A discovery call should improve your understanding of the buyer’s situation. If you leave with enthusiasm but no concrete account of the problem, the conversation was less productive than it felt.
Use a structure without making the customer endure an interrogation. Follow the parts of the story that reveal whether there is a real reason to act.
Begin with a recent incident
Ask the buyer to describe the last time the problem occurred. Move through the sequence: what triggered it, who was involved, what they tried, and what happened afterward. Specific events are harder to answer with vague approval than questions about an imagined future.
For a fictional workflow product, “How did your team handle the last urgent reassignment?” is more useful than “Would automation save time?” The first question can uncover work, ownership, and constraints. The second practically invites agreement.
Establish the consequence
Ask what the problem changes for the business or the person responsible. The consequence may be lost time, missed revenue, unreliable reporting, or delayed delivery. Avoid inventing a financial impact the buyer cannot support.
Then ask how the team currently decides whether solving the problem deserves resources. That connects pain to priority rather than assuming the two are equivalent.
Understand alternatives and decisions
Find out what the customer already uses and what would make a change worthwhile. Ask who would need to participate and how similar purchases are evaluated. These questions make the next step more realistic.
Do not force a full demonstration into every discovery call. Show enough to test fit, then schedule a focused demonstration if there is a reason to continue.
Close with a shared understanding
Summarize the situation in the buyer’s language. Invite corrections. Agree on the next action, who owns it, and what the action is meant to resolve.
Your note should distinguish facts, interpretations, and unknowns. “They mentioned a reporting deadline” is a fact. “They will buy this month” is an interpretation that needs more evidence.
Review your own performance
After the call, ask whether you learned something that changes qualification, the offer, or the next conversation. If your notes could describe almost any prospect, improve the questions before adding more calls to the calendar.
Use the qualification framework to turn the evidence into a decision about pursuing the opportunity.
Co-founder and CEO of Stackmatix, startup advisor, and former Head of Sales at MightyHive. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn ↗ · More about Matt →