Run a discovery call that closes at 30%+

My main takeaways from a masterclass Marcus A. Chan did with hyrise👇

(full recording on YouTube)

1. Increase the show up rate

Before focusing on improving anything else, focus on ensuring people make it to the call. The key here is to nail your previous contact and ensure the lead has really perceived the value you can provide.

2. Start with open-ended questions

Effective questioning is the key to a great discovery call. Open ended sales questions are the pinnacle of healthy sales conversations. Marcus shares his framework: CODE - Connect. Open. Direct. Expand.

3. Move on to qualification questions

Focus on uncovering buyer’s beliefs: Pain, Cost of inaction, Desire, Doubt, Resources, Decision-making power, Trust.

No selling at this stage. There should be no scripts or pitching. Make sure you go about these in a “transformational” way, not a transactional one.

4. Recap and clarify

Ensure that everything you’ve learnt is accurate by recapping everything at the end of the call. If it is a complex deal with multiple stakeholders, set clear CTA’s and deadlines and follow up right after the call through email. If the deal is not complex and a decision can be made on the spot, go straight into pitching your solution.

10 great discovery questions to ask

A thoughtful discovery call relies on asking the right open-ended questions to uncover the prospect's needs and challenges.

• Tell me about your goals (financial, customer-related, operational)?

• What problem are you trying to solve?

• What's the source of that problem?

• Why is it a priority today?

• What do you think could be a potential solution? Why?

• What would a successful outcome look like?

• What are your primary roadblocks to implementing this plan?

• What's your timeline for implementation?

• What's the approximate budget for solving this problem?

• Who else will be involved in choosing a vendor?

Read the full article by HubSpot.

How to ask better discovery questions

• Check out Charles Muhlbauer's advice for asking better sales questions.

  1. Start with "typically" questions:

  • Open calls by inquiring why the prospect took the call..

  • Quickly introduce common problems you solve

  • Ask the prospect to identify which issue resonates most, guiding the conversation towards actionable problems.

  2. Magic moment questions:

  • Ask for the specific moment the prospect realized it was an issue.

  • Example transition to story: "When was the moment you realized sales teams didn’t know who you were?"

  3. Use humbling disclaimers for impact questions:

  • Introduce impact questions with a disclaimer

  • Example: "I know this might sound out of bounds, but would it be ridiculous to assume that solving this is crucial to reaching your $50M pipeline goal?"

QUOTE OF THE DAY