Personal note: I apologize for not being able to send out the newsletter over the last few days; I was sick for more than a week 🤒 

Go beyond basics

Mor Assouline highlights six essential discovery questions to get to the core of your prospects' needs, improving engagement and avoiding shallow questions that lead nowhere.

Skip these:

• "Can you tell me about your business?" – Easily Googled.

• "Are you the decision maker?" – Oversimplifies decision-making.

• "What features do you need?" – Leads to "feature dumping."

Use these instead:

1. "What challenges are you having now that we might help solve?"
   Centers the conversation on their pain points.

2. "Other businesses like yours focus on [specific problem], how aligned is that with your vision?"
   Shows you understand their world.

3. "If you choose any solution, what would success look like in the first 90 days?"
   Focuses on their goals.

4. "Besides you, who else would need to trial this?"
   Reveals key team members.

5. "Who might think you don’t need this?"
   Identifies potential blockers.

6. "What are the chances you’ll stick to your current solution?"
   Tests commitment to change.
   

Stop interrogating, start understanding

Krysten Conner suggests a simple but effective tweak: switch from "why" questions to "how" or "what" questions to keep discovery calls conversational and comfortable. Here are a few examples:

• Instead of “Why is this a priority now?”
  Try: “How are you thinking about this differently than last year?”

• Instead of “Why would you push this decision to next quarter?”
  Try: “Sounds like this is a Q3/Q4 priority. How much of that is budget vs. bandwidth?”

• Instead of “Why do you ask?”

  Try: “Sounds like you have a specific reason for asking. Mind unpacking what’s driving that?”

Top 5 phrases for discovery calls

Nate Nasralla recommends these five powerful phrases for discovery calls, aiming to build influence and encourage deep, honest conversation with prospects.

Used together, these phrases go beyond basic questions to create a stronger, more connected dialogue.

1. "Could you tell me more about when…?"
   This invites your prospect to tell a story, allowing emotions and real motivations to surface.

2. "To spend just another second on that…"
   Go deeper, not broader. Focus on what truly matters rather than covering more ground.

3. "Ah, so, the reason I’m asking this is…"
   By sharing why you're asking, you encourage transparency and get a clearer picture.

4. "How does this relate to when you said…?"
   This ties back to earlier points, showing you’re listening and building a cohesive conversation.

5. "Got it, so in my experience…"
   Break the interview flow by adding your own perspective, which builds trust and invites them to open up.

Qualifying with curiosity

In discovery calls, Anthony Natoli suggests using questions that almost "disqualify" prospects to test if a problem is genuinely worth solving right now.

This approach ensures the problem is truly a priority and shows respect for both parties’ time.

Here are his top questions:

1. "With so much on your plate, what makes this problem a priority right now over other issues?"
   This question helps assess why this particular problem stands out and confirms its urgency.

2. "You’ve been handling this a certain way for a while now. Knowing that, what’s making you consider a change right now?"
   This question digs into what’s driving the desire for change and opens up conversation on the risks of inaction.

These questions help qualify if the prospect's problem is worth addressing while revealing underlying motivations, laying the groundwork for deeper questions about impact within the organization.

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