The ultimate guide for running successful discovery calls

Today, I'll explain how to execute discovery calls so your prospects are excited about the next steps and keen to do business with you.

Sales are won and lost on the discovery call. If you mess these up, the chances of closing on the second call are low. Unfortunately, many people struggle with discovery calls, failing to lead the conversation and guide prospects through the process, often fighting the prospect every step of the way.

Here's why:

• They don’t set the tone for the call.

• They suck at discovery questions.

• They don’t get clear next steps in place.

But fear not! In this post, I’ll guide you through each step of my discovery call process, which will set you up for success 95% of the time.

Let’s dive into it:

Step 1: Build rapport

Building rapport doesn’t happen by bonding over your favourite football team. Rapport comes when the prospect feels like you are listening to them and understand their situation. Many people go wrong here by trying to become best friends with the prospect.

Your only goal here is to demonstrate you’re a normal person, assess their communication style, and get down to business.

I do this by asking the same three to four questions every time:

That’s it. As long as you have concise (semi-interesting) answers to these questions yourself, this will be all you’ll ever need.

Step 2: Set expectations

Now that you are cool with the other person, and they are happy to get started, you want to set expectations for the call. I use an upfront agreement to create a comfortable vibe on the call, so I can guide the person through the sales process without them pushing back.

Here’s what I say:

The biggest thing you are trying to avoid here is losing control of the call. If the prospect takes the lead, they’ll typically talk about irrelevant topics or bleed you dry of information before leaving the call and ghosting you. An upfront agreement stops this from happening.

Step 3: Find out the prospect’s situation

Discovery questions are the most important part of the sales process. In this phase, you are finding out if/how you can help the potential client and getting the prospect to verbalise their situation in a way that eliminates most objections before the second call.

A big mistake people make at this stage is rigidly following a script, which makes them sound scripted funnily enough and leads to the prospect shutting down, trying to get off the call, or taking control of the conversation. 

Instead, you want to use a framework that allows you to get the information you need while keeping the conversation fluid. I use Hubspot’s CGP TCI BA framework. Here’s how it goes:

3.1 Challenges

The first step is to identify the problem because, without a problem, there is no sale. I always start with the same opening question:

I find this question demonstrates that I’ve prepared for the call and gets them talking about the most important thing straight away.

After that, I throw in some background questions to get a feel for their business health to see whether or not we can even help them. I ask things like:

Once I have a clear picture of their challenge(s) and business stats, I move on to their goals.

3.2 Goals

Next, I want to understand what they want and why. If prospects don't believe that achieving their goals will lead to a better future, they won't invest in your services. So, I ask questions like:

Now that I have quantifiable goals and the rationale, I move on.

3.3 Plans

After hearing their challenges and goals, I want to talk about their plans for solving their issues. Typically, I find out what options they're considering, for example:

I follow up with questions like:

Towards the end of this phase, I also ask them to explain why their current approach isn't an option for them going forward. I'll say something like:

I find this helps sidestep the status quo objection later on, which is so common in this space.

3.4 Timelines

Knowing when they want to start is crucial for predicting when deals will close. I ask questions like:

Now that I know when they want to kick off, I will proceed to the next phase of questioning, which can be a little trickier to ask.

3.5 Consequences

Finding out the consequences of inaction can be challenging but it’s essential. The prospect needs to believe that the problem is actually worth solving. I help them realise this by inquiring about the duration of their problem and its impact:

When prospects genuinely need assistance but are hesitant due to fear or uncertainty, questions like these can help reinforce their need for help and motivate them to take action.

3.6 Implications

Next, I want to find out what the positive implications of solving their challenges and achieving their goals mean to them. People usually have a "why" and if you can align with it, you maximize the chances of winning the client.

I used to find asking this next question super awkward. Then I realised you can soften it by giving a heads-up and adding context. I say something like:

Now they've told me their ultimate business goal and personal motivations behind all this they'll be more inspired to get help.

3.7 Budget

Knowing that the prospect can afford your help and is on the same page on the level of investment required is vital. After all, you can't help them if they can't invest in your solution, so I ask:

From this, you get an idea if they can afford your agency fees without directly asking them. If they say a tiny number here, I tell them the entry level to ensure we don't waste time doing an audit and having another call.

