9 Powerful Sales Discovery Questions (And 12 Essential Follow-ups)

Summary

This video script outlines a strategic approach to sales discovery calls, emphasizing the importance of open-ended questions to uncover a buyer's needs and challenges. It introduces nine discovery questions and twelve follow-ups designed to qualify leads and align sales pitches with the buyer's goals. The script also highlights the significance of rapport-building, understanding decision-making authority, and gauging budget constraints to increase close rates and commissions.

Takeaways

• 🚀 **Sales is about solving problems**: Contrary to stereotypes, effective sales involves understanding and addressing customers' needs rather than tricking them into purchases.
• 🔍 **Discovery Calls**: These calls are crucial for gathering detailed information about a prospect's situation, needs, and whether a product or service is a good fit for them.
• 📝 **Open-Ended Questions**: Asking open-ended questions during discovery calls encourages leads to elaborate, providing deeper insights into their business and challenges.
• 🧐 **Research Beforehand**: Being well-informed about the prospect's company and role is essential to ask relevant questions and build credibility.
• 🔑 **Aligning Solutions with Needs**: Discovery questions help align the sales pitch with the specific needs and goals of the buyer, increasing the chances of a successful sale.
• ⏱️ **Timeline and Budget Considerations**: Understanding the buyer's timeline and budget constraints is vital for determining if the product can be delivered within their parameters.
• 🤝 **Building Rapport**: Effective discovery questions build rapport with the buyer, making them more open to sharing information and considering the sales pitch.
• 💡 **Challenge-Oriented Mindset**: Leading the buyer to a challenge-oriented mindset helps clarify the value of the product or service in solving their problems.
• 💼 **Identifying Decision-Makers**: Discovery calls can reveal who the decision-makers are within the buyer's organization, which is crucial for moving the sales process forward.
• 💰 **Budget and Resources**: Discussing budget towards the beginning of the sales process helps in qualifying leads based on their financial capacity to proceed with the purchase.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of sales according to the video?

The primary purpose of sales is to provide customers with solutions to their problems, whether they are aware of these problems or not.

What is the main challenge for salespeople when dealing with buyers?

The main challenge for salespeople is determining if their solution is a good fit for the buyer's needs, understanding if the buyer is struggling with a problem that the salesperson can solve, and assessing whether the buyer has the necessary resources to make a deal happen.

What are discovery calls and why are they important?

Discovery calls are conversations designed to gather valuable information about a sales lead's needs, challenges, and potential fit for a product or service. They are important because they help salespeople qualify leads, craft effective sales pitches, and close more deals.

How many open-ended discovery questions are recommended in the video?

The video recommends using nine open-ended discovery questions to uncover a buyer's actual needs and underlying business problems.

What is the significance of asking open-ended questions during a discovery call?

Open-ended questions are significant because they encourage the sales lead to elaborate on their situation, needs, and challenges, providing the salesperson with more detailed and valuable information to better tailor their sales approach.

Why is it crucial for salespeople to be well-informed before asking discovery questions?

Being well-informed allows salespeople to ask informed questions that demonstrate their professionalism and build trust with the buyer. It also helps avoid asking novice-level questions that could harm their credibility.

What should each discovery question aim to accomplish?

Each discovery question should aim to move the sales process forward by either qualifying or disqualifying the potential customer, uncovering more about the buyer's needs, and aligning the sales pitch with those needs.

How do follow-up questions enhance the discovery call process?

Follow-up questions allow salespeople to dig deeper into the buyer's responses, uncover pain points, and gather hints for creating a customized sales pitch. They also help build rapport and encourage the buyer to share more information.

What is the first discovery question suggested in the video and why is it important?

The first discovery question suggested is 'Tell me about your company and your role.' It is important because it allows the buyer to share information about themselves and their business, which helps build rapport and provides the salesperson with insights into the buyer's decision-making power and potential challenges.

Why is it important to ask about the buyer's upcoming goals during a discovery call?

