---
# System prepended metadata

title: 'Discovery calls: step by step guide'
tags: [Week 7, ' M11', ' H3']

---

---
tags: Week 7, H3, M11
---
# Discovery calls: step by step guide

Now that you're familiar with the concept of qualifying using BANT criteria, let's actually see how to do it through (you guessed it) 👇
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## Discovery calls!

A discovery call is arguably the most important conversation in the sales process. It sets the trajectory of your deal and will determine how you’ll do everything else in the sales process.

- If you do it right, you’ll be able to establish an authoritative relationship with your buyer.
- If it goes wrong, you’ll be playing catch during all of your conversations, until your prospect eventually ditches you.
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## Objectives of a discovery call
Make sure to keep these top-of-mind any time you are about to conduct a discovery call:
:::info
**Discovery call objectives**

- Understand your buyer's pain points, priorities and goals so you can qualify or disqualify them and effectively sell to them
- Close the next meeting: usually a demo
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## Step by step guide 
Discovery calls should be thought of as a process, not an event. Here’s a step by step guide on how to conduct a great discovery call. 

The rest of the sections in this module will dive deep into each of these steps.

### 1. Plan & research
For every prospect who schedules a call, you’ll need to know enough about them to hit the ground running and be as productive as possible in your discovery call. You don’t want to be that person on the phone asking things you could’ve found out on the Internet. 
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Pre-call research provides you with the compass you need to ask detailed, situational questions that will reveal exactly what’s happening in your prospect’s world. By knowing what he or she does in their role, what their company and industry does, and where they came from (i.e. what content they engaged with, where they traveled on your website beforehand, etc.) you'll be much more effective.


### 2. Your intro: Set the tone for the call
How you begin will set the tone for the rest of the call. Your prospect agreed to give you 15 or 30 minutes of their valuable time: you need to make sure they feel the call will be worth their while. You have two main goals at this stage:

- **Establish rapport** - You both know the reason for the call is to eventually get down to business, but it’s good to break the ice first to ease the situation. No matter what it is you’re selling, customers are a lot more likely to buy from people that they like. That’s why it’s so important to demonstrate that you’re curious, informed and likeable from the get-go. Some ways to build rapport include asking about their career trajectory, discussing mutual interests and bringing up local news or sports. Ask questions about where they’re from or where they grew up. Mention a commonality you found in their LinkedIn profile. 
- **Set the agenda and call objectives** - This puts them at ease for the rest of the call. Thank the prospect for their time, mention the duration of the call and share a high-level agenda and objectives. 


### 3. Need discovery: Listening and asking the right questions
Sometimes called *Pain Discovery*, this is the bulk of the call, and the most important step.

This is where you determine whether the prospect has a pain or a need worth solving  - the "N" in "BANT"!

:::info 
:bulb: They key to a successful need discovery is listening and asking the right questions
::: 

By asking the right questions, your objective here is to guide the prospect through the following:
- Dive deeper into their world by asking situational questions
- Uncover and identify their main pain points
- Intensify the implications of those pain points so they're eager for a solution

We will cover two common methodologies to use at this stage: SPIN Selling and the Pain funnel. 

### 4. Qualify and close 
Depending on how your pain discovery went, it's now time to continue qualifying the lead.

- If you realised there is no need, you will thank them and ensure to stay in touch in case that were to change. 
- If there is a need, you move onto checking off remaining BANT criteria: if they have the budget to purchase, the authority to make the decision  and a clear timeframe for needing your product.

Once qualified, you close by recommending your prospect to take the next step. 

- Sum up what you've learnt from the prospect briefly.
- Recommend specific next steps based on those learnings.
- The next step will likely be a product demo where you can tie key priorities you raised during the discovery call to specific product features and benefits.
- If possible, make sure to close that meeting before you end the call.
- Once you're done with the call, make sure to send them a carefully crafted follow up E-mail and a calendar invite.


Now that you're familiar with the discovery call process, and before we run through each section individually, let's hear from Patrick how to run it from end to end.

Enjoy!


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