3.8 Authority

Before transitioning into the closing part of the call, I find out who else has a say in the decision (if anyone). I like to get everyone involved as early as possible to avoid hearing - "I need to speak with my partner" at the end. I get this information by asking:

If they have a spouse or a business partner, I'll also ask:

If it's appropriate to get other people on the call, I'll also ask for their email addresses so I can invite them to the next call.

That’s it for the questioning. The next stages are all about closing out the call, so you both feel good about the conversation and know what’s happening next.

Step 4: Summarise the Conversation

When you’ve asked all your discovery questions, it’s essential to briefly recap your understanding of their situation. This helps prospects feel heard and understood. If you don’t do this, they may feel like you haven’t fully understood their situation, which can lower the likelihood of them converting to the next stage.

The key is to briefly summarizse what the prospect has told you and end by asking whether you’ve missed anything out. I do this by saying something like:

That’s usually it. The prospect will either add to your summary or agree with it, and then I move on to book the next call.

Step 5: Close the audit

If you are selling agency services, you’ll likely need to audit the prospects' previous marketing to see whether you can actually help them.

Step 6: Get access to their ad account

Not getting ad account access on the discovery call is a massive mistake. Prospects are busy. If they say, "just send me the instructions and I’ll do it later," 99 times out of 100, you’ll end up having to chase them several times over a week or two. You’ll have to postpone the call, they’ll give you the wrong access, so you’ll have to chase them again, etc.

The best-case scenario is that the deal takes several weeks longer than it should to close. The worst case (and most common scenario) is both you and the client get frustrated, the deal loses momentum, and it doesn’t end up happening despite you investing loads of unnecessary time into it.

Do yourself a favour and say something like this:

If they say they would rather you just send them some instructions so they can grant access on their own time, push back using some of the information I wrote earlier in this section.

Step 7: Book the second call

Despite auditing their account to see if it’s a good fit, you want to get a 2nd call booked to ensure the deal moves forward, assuming it is a good fit.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking, "I’ll just book the call after the team has confirmed it’s a go-er." Sales is all about momentum, and if you don’t get a 2nd call in place, you reduce the chances of speaking with them again.

Even if it’s easy to book another call, it’s more efficient to book one while you have their attention, rather than having to chase them.

Points 5, 6, and 7 are micro-closes as well, where you are subtly gaining commitment from them, which makes them more invested and more likely to say yes when you ask for the deal at the end of the second call.

Here’s what I say to close the prospect on having a second call:

Step 8: Offer them the chance to ask questions

I like to offer this to the prospect, as I said I would at the start, it helps them feel like they are getting something out of the call and also flushes out any objections before you part ways.

Here’s what I say:

80% of the time, they’ll say no, which is what I want. Sometimes they’ll ask a couple of questions, usually around fee structure, team structure, or contract length.

In each case, I don’t gatekeep the information as there is no point in investing all of this time if your answers to these questions are going to be dealbreakers.

Prepare concise responses to these questions, which let the client feel satisfied without giving away all of the information. If you say too much, you give away your power, and the prospect has less reason to show up to the second call.

Step 9: Gain some commitment through a trial close

Doing these audits, preparing the sales deck and doing the second call takes quite a lot of time and effort. Before leaving the call I like to check that they are actually serious about getting help.

I do this by asking:

Asking a question like this gets another “yes” from the prospect. And if they say “no” you can probe around the reason making a call on whether or not to progress. Selfishly asking this question protects my 2nd call close rate as well.

Step 10: Get some concrete next steps in place

Right, you’re almost there. The last thing you want to do is get some next steps in place with the prospect so you are both clear on what’s going to happen from now until the time you next speak.

This is super important because sales is all about momentum. The moment you have an interaction with a prospect and fail to get a next step in place is the moment the deal dies, and you have to start chasing. Chasing prospects looks desperate and turns them off.

Here’s what I say to wrap up every discovery call:

Summary

To wrap up, I am a big believer that deals are won and lost on the discovery call.

If you get the prospect onside at the start by creating some basic rapport and getting them to agree to your sales process, ask some insightful questions to help you build a sales story, and close out the call by making sure the prospect feels understood and gaining a bit of commitment.

Unless you suck at pitching the solution or you don’t have any case studies, you’ll find that sales just happen without you having to do too much convincing.

Try this framework out, and let me know how you get on by replying to this email or messaging me on Instagram. Peace ✌️