asking the right questions.

Most importantly, Deal Architects always relate all revealed insights to the benefit of the buyer.

Making Discovery Work for Strategic Advantage

At the point where discovery impacts the business, things get exciting.

The dialogue shifts away from problem-solving to decision-making. All parties now view the problem not only as a difficulty but as a critical issue that needs to be resolved.

There are many benefits here.

For starters, positioning gets stronger. With a thorough understanding of the problem, you'll be better positioned to offer an accurate solution.

Another benefit is the increase in deal size. The deeper you discover, the greater the areas of influence you will find.

Another great benefit is a decrease in competition. Very few competitors ever take discovery this far.

Lastly, decision-making happens faster.

All of these results happen because of deep discovery within enterprise sales.

Conclusion: The More Deeper Your Questions, the Better Your Deal Is

In B2B sales, being successful depends not on how much information you can bring to the table but rather on how well you know everything about the potential client and the industry.

And the only way to gain knowledge is through asking questions.

But not all questions are created equal. It's the level of the discovery that makes an average Account Executive into a true expert.

Super successful people spend their time doing something that seems counterintuitive at first. They don't go beyond the problem; instead, they get under it to learn about the reason for the problem.

It all becomes obvious when we talk about deep discovery in enterprise sales.

Once you make your way to the level where problems relate to measurable results, there is a shift.

What happens next? People stop perceiving you as a salesperson, and they start seeing you for what you really are, a person who knows what he's talking about.