Calling a stranger on the phone isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Even if you go through the process of asking for someone’s number in your personal life, picking up the phone for that first conversation can get your nerves going. 

As critical as they are to sales and marketing, discovery calls can affect you similarly. But if you establish goals and employ the right tactics, you can ease your stress and conduct calls that generate leads. Below, Poised explains discovery calls in more detail and provides simple tips for succeeding. 

What Is a Discovery Call?

As the first conversation with a potential customer after showing interest in your product or brand, a discovery call allows you to get to know the prospect and gauge whether they’re a good match for your company. In other words, a successful discovery call provides the opportunity to assess the prospect’s needs and goals. Then, you can confirm your product or service addresses the person’s pain points.

If a potential customer is not a good fit for your offering, pursuing them can be a waste of time and money. Remember, the ultimate goal is to walk consumers through the buyer’s journey. You are looking for either the customer to make a purchase or offer a referral.

What Are the Goals of a Discovery Call?

Discovery calls are an essential component of the sales process. Remember that potential customers have already shown interest in your brand at this point, and a great discovery call can move them through the sales pipeline by the end of the call. 

The ultimate goals of the discovery process are asking qualifying questions, identifying potential roadblocks, building trust with the prospect, and solving the prospect’s pain points. Often, sales reps implement a product demo to close the deal. 

Qualifying a Lead as a Prospect 

One critical step to an effective discovery call is to qualify (or disqualify) your lead. Establishing your qualification criteria will make it easier to identify the potential customers most likely to buy your product or service.

Start by defining your ideal customer profile. Here are some of the demographics to use:

• Industry
• Geographic location
• Size
• Decision-making factors 
• Pain points
• Business objectives
• Budget

Be sure to note any prospects that are not a good fit so your sales professionals can prioritize accordingly. 

Building a Relationship With the Prospect

Developing a relationship with a potential customer requires you to build rapport from the first moment of the first call. Starting a conversation with an overly rehearsed monologue about how great your product is and moving on to pricing will not get you very far.

Begin each phone call (or video call) with a brief rundown of your discovery call script. Then, ask the prospect if there is anything else they want to talk about. It’s crucial to make it a two-way conversation.

Once you have the prospect’s attention, you can ask your predetermined discovery call questions and tastefully work in your sales pitch. 

Discovering the Prospect’s Needs

Most of your discovery call questions will center around the prospect’s needs and concerns. The whole point of the conversation is to determine whether your product or service can solve a problem for the consumer. If so, then you try to convince the consumer to make a purchase.

The key is to ask the right questions!

Presenting a Solution to the Prospect’s Needs

A potential customer will need to believe that your product or service can resolve their pain points. Once you know the problems your prospect is facing, you’ll need to present the solution via a thoughtful verbal explanation or testimonials.

Discussing Next Steps With the Prospect

You never want to hang up the phone without going over the next steps. Explain what you think those steps should be and ask the prospect for their opinion. Then, schedule a follow-up meeting, product demo, or video call. 

How Can You Improve Your Discovery Calls? 

You have an idea of what a good discovery call requires at this point. Here are a few brief tips for sales teams looking to improve their calls:

Speak With Confidence and Enthusiasm

Who wants to buy a product or service from a salesperson who doesn’t believe in it? It’s essential to know the ins and outs of your offering and to confidently put forth a sales pitch. That pitch should highlight your enthusiasm for the product/service and the gains the customer will receive.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Remember that you will need to listen to prospects more than you talk to them. Asking open-ended questions is the surest way to spark conversations and get to know potential customers.

Be Prepared for Objections

Sales professionals get rejected often. While you should go into each discovery call with hope and confidence, prepare yourself to hear the word “no“ over and over again. Sometimes the objection will be resolute, but learn to discern when it can be an excellent sales opportunity.

Know Your Competitors’ Selling Points

In this day and age, there is fierce competition in most industries. Consumers have more options than ever. Thoroughly research your competitors' selling points so you can distinguish your brand from theirs.

Get Real-Time Communication Feedback With Poised

Many sales discovery calls today occur over video conferencing platforms. Using Poised can ensure you communicate to prospects effectively and improve with each call. The other person will not know you’re using the communication coach, and you will receive real-time feedback to keep your calls successful. 

The Bottom Line

You can’t have a successful sales process without your sales reps executing top-notch discovery calls. An effective phone call or video call will accomplish more in less time. Remember the tips above as you and your team learn the art of cold calling and closing deals.

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Sources: 

Entrepreneurs Should Never Stop Reimagining the Buyer's Journey | Entrepreneur

How to Create a Customer Profile | Fit Small Business

The Key To Asking Better Sales Questions Is Empathy, According To Harvard's Mark Roberge | Forbes