B2B salespeople love a good framework. Hop on LinkedIn, and you’ll undoubtedly scroll past AEs and sales leaders posting, “Here’s a framework for {fill in the blank},” followed by a series of step-by-step instructions.
The problem with frameworks is that they’re too prescriptive. They train the wrong behaviors in a sales team; frameworks force teams to follow a rigid checklist instead of adapting to what’s unique about their sales process.
You can more effectively guide a sales team by focusing on outcomes — what they should gain from a sales discovery call — rather than mandating a series of inputs. In this article, we’ll cover the essential steps to nail your sales discovery calls.
What to do before a discovery call
The best way to avoid hammering a prospective customer with discovery call questions (“check the box” behavior) is to prepare for your calls.
When you come prepared with solid background research, you can show your interest in the prospect’s business and strike up a more free-flowing conversation. You can get answers to BANT questions (budget, authority, needs, and timeline) without directly asking them, automatically building trust and helping you build a stronger sales pipeline.
Here’s what you should prioritize having on hand before any discovery call:
- Company information: Gather the essential information about your prospect’s company, including company size, employee count, and estimated revenue. Use third-party data automation tools like Clearbit and first-party data if prospects have signed up for a free trial with your product.
- Personal information: Learn more about your prospects as people, not just about their business. Collect details such as where they’re located, where they went to school, and their interests outside of work. Visit their public social media pages, like their LinkedIn profile, to see their most recent posts and comments to understand what’s top of mind for them. This research can be useful for small talk and helps establish a stronger customer relationship from the outset of the call.
- Prospect pain points: Brainstorm challenges prospects may be facing before you speak to them. Map their vertical and company size with existing customers in your portfolio. If your product touches many verticals and you have to speak to a variety of different customers, lean on your team’s expertise to ask prospects the right questions.
How to effectively shape sales discovery calls
If your salespeople don’t approach discovery calls with a calm, confident tone, your first conversation can go off the rails. Your prospects might take control of the first call and share what’s on their mind, rather than sharing the information you need.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to shaping your discovery calls effectively:
Build rapport through observation
Orchestrating a sales discovery call is like peeling an onion, and you have to get through the first layer: small talk. If you can’t find any personal angle after researching your prospects (e.g., not active on LinkedIn or no prior phone calls with your team), at least bring a news item or recent announcement from the company website you could ask about.
Connect in the first layer, and you’ll be able to peel back the other layers of the onion more easily.
Get to know their business
Set a clear agenda during the call. Spend at least a few minutes talking about your business and who your core customers are. Then, move into questions about their business. That keeps the conversation on track and helps identify their top priorities.
For example, share what you’ve learned by working with similar companies in a prospect’s vertical. Provide a little bit of context based on past pain points you’ve seen and connect it to your understanding of the prospect’s needs.
A simple script: “Hey [prospect name], I’ve done some research on your company. Based on other companies we’ve worked with in [X industry], I believe these are some of the biggest challenges you’re facing. But I’d like to hear from you and learn more.”
The goal here’s simple: understand what’s working well for the customer and where they’re struggling. When you genuinely care about their success — not just making a sale — customers can tell the difference.
Articulate value
Once you’ve broken the ice, circle back to discussing your potential customer’s challenges and how your product can address their needs.
A simple script: “Hey [prospect name], what I’ve heard is that you have [X problem] in your process. And here’s how we can help you with that. But I’ve also identified some other gaps, like you might benefit from [Y and Z].”
From there, ask some open-ended questions, like, “What is the business impact of this problem?” Without knowing the impact, you can’t help the prospect find a clear path to ROI.
Understand how they’re evaluating solutions
A new product is a big consideration for any business. Your prospects are often evaluating multiple solutions at the same time and are trying to find the best ones for their specific needs.
That’s why you should proactively inquire about their evaluation process. By understanding which solution they’re considering, you can get a better idea of what they’re looking for. You can also provide proactive guidance on where your solution is a better fit and where a competitor might actually be a better option.
A simple script:
“Hey, if you don’t mind sharing, what other vendors are you considering? Can you tell me about your experience so far as you’ve talked to these folks?”
And follow up with:
“What is your decision-making process? How will you decide who ultimately wins your business?”
Prospects usually have some type of spreadsheet, matrix, or other checklist they use to evaluate solutions with key stakeholders on their team. The more you know, the more you can provide helpful information along the way (and overcome objections).
💡 Want a ready-to-use sales call planning template? We’ve got you covered. Read our full guide to structure your next call like a pro.
