Mastering the Discovery Call: The Engine of Consultative Selling

Why the Discovery Call Drives Consultative Selling

A discovery call will define whether or not a sales conversation turns into an effective business talk. While the aim of consultative selling is not to rush into presenting product features, it is to understand the customer well enough to determine if there is an issue, how significant this issue is, and whether there is any solution for it.

This makes a discovery call one of the key steps of a consultative sales process. An effective discovery call helps sales reps understand the pain points of their prospects, their objectives, how they make decisions, what their priorities are, and what their urgency level is. Even more importantly, it helps them build a relevant recommendation on top of it.

Therefore, making a discovery call successfully implies not only following the perfect script but asking the right questions and listening attentively.

Prepare for a Productive Discovery Call

Good discovery is initiated even before the call takes place. Being well-prepared means that the salesperson goes into the discussion with some background knowledge and does not solely depend on the prospect.

Make sure to conduct research regarding the company, industry, the role of the prospect, current priorities of the business, as well as any other relevant information available publicly. The point here is not making any assumptions regarding the prospect but just recognizing what needs to be discovered.

Determine what kind of information you need to discover from the discussion with the prospect. This may include discovering the current process, key challenges, desired result, impact of the problem, and other stakeholders involved in the decision.

It is also advisable to develop questions to be asked. However, try to avoid developing an absolutely strict list since the best discovery is the one when the seller reacts to answers received from the prospect.

Being prepared means that the seller has some direction but not a rigid plan of action.

Start the Discovery Call With the Right Conversation

The beginning of the discovery call is the key to success. The right way to begin makes it clear that it will be a professional call without making the prospect feel like he is in a pre-prepared sales presentation.

First of all, you need to say why you are talking to him. Explain that you want to know about his current needs and problems in order to decide whether there is a solution to offer.

It will also set the right expectations on the side of the client and make him feel more at ease during the conversation. At the same time, it shows the salesperson's intention to listen to the business problems.

Rapport is also important, but it should not take too much time. Too much small talk can waste precious minutes, while an overly formal beginning can ruin the entire conversation. The best way to begin is to set the right professional atmosphere.

It is the basis for asking the right questions.

Ask Questions That Uncover the Real Problem

Questions are the foundation of a discovery call. Still, a good discovery does not consist of asking many questions, but of asking the right ones.

Ask broad questions that will allow the prospect to describe their present situation. Ask about how the process works, what difficulties the prospect has, or what they want to change. Then use follow-up questions to investigate the issue more closely.

For instance, the prospect says that their sales process is ineffective. Rather than suggesting an immediate solution, the salesperson can ask to find out where the inefficiency occurs, how often, to whom, and what consequences it causes.

This is important since the first mentioned issue is not necessarily the main one. An obvious sign may be caused by some bigger operational, financial, or strategic problem.

Open-ended questions work best, since they prompt the buyer to provide necessary context. Further follow-up questions help the salesperson move from general statements to specific issues.

The goal is not to ask many questions to keep the conversation going. The goal is to understand the situation.

Listen Actively and Follow the Conversation

Effective questioning is only one aspect of an effective discovery call. The second aspect of it is listening.

When sales representatives prepare the next question while prospects answer the previous one, they may miss a lot of information, particularly if prospects say something concerning their problems, priorities, and risks, which may change the course of the dialogue.

Listening actively implies focusing on the underlying message. Listen for recurring concerns, priority shifts, risks, frustrations with the existing process, and desired outcomes.

Questions that follow must be based on what the prospect said. If the prospect says that the problem concerns several departments, then dig deeper into it. If the prospect says that the problem has become more urgent, find out why.

Summarization is also an important part of the dialogue. By summarizing what you have heard, you give the prospect an opportunity to make sure that you understood him right. Summarization also shows that the dialogue is being built around his situation rather than around the sales representative's script.

When the sales representative listens to understand rather than listen to sell something, the discovery call turns into an efficient tool.