Asking about the buyer's upcoming goals helps the salesperson understand the specific areas where the buyer is looking to make improvements or changes. This information is crucial for aligning the sales pitch with the buyer's objectives and determining if the product or service can address those goals.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Introduction to Sales Discovery Process

The video script begins by challenging the stereotype of the deceptive used car salesperson and emphasizes that sales should be about solving customers' problems. It introduces the concept of discovery calls, which are designed to gather valuable information about a potential buyer's needs. The script outlines the importance of these calls in qualifying leads and crafting effective sales pitches. The founder of salesman.org, Will Barron, introduces himself and encourages viewers to visit the website for more free content on sales techniques. The paragraph also explains what discovery questions are and their role in the sales process, including how they help determine if a product can solve a buyer's needs and if the buyer's constraints align with what the seller can provide.

05:01

🔍 The Principles of Effective Discovery Questions

This section delves into the characteristics that make discovery questions effective. It stresses the importance of asking open-ended questions to avoid yes-or-no answers and to encourage the sales lead to elaborate. The paragraph also highlights the need for well-informed questions that demonstrate the salesperson's professionalism and credibility. Furthermore, it discusses how each question should advance the sales process by qualifying or disqualifying the potential customer. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing that effective questions should naturally lead to follow-up questions, which help uncover pain points and guide the creation of a tailored sales pitch.

10:01

🗣️ Crafting the Perfect Discovery Questions

The script provides a detailed exploration of nine discovery questions that salespeople should ask during a sales call. Each question is designed to elicit specific information from the buyer, such as their company and role, upcoming goals, challenges preventing them from achieving those goals, and the implications of unresolved issues. The paragraph also includes follow-up questions for each discovery question, which are intended to deepen the conversation and align the sales pitch with the buyer's specific needs and metrics. The questions are crafted to build rapport, uncover decision-making authority, and assess the buyer's urgency and budget constraints.

15:03

🏁 Wrapping Up the Sales Discovery Call

The final paragraph focuses on how to conclude a sales discovery call effectively. It suggests asking about the implementation process, timeline, and budget, which are crucial for determining the feasibility of a sale. The paragraph also emphasizes the importance of understanding the buyer's criteria for choosing a solution and identifying any potential hurdles. The script concludes with a discussion on how to make the buyer's life better by envisioning the benefits of the product and asking how the salesperson can facilitate the process. The goal is to ensure that the buyer is excited about the solution and can sell it internally to other stakeholders.

Keywords

💡Sales

Sales refers to the process of selling or the act of selling a product or service to customers. In the video, sales is the central theme as it discusses the role of salespeople in understanding customer needs and providing solutions. The script emphasizes that sales is not about tricking people but about solving problems and aligning product offerings with customer needs.

💡Discovery Calls

Discovery calls are a type of sales call where the salesperson engages with a potential customer to understand their business, needs, and challenges. The video script highlights the importance of these calls in gathering valuable information that can help in qualifying leads and crafting effective sales pitches. They are a key tool in the sales process, as they allow for a deeper understanding of the customer's situation.

💡Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions are inquiries that cannot be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no' and require more detailed responses. The script advocates for the use of such questions during discovery calls to encourage potential buyers to elaborate on their needs and challenges, which in turn provides the salesperson with more information to tailor their sales approach.

💡Qualifying Leads

Qualifying leads involves assessing the potential of a sales lead to become a customer. The video script explains that through discovery calls, salespeople can determine if a lead's needs align with the product or service offered, if they have the necessary budget, and if they are ready to make a purchase, thus qualifying or disqualifying them for further sales efforts.

💡Follow-Up Questions

Follow-up questions are those asked after an initial response to gather more information or clarify a point. The script outlines the use of follow-up questions in discovery calls to delve deeper into the buyer's needs, challenges, and expectations, which is crucial for building rapport and tailoring the sales pitch to the specific buyer.