Avoid these common mistakes
One common mistake reps run into is when they stick to a rigid checklist. Whether it’s an internal discovery process or the latest sales methodology, too many reps think they need to hit every single step exactly as prescribed. It comes across as inauthentic to prospects, leaving them uninterested in moving forward with a sales conversation.
Here’s the truth: there’s no formula for being authentic. First impressions absolutely matter, but authenticity can’t be faked. If you’re naturally good at small talk, use that to build rapport. If chitchat feels forced, don’t do it. Own your awkwardness instead — make a light joke about wanting to respect their time and dive straight into business. The key is doing whatever helps you feel comfortable and genuine.
Another major mistake: overwhelming prospects with questions. While there’s plenty you need to learn about their business, firing off a rapid-fire Q&A session isn’t the answer. Instead, ask fewer, more open-ended closing questions and listen to the responses. Pay attention to what they’re telling you, both directly and between the lines. That’s where the real insights come from.
💡Pro Tip: Successful salespeople act like consultants. Their job is to understand the problems customers are facing and figure out the best way to solve them. Sometimes that means recommending their own product. At other times, it means being honest that they’re not the right fit and disqualifying prospects.
It might seem counterintuitive, but the best salespeople know when to walk away from a sales opportunity. Forcing a customer through the sales process when there’s clearly a mismatch doesn’t help anyone. It wastes time, frustrates the customer, and ultimately hurts your reputation. Smart sales teams identify these mismatches early and focus their energy on prospects who are ideal customers. Getting the right prospects on the phone is what separates good discovery calls from great discovery calls.
Create accountability through follow-up action items
Deals often fall apart not because of product fit or pricing, but because sales teams fail to provide clear next steps. One effective solution is assigning “homework” at the end of the call. This tests genuine engagement and creates mutual accountability. Prospects who complete these tasks signal real interest, while those who don’t reveal where they stand in the buying process.
Effective follow-up centers on a prospect’s stated priorities, whether that’s specific features, pricing, or integration capabilities. Here are a few ways you can follow up with prospects:
- Send targeted information relevant to a prospect’s needs
- Schedule a product demo for larger teams
- Provide honest, competitive comparisons that acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of your solution
Two sales strategies you can use to effectively follow up with your prospects and move the conversation forward: connecting with decision-makers and sending email recaps. Scroll down to read through how to implement these strategies effectively.
Connect with the decision-maker
Your salespeople won’t get far in the process if they’re not talking to the right people. Remember that “authority” is a component in the BANT framework? That means connecting with a decision-maker in your prospect’s team.
If the decision-maker isn’t part of the discovery call, a clear next step is getting a meeting with that person. The prospect might push back, wanting to protect that person’s time. But you don’t want someone else controlling the narrative of your company.
Instead, you can position yourself as a partner to the person from your discovery call.
A simple script:
“Why don’t we run the next meeting together? You can own it, but I’ll make sure you’re prepared with collateral and can answer questions.”
It’s rare for a prospect to say no to a consultant/partnership approach. It makes them look good in front of their boss: they can show the research they’ve done and how your product might be a good fit. You can also assure them that it won’t be a “sales pitch” to the decision-maker but a continuation of your discussions about how your product can solve their pain points.
When it happens, your salespeople should take a firmer stance, asking directly for an intro to the decision-maker. Executives and other high-level decision-makers can be roadblocks, simply because they’re less accessible. You also need to confirm that the intro will happen by a specific date (and follow up if it doesn’t).
Send an email recap
After a discovery call has ended, your salespeople should commit to sending a follow-up the same day. At Quo, we have pre-written email templates so our team can follow up with prospects quickly. It’s an easy way for your team to follow up with no additional work.
However, your next steps might not always include something you can send immediately, especially if you’re sending specific collateral (like case studies) or preparing an analysis.
At a minimum, your sales reps should send an email recap. In it, outline the problems your product can solve and how the product would bring value to their company. Outline the next steps, the “homework” you’ve given the prospect, and the agreed-upon follow-up date. Log these details in your CRM so you don’t lose track when you’re working on multiple deals.
Close the loop further by building sales collaboration into your process
The most incredible sales professionals are investigators. They uncover problems prospects don’t even know they have. At Quo, for example, we need to understand the entire lifecycle of customer communication, not simply how calls get answered.
But solving problems doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Your salespeople won’t know every business challenge in every industry,or how to identify potential gaps outside of the stated problem. That experience builds over time. Sales collaboration can bridge your team’s knowledge gaps. Sales reps and leaders can learn from and support each other and share successful strategies that help close more deals.
If you’re wondering how you can implement the steps we’ve shared in your discovery calls, check out our discovery call template.