Uncover Business Impact and Desired Outcomes

The identification of a problem is not sufficient. A consultative sales representative should realize the reason for its importance.

Ask about how the issue influences the client. In one way or another, depending on the situation, it could bring negative financial implications, increased costs, decreased efficiency, delays, loss of opportunities, customer dissatisfaction, risk management, etc.

The knowledge of impact enables distinguishing a real business priority from a minor concern. The former requires urgent resolution, while the latter does not provide the client with any reason for change.

In addition, it is necessary to clarify what the desired future state is. What do the clients want to improve? What are their goals in this case? What would change when the problem is solved?

It is beneficial for creating a bridge between the present and the desired state. It will make it possible for the sales representative to discuss later how a particular solution can help the client get from the former to the latter.

This is one of the principles of consultative selling.

Understand the Buying Context

During the discovery call, you will need to get clarity on how the buying process would go ahead. In many cases, even when the prospect has a real problem, your opportunity will be influenced by a whole set of decision factors.

Find out if anyone else will be involved in evaluating or approving a solution for the prospect's problem. Know what factors would play a role in the decision-making process and if the organization is considering different options.

Timing is another key element to consider. Find out why the prospect is investigating that problem now and if there is some deadline or business event driving the decision-making process.

Budget considerations could come up when necessary, but again, this depends on context. Before talking about pricing, it will be more helpful to learn the buyer's priorities and objectives.

The aim is not to try to push the prospect to start the buying process. You need to understand the context behind the decision so that you know whether and how to proceed.

Know When to Transition From Discovery to Recommendation

Another typical blunder that is made in a discovery call is switching to presentation when it's too soon. The salesperson realizes that there's a similar problem in front of him, and concludes that he knows how it can be solved.

The right way would be to confirm your understanding first and make a recommendation based on it. Restate the main issue, its business consequences, desired results, and relevant priorities identified in the conversation. Let the buyer confirm whether you have understood everything correctly.

Once the buyer confirms that the problem was understood correctly, the conversation can naturally continue by finding a solution.

The recommendation will be based on the things you've discovered. Don't try to give an explanation of all the product features; only the things that matter for the customer at this moment should be addressed.

Mistakes To Avoid During Discovery Calls

There are several mistakes that can ruin a potentially good discovery call. First of all, it is excessive talking. If the seller talks too much about his company or product during the call, there is no time left for discovering something new about the buyer.

The second mistake is making a long list of generic questions. The value of questions lies in the fact that they can reveal something, but if the seller uses them to answer them, their value becomes meaningless.

Not following up on clues given by the buyer is one of the mistakes as well. The buyer may give a hint that requires some elaboration, but the seller continues with another prepared question.

Sellers have to avoid accepting ambiguous statements without clarification. Statements such as “We need to improve our efficiency” or “Our current system is not working” need to be examined more closely to uncover the real issues behind them.

Introducing price and features too early is another mistake since it takes attention off the business problem. As long as the seller does not know what the buyer wants, he cannot convince him of the importance of the solution.

Conclusion: Make Every Discovery Call an Engine for Better Selling

The discovery call is more than just the preliminary phase preceding the sales presentation; it is the heart of consultative selling. The quality of the discovery discussion usually sets the quality of the recommendations made afterward.

To have a good discovery, one has to be well-prepared, ask meaningful questions, listen actively, understand the business implications, and comprehend the buyer's decision-making process. In short, the task of the salesperson is to discover what matters and only then recommend the appropriate solutions.

If conducted correctly, the discussion is not going to be intimidating and scripted. It becomes an informative conversation in which the buyer understands his problems while the salesperson acquires enough information to understand whether he can offer anything helpful.

Thus, becoming a good discoverer is a way to become a consultant rather than a salesperson. The best salespeople do not rush to demonstrate their offers but first understand why their customers need something new, what results they want to achieve, and how to recognize those results when they happen.

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