Learn how to build an effective discovery framework to win more deals.

When was the last time your lead converted after a single contact?

If the answer is never, you’re not alone. For good reason, sales funnels are as lengthy and complex as they are. Buying decisions need time to mature, especially when multiple people and large sums are concerned. That’s why we have discovery calls before sales pitches, demos, and free trials.

So, what is discovery in sales? Why can’t you skip it? How do you do it right? We’re here to answer all your questions today!

The importance of a structured discovery process

On average, leads cost from $100 to over $1,000.

Now imagine losing them with a single call after all the time and money spent to put them on the sales team's radar. But that’s what happens nine times out of ten when you don’t use a structured discovery sales process.

Discovery is not about winning the deal. It’s about hearing out the client, building trust, and developing a relationship that will lead to a won deal. You need to diagnose the problem before prescribing a solution. So, think of your discovery call as a therapy session slash medical examination. Help the customer understand and voice their concerns, and they’ll be more open to your “treatment.”

Can you wing it? Sure, but it won’t work every time. Even worse, you won’t be able to tell what went wrong (or right) and scale your success. That’s why you need to develop a discovery call framework.

You can use any of the popular acronyms (MEDDIC, SPICED, or POWERFUL), but you’ll have better luck devising a routine that works for your market, business, and target audience. We’re here to help you do exactly that.

Introducing the 5-step discovery framework

The sales discovery process is about the client. They should be the focus of the conversation from start to finish.

The goal of discovery is not to talk about your product. It’s to let the buyer talk about their problems, needs, concerns, and pains. That’s what you’re out to DISCOVER. With that in mind, let’s go over the five steps it takes to get there.

Step 1. Prepare a gameplan

The more you know about the lead, the more effective your discovery will be.

Research the company and the person you’ll be talking to. Check the company’s website and professional network’s (or Facebook and Instagram) accounts, and review your emails, past calls, and any other information you have.

💡 CRMs can be particularly helpful for this part, as they automatically mine, organize, and store record data and provide a bird’s-eye view for every contact or partner.

The preparation is a lot of work, but it will pay off when you:

  • Understand the buyer’s role in the decision-making process
  • Leverage mutual connections, events, products
  • Connect on a personal level through common interests or hobbies
  • Use the same language and frame the conversation through the company’s mission and values
  • Cite relevant statistics, case studies, and use cases relevant to specific needs
  • Build trust and develop a reputation as a professional by saving the client’s time

Aside from research, your preparations should include scheduling the call and sending out the agenda, a questionnaire, or helpful additional materials. Remember to get in touch the day before your call to confirm the time and agenda and ensure everyone’s presence.

Step 2. Introduce the agenda

If the buyer is begging off the call or asking about the price before hanging up, it’s because other sales reps have let them down.

💡 To make them see the benefits of your call, start with PPO:

  • Purpose. What’s the main goal of your call for your buyer? Example: “Our goal for today is to see what your biggest troubles are and how we can help you overcome them.”
  • Plan. How long will the call take, and what are you going to discuss? Example: “We’ll talk about your business processes, biggest issues, and align them with our offers. I’ll also answer any of your questions and outline the next steps.”
  • Outcome. What is the desired outcome of the call? Example: “By the end of this call, we can discuss if our product is a good fit for your company and schedule the next call or a demo.”

This quick intro only takes a minute or two and ensures everyone is on the same page at the onset. Besides, it lets the buyer know what to expect and gives you enough time to get into the right frame of mind for the rest of the call.

Step 3. Diagnose the problem

That’s where your questions come in. But don’t turn sales discovery into an interrogation as your job is to guide the buyer and make them think about questions they would have ignored otherwise.

There are many approaches to the discovery process in sales, like SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-payoff), BANT (Budget, Authority, Needs, Timeline), or MEDDIC (Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identified Pain, and Champions and/or Competitors). But in essence, you need to learn three things:

  • Purpose. What’s the main goal of your call for your buyer? Example: “Our goal for today is to see what your biggest troubles are and how we can help you overcome them.”
  • Plan. How long will the call take, and what are you going to discuss? Example: “We’ll talk about your business processes, biggest issues, and align them with our offers. I’ll also answer any of your questions and outline the next steps.”
  • Outcome. What is the desired outcome of the call? Example: “By the end of this call, we can discuss if our product is a good fit for your company and schedule the next call or a demo.”

