One of the most crucial skills to master in B2B sales is running a successful discovery call, yet many sales folks don’t understand the nuts and bolts of what this really takes. These calls should go beyond pitching and one-sided monologues; they instead need to be viewed as opportunities to listen, guide, and position the seller’s solution as the missing piece that can solve the buyer’s most pressing pain points.
When they’re executed well, they can lead to meaningful relationships, build trust, and kick off sales cycles. Here’s how to get there.
Prepare in Advance
Even if you’re a seasoned seller, there’s no glory–or wisdom–in jumping on a discovery call and winging it. Remember this is your first time to really engage with a buyer, which means that how you handle it can shape the entire relationship. Instead of pulling from the old playbook of sales funnels and vanity metrics, prepare to form a meaningful connection.
You can do this by taking the time to research your prospect’s firmographics and technographics so you understand their landscape, goals, and challenges–before you ever pick up the phone. Remember to focus on the company’s business model and the person/role you are speaking with; this allows you to ask questions that position you as an expert rather than a seller.
There are plenty of resources–like LinkedIn, Crunchbase, and BuiltWith®–that will enable you to pull insights into a company’s structure, techstack, and current challenges. With knowledge like this, you can effectively turn your discovery call from a generic pitch into a conversation that resonates.
Set Expectations and Listen
Setting expectations should be your first step when you get on the call. We recommend following the ACE model (appreciate, check end time and end goal), which means you’ll quickly outline the call’s purpose, time limit, and goal. Think of yourself as a trusted advisor and guide instead of a seller.
This way, you’ll encourage the buyer to do most of the talking and give them confidence that you’re there to help, not just sell. Make sure you make it clear that you’ve done your research and understand their business goals, which will allow you to deliver value throughout the conversation.
Highlight Your Unique Value Proposition
Once you’ve laid the groundwork, introduce your unique value proposition (UVP) in a way that aligns with the buyer’s pain points. One great way to do this is by sharing customer stories that are relatable to the person you’re speaking to.
If you’ve prepared to the point where you understand their business model and the role of the person on the other end of the line, as recommended above, you’ll have all the insight you need to arm yourself with such stories. People always want to know you have been there, done that, and–even to a greater extent–that you have done it with companies like them.
Capture & Consolidate Key Insights
As you gather information during the call, be sure to keep track of important details in your CRM. The very best take what they learn and summarize it very clearly, articulating the problem and creating the basis of a hypothesis for the solution. This should set the stage for the business case you’ll build later in the sales process.
Also, by standardizing the insights you collect during your discovery calls, your counterparts in marketing, customer success, and sales will be better able to engage this buyer down the line. This practice builds a record of the customer’s journey and tracks progress, giving you a foundation for re-engagement if needed.
Engage the Buying Committee
Another critical piece of the discovery call is understanding a company’s buying committee, which hinges on the previous point. In order to engage multiple stakeholders and get to the meat of what will be your business case later, you must clearly articulate what you heard, form a hypothesis, and validate it against your assumptions
Another piece of this is identifying key stakeholders early, which can help you navigate the sale. It can also make you aware of the need to invite additional participants, like IT or procurement, to a meeting, if their buy-in is necessary. This insight also gives you the necessary information to make future meetings relevant to each stakeholder’s priorities.
Wrap it Up and Plan Next Steps
Finally, conclude the call with clear next steps, leaving the buyer confident in your value. A successful discovery call ends with a commitment—whether that’s inviting additional stakeholders, booking a follow-up, or even deciding it’s not the right fit.
Ready to dive deeper into elevating your discovery calls? Download our complete framework, which includes detailed steps, checklists, common mistakes to avoid, and additional resources to help you build stronger, more effective sales engagements.
