You need to understand that successful closing calls are based on presenting a tailored product demo to your prospect\u2019s needs and goal. To present a demo that converts, it\u2019s important to ask the right discovery questions early in the sales process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These questions help identify sales barriers, uncover the prospect’s biggest challenges, ascertain the true motivations of clients, determine product suitability, and build excitement for your product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, we cover 20 questions you must ask during a sales discovery call<\/strong> to uncover your prospect\u2019s pain points and guide them along the path to making the right purchasing decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But first, let\u2019s get the basics right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A discovery call<\/a> is the first step in sales right after the prospect agrees for a meeting with you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The discovery process helps you assess whether the prospect is the right fit for your product and whether you should take them to the next step in the sales process. It helps you find the prospect\u2019s pain points, goals, hopes, and fears.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Discovery questions are carefully crafted questions that reveal prospect pain points, needs, and goals during a sales call. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes a great sales discovery question? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no rigid formula to this, but the questions you ask your prospects and how you ask them determine the quality of information you get. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your questions should be open-ended<\/strong>, which gives the prospect a chance to elaborate more about their business and give you context about their problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asking the right questions will help you gain valuable nuggets of information from your potential customers, based on which you can present an effective sales demo<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During a discovery call, identifying pain points is crucial. These pain points are the keys to understanding what challenges your prospect is facing, so that you can present the demo by highlighting specific features that solve their problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are 9 sales questions to help you pinpoint these pain points:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can ask this question to understand what aspect of your solution interests your prospect and how much they know about what you have to offer.<\/strong> You would get to learn about their specific needs from your solution, like if they mention a feature of your product, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you ask your prospects this question, they share details about their business practices.<\/strong> When they take you through their management step by step, you will understand the underlying problem in their current process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From this information, you can judge whether the practices they follow to overcome challenges are outdated or inefficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This tells you what they like and dislike in their current<\/strong> solution<\/strong> and whether that matches with what you have to offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If they find their present solution to be effective, you can tailor your pitch to how your solution is better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This question will reveal what options of alternative solutions the prospect has to fix their problems internally<\/strong>\u2014that is, without buying any product or service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By understanding their present options, you can explain how your solution will help them do those tasks better, and save their time and resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While answering this question, the prospect will reveal their goals and expectations from a new solution.<\/strong> You can use that information to align with your solution while pitching them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can ask this question when you want to understand the urgency behind their quest for a solution.<\/strong> Knowing their biggest priorities will allow you to position your offer effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you know the prospect\u2019s problem isn\u2019t new, it is important for you to understand why it was not solved before and what has changed now.<\/strong> What was the problem before? Was it their priorities, or budget, or decision maker?<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you ask this question, prospects shed light on the delay, and reveal the actual reason that led them to your doorstep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While answering this question, the prospect will reveal their functional requirements and integral needs.<\/strong> With this information, you can also decide whether they are product fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asking this question will help you understand if they\u2019re evaluating any of your competitors, and what they\u2019re actually looking for in your solution.<\/strong> These insights will allow you to position your solution strategically during the demo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You know that your solution is helpful, and it will improve your prospect’s current situation. But, how do you make your prospects realize that they need your solution without annoying them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are 5 probing questions that will help you highlight the value of your solution and make the prospects think:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With this question, you emphasize the ripple effects of not having a solution in place.<\/strong> It will make them realize if they don’t fix this problem soon, the efficiency of the sales team will be compromised at large. Based on this information, you can tailor your sales pitch and tell them how your solution can help them .<\/p>\n\n\n\n From this question, you\u2019ll get to understand their success metrics.<\/strong> You can use this information to show the prospects how your solution can enhance their tracking process and help them achieve better results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you ask this question, you will get to know about the areas where prospects can save time, money and other resources. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use this information to quantify their potential savings and paint a vivid picture of your solution\u2019s ROI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Budget is an important factor in sales. By asking this question, you get to know if their budget aligns with your solution\u2019s value<\/strong>, ensuring you both are on the same page financially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Encourage them to envision how your solution transforms their operations.<\/strong> Let them imagine how things will improve with your solution. Will they gain more customers, automate tasks, or become more efficient?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does your prospect really need your solution?