💡Challenge-Oriented State of Mind

A challenge-oriented state of mind refers to a focus on the problems or challenges that a buyer is facing. The video suggests that salespeople should guide the buyer into this mindset during discovery calls to highlight how the product or service can address these challenges, thereby increasing the perceived value of the offering.

💡Implementation Timeline

The implementation timeline refers to the period within which a product or service is expected to be put into use after a sale is made. The script discusses the importance of understanding this timeline during discovery calls to align sales efforts with the buyer's expectations and to gauge the urgency of their need for a solution.

💡Budget

Budget in the context of the video refers to the financial resources allocated by a potential buyer for purchasing a product or service. The script advises salespeople to inquire about the buyer's budget during discovery calls to ensure that the proposed solution is financially viable and to avoid wasting time on deals that are not feasible.

💡Decision-Making Power

Decision-making power refers to the authority a person has to make binding decisions, such as approving a purchase. The video script emphasizes the importance of identifying individuals with decision-making power during discovery calls to ensure that sales efforts are directed towards those who can influence or make the final purchase decision.

💡Rapport

Rapport is the harmonious relationship established between two or more people, often leading to effective communication and mutual understanding. The script highlights building rapport as a key aspect of discovery calls, as it helps in getting the buyer to open up about their needs and challenges, which is essential for a successful sales process.

💡Sales Pitch

A sales pitch is a persuasive presentation of a product or service with the goal of convincing a potential buyer to make a purchase. The video script discusses how the information gathered during discovery calls can be used to craft a sales pitch that is tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the buyer, increasing the likelihood of a successful sale.

Highlights

Sales is about providing solutions to customers' problems, not tricking them into buying.

Discovery calls are designed to gather valuable information about buyers' needs and fit with the seller's solutions.

Nine open-ended discovery questions and 12 follow-up questions are introduced to uncover buyers' actual needs.

Discovery questions help determine if a product can solve the buyer's need and if it fits within their constraints.

Effective discovery questions are open-ended, well-informed, move the sales process forward, and invite follow-up questions.

Asking about the buyer's company and role helps build rapport and uncover decision-making power.

Inquiring about upcoming goals reveals specific business-related information and keeps the conversation moving.

Understanding what's keeping the buyer from achieving goals helps identify challenges and how the seller's product can add value.

Discussing the consequences of unresolved problems sets up a 'what if' scenario, emphasizing the risks of inaction.

Asking who else is involved in choosing a solution helps determine the buyer's authority and the decision-making process.

Understanding the implementation process and timeline is crucial for aligning the sales pitch with the buyer's expectations.

Identifying the main hurdles to implementation can reveal potential challenges and competitors.

Discussing the implementation timeline helps set realistic expectations and can lead to disqualification if not aligned.

Inquiring about the buyer's budget is necessary to ensure the project's feasibility and to avoid wasting time on unqualified leads.

Asking how the solution will make the buyer's life better helps them envision the benefits and sell the product internally.

Closing the discovery call by asking how the salesperson can make the process easy allows the buyer to guide the sales approach.

Transcripts

we all know the stereotype of the dodgy

used car sales person but in contrary to

popular belief sales isn't about

tricking people into buying instead it's

about giving customers the solution to

their problem whether they know they

have the problem or not but the tricky

part for sales people is finding out if

their solution is a good fit for their

buyers needs is that buyer actually

struggling with a problem that you solve

do their needs align with what you can

provide are they equipped with the

resources that you need to make a deal

happen financially and discovery calls

are designed to give you all of this

valuable information and more with this

discovery information you can better

qualify leads craft the perfect sales

pitch and you're going to close more

deals so in this video i'm going to help

you uncover your buyers actual needs and

hone in on what the underlying business

problem is with a simple step-by-step

discovery question process we're going

to be looking at nine open-ended

discovery questions along with 12

powerful follow-up questions as well

[Music]

