What the call is for
A discovery call answers three questions: do they have the problem, is it worth solving to them, and can they decide. Everything else — the demo, the pricing conversation, the proposal — depends on those answers, and running them out of order wastes both people's time.
A thirty-minute structure
- Two minutes — frame it"I'd like to understand how you work today, and if it seems like we can help I'll show you the relevant part. If not, I'll say so." This sets expectations and gives you permission to ask questions.
- Fifteen minutes — their situationThe bulk of the call. How the work happens now, what breaks, what it costs, what they've tried. You should be talking for a small fraction of this.
- Five minutes — show one thingOnly if it's relevant. The specific part that addresses the specific thing they described.
- Five minutes — process and decisionWho else is involved, what would need to be true, what their timeline looks like.
- Three minutes — next stepAgreed, specific, with a date. Booked before you hang up.
The questions that matter
- "Walk me through the last time you did this." — the opener; gets a real sequence with real friction in it
- "How often does that happen?" — turns an anecdote into a frequency
- "What does it cost you when it goes wrong?" — hours, money, or a lost client
- "What have you tried?" — reveals the workaround, the budget, and what's already failed
- "What happens if you do nothing?" — the most under-asked question in sales; if the answer is "nothing much", there's no deal
- "Who else would be involved in a decision like this?" — ask early, plainly, and without apology
- "What would need to be true for this to be an easy yes?" — surfaces the real blocker better than any objection handling
Reading the signals
| Signal | Reading |
|---|---|
| They describe a workaround they built | Strong — the problem is real and already costing them |
| They already pay someone for this | Strongest — a budget exists |
| They can name what they'd do first | Strong — they've imagined using it |
| They ask about implementation and timing | Good — they're thinking practically |
| "Send me some information" | Weak — usually a polite exit |
| Can't say what happens if they do nothing | Weak — there's no urgency to sell against |
| Enthusiastic but can't name a decider | Weak — you're talking to an admirer, not a buyer |
Ending properly
The most common way a good call is wasted is ending with "I'll send you some details" and no date. Momentum decays fast, and a follow-up into silence is much harder than a booked call.
- Summarise what you heard, in their words, and check you got it right — this alone often closes the credibility gap
- Say plainly whether you think you can help, including when you can't
- Propose one specific next step with a date, and book it while you're both there
- If it's a no, ask what would change that, and ask who else has the problem
- Send a short summary the same day — what you understood, what you agreed, when
Common mistakes
- Opening the product in the first five minutes
- Talking more than the prospect
- Never asking what happens if they do nothing
- Discovering at the end that your contact can't decide
- Ending with "I'll follow up" instead of a booked next step
Key takeaways
- Three questions: do they have it, is it worth solving, can they decide
- Fifteen of thirty minutes should be them describing how they work today
- "What happens if you do nothing?" is the most under-asked question in sales
- End with a specific, dated, booked next step — or an honest no
Try it yourself
On your next call, don't share your screen at all. Ask only about how they work today, and see whether you can describe their problem back to them accurately at the end. That's the skill the whole call rests on.