<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make sure that you are not wasting the prospect\u2019s time or the other way around, ask these 3 effective discovery questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gauging their priority will help you understand where this challenge stands in their hierarchy of needs.<\/strong> Based on this information, you can predict how quickly they might buy your solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This question gives you a chance to peek into their company\u2019s future.<\/strong> You will get to know their goals and objectives for the long run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Armed with this information, you can align your solution with their company\u2019s goals during the demo, and assure them how your tool would help them accomplish their goals quicker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The prospect\u2019s answer to this question will help you to present how your solution can help them overcome their obstacles. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding your prospect’s purchasing process is essential as it helps you set the next steps in the sales process and ensure the deal progresses smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These three questions will shed light on the path to a successful purchase:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asking this question helps you understand what factors your prospect considers the most to be in their ideal solution when making a purchase decision. This can be price point, functionality, ease of use, scalability, or any other factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gaining insight into their buying history helps you understand their preferences and familiarizes you with their buying process. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n By asking this question you get to know who is involved in the decision-making process, how many stages of approval you have to undergo, and what their terms and conditions are during and after the purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This helps you to forecast the deal better, and helps you to navigate the potential roadblocks<\/strong> in the decision process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we part ways, we want to equip you with 5 discovery call tips from top-performing AEs that we interviewed in our Closers X Factor series:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Varshni Gurumoorthy<\/a> points out that your discovery call shouldn\u2019t be only about the questions. \u201cThis is not an interrogation, and you should never make them feel like that. It’s always a good mix of give and take,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make the discovery less interrogative, Varshni frames 12 questions that are loosely based on lead qualification frameworks<\/a> like MEDDPICC and BANT<\/a>. And out of those 12 questions she gets the answer to 5-6 questions from research. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of asking those questions directly, she brings up the answer she found during the research naturally as part of her discovery conversation and clarifies them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kevin Deldjoui<\/a> has a consultative approach for the discovery calls, where he acts like an adviser to suggest what\u2019s the best solution for the prospect\u2019s pain points.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n He says, \u201cI want to make sure that what I’m working with is going to fit their needs. So, I have to ask as many questions as possible.\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what successful sales rep Jan Benedikt Mundorf<\/a> says about rapport building:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Find something that makes you really interested in them, and be curious. If you treat everybody the same, they will realize. You need to treat them case by case, and make them feel unique as well.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He suggests finding one thing about the prospect\u2019s role,<\/strong> like a career switch or promotion, and expressing curiosity about that thing during the discovery session.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is a Discovery Call in Sales?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Are Discovery Questions in Sales?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9 Discovery Call Questions for Identifying Pain Points<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Sparked Your Interest in Exploring Our Solution?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Are You Currently Managing the [Challenge]?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Which Solution Are You Presently Utilizing To Do That? What Aspects Are Effective or Ineffective With That Solution?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do You Have Any Other Options To Fix This? If Yes, What Are Those?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Specific Outcomes Do You Anticipate From a New Solution?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Makes This a Current Priority?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why Wasn\u2019t This Problem Addressed Before? Why Now?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Features Are Essential in a Solution? What Integrations Are Indispensable for Your Team\u2019s Operations?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Are You Evaluating Any Other Solutions at This Point? Is There Any Particular Reason Behind Your Choice?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5 Sales Discovery Questions That Highlight Your Solution\u2019s Value <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Is This Issue Affecting the Rest of Your Team?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s the Main Metric You Use to Track Success?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Much Money Would You Be Saving as a Company if You Take Care of [Pain Point]?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s the Budget You Have To Solve This Problem?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Would You Define Success When Using a New Solution?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3 Discovery Call Questions To Identify the Need for Your Solution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How High Is Solving [Pain Point] on Your Priority List?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Could You Walk Me Through the Goals of Your Company for the Upcoming Year?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Are the Primary Hurdles in Achieving These Goals?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3 Best Sales Discovery Call Questions To Know Your Prospect\u2019s Buying Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Are the Key Factors That Determine Which Solution Is Right for You?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Have You Purchased Any Similar Solution Before?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Does the Buying Process Work After You Decide on the Product? Are Any Legal or Procurement Reviews Involved?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5 Expert-Backed Tips for a Successful Discovery Call<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMake the Discovery Process Less Interrogative<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Have a Consultative Approach During Discovery <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Make Each Prospect Feel Unique To Build Rapport<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Add Value to Your Conversations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n