This stage has two goals. First, you get valuable info about the prospect and qualify them to decide if they are worth spending time on. 🕵️‍♂️ Second, you engage the buyer’s emotions and build connection and trust.

📌 Side note: You can also go the opposite route and ask the client to imagine their biggest, most ambitious goal and have them excited about it. You can then play on their fear of never achieving that ideal state 🤨.

Step 4. Brainstorm the solution

Once you have the client where you want them emotionally, introduce the value your offer brings and how it can alleviate their pain.

❗ Remember: features don’t sell; solutions do.

Instead of listing every benefit your product offers, let the client consider the value a solution would bring to their business.

At this stage, you can transition from emotional to rational argumentation. Provide case studies, ROI calculations, and other data to support the client’s thinking process. But make sure they deal with the specific issues and troubles you’ve discussed in the previous step. And don’t turn your conversation into a sales pitch. You need to listen more than you talk, even at this stage of the call.

Stories are especially valuable at this stage. Everyone reads reviews, so leverage them. Show the prospect that one of your existing customers had similar issues and that they solved them with your help. This shows the buyer you’ve worked in their industry while letting them connect the dots and come to the right decision without you forcing the sale.

Step 5. Lock In the next step

Sales process discovery doesn’t end in a won deal.

Realistically, it’s just the first of many steps you’ll have to take to convert the lead. However, you can “micro-close” them and prompt them further down the sales funnel. For example, you can schedule another call to talk with decision-makers or schedule a demo to showcase the features to solve the issues you’ve discussed.

Lead in with a quick recap of your conversation, emphasizing the critical pain points and suggesting your solution. Example: “So, we agree that scaling the sales team will not bring in more closed deals. Instead, you could use our CRM to minimize admin tasks and maximize conversions. Let’s get together next week for a demo, and I’ll walk you through our onboarding process.”

🔸 Alternatively, you can finish up the call with a quick 5-minute routine to lock in the future deal:

  1. Need (Do you want to buy?). No one converts 100% of the leads. That’s why it’s important to confirm the prospect is potentially interested in your solution. Ask them if there’s any sense in investing your time and effort into additional calls. You can be direct and honest, but avoid pressuring the buyer because you can instead turn them away.
  2. Timeline (When do you want to buy?). Use what you’ve learned throughout the call to estimate the timeline. For example, some clients may need to wait for the next budget period to get spending approval. Learning about the potential timeline early on will help you plan the following steps.
  3. Next steps (How do you want to buy?). Instead of asking the buyer about the next steps, suggest them. Steer them towards the subsequent stage of your sales funnel, but account for what you’ve discovered and the answer to the previous question.

That’s not the finish line for the discovery framework. As the deal progresses, revisit your records and analyze what worked and what didn’t. Failed conversations can be even more informative than successful sessions because you can identify mistakes and learn from them in the future. Adding to your discovery knowledge base after every call will help you continuously improve your outcomes, increase conversion rates and closed-won deals.

✅ 10-Point Discovery Call Checklist

Here’s a quick recap of what makes a successful discovery call:

  • You research the company.
  • You open with an agenda: your purpose, plan, and desired outcome.
  • You ask open questions to learn about the customer’s current situation.
  • You use the “Typically” questions to identify the pain points.
  • You uncover stories that emphasize the client’s pain.
  • You discuss potential solutions to the problem and find value.
  • You share relevant data, use cases, and other information to make your point.
  • You qualify the lead before the end of the call.
  • You confirm and lock in the next steps according to your sales funnel.
  • You analyze the discovery outcome and use insights to enhance your framework.

Conclusion

Although discovery in sales is often overlooked, it’s a crucial first step to building a strong customer relationship and laying the foundation for winning the deal in the future.

Instead of leaving discovery to chance, develop a structured routine using our five-step process. Remember to prepare for the call and open strong, with a clear objective and agenda. Let the conversation evolve naturally, but gently guide it from major points to potential solutions. And remember to confirm the next step towards closing the deal.

You’ve got it!

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