hi my name is will barron i'm the

founder over at salesman.org where we

make selling simple if you want to learn

more about discovery questions

qualification or any other part of the

sales process head over to salesman.org

today and check out all of the free

content that's over there so let's jump

into discovery questions and the place

to start is

what the heck are discovery questions

well discovery questions are the

questions you ask a sales lead during a

discovery call and of course you've

probably already learned a little bit

about the prospect before you jump on

your discovery call with them but your

discovery calls going to help you fill

in the details that you can't find

online that you can't find on linkedin

and give you a clearer picture about

their situation and their needs and the

answers to your discovery questions help

you determine several things first off

can your product solve the need of the

buyer can you deliver your product

within the buyer's constraints of

timeline and budget what's the best way

to pitch your product and if the

prospect's answers line up well during

your discovery call then they'll move on

to the next step of the sales process

and if they don't that is absolutely

fine as well you can redirect them

through a nurturing campaign or pass

them back off to marketing because

they're not a sales qualified lead so

what makes a discovery question

effective uncovering your sales leads

genuine business problems what are the

principles of great sales discovery

questions so the type of discovery

questions and how you physically ask

them to the buyer will determine the

quality of the information you extract

from your discovery call and with the

right discovery call questions you can

really quickly and seamlessly gets to

the heart of your prospect's needs if

you ask the wrong questions you waste

the buyer's time you may lose the

buyer's trust and sync the deal entirely

so what do great discovery questions

like well first off they're open-ended

you need to avoid questions where the

answer is yes or no because you need to

get the sales lead talking and you want

to avoid them feeling trapped in an

answer that you've set up via a question

next great discovery questions are well

informed you need to do your research

before you call the individual novice

level questions are going to torpedo

your credibility in an instance but

informed discovery questions prove that

you're a professional and prove that

you're worthy of trust from the buyer

next great discovery questions move the

needle so each question that you ask

should always take you one step closer

to qualifying or disqualifying the

potential customer these questions allow

sales reps to dig deeper and move the

entire sales process

forward and finally great discovery

questions are ripe for follow-up

questions as well because a sales

discovery call should be a conversation

not an interrogation of your prospect

your question should add value to the

potential customer asking relevant

follow-up questions let you naturally

uncover pain points and hints for

creating a perfectly catered sales pitch

later on down the sales process and

decent questions are going to help you

build rapport with your buyer which

means that they're going to open up

you're going to get better answers and

deals will close faster than ever before

so let's take a look at the nine

discovery questions for salespeople i'm

also going to cover 12 follow-up

questions that you can use to extract

even more valuable information from your

buyer as well so the first question i

want to ask is tell me about your

company and your role and you got to be

careful with this one because once

you've broken the ice it's time for a

little bit of sales discovery right and

this question lets the potential buyer

take on the lead and ease into the

conversation it's an obvious question to

ask and best of all people love talking

about themselves so they're going to be

excited to share with you so this is

more to build rapport than anything else

but keep your ears peeled for any hints

about the prospective buyer hints like

well do they have decision making power

in this deal what areas of the business

do they oversee and what difficulties

have they been hitting recently the

problem with this question and we've got

to be careful when you ask it is you've

got to have research the buyer you're

not asking the buyer what their job role

is because you can find that on linkedin

you're not asking to buy what products

that they sell because you should have

found that on the company's website so

you need to tell this question depending

on the person that you're asking it to

and let me give you a follow-up question

here you can ask what specific metrics

are you in your role that you just

outlined for me responsible for and this

is perfect for aligning your pitch later

on in the sales process to what is

specifically essential to this specific

buyer's job next up question number two

i want you to ask tell me about your

upcoming goals and this question is an

excellent lead-in to get more

information specifically related to the

prospects business

it's a fundamental discovery call

question so for example are they looking

to save on costs streamline their

processes boost their customer

satisfaction well you'll find out with

this question plus it's so open-ended

that it keeps the conversation moving

forward without you sounding pushy or

sound like a stereotypical salesperson a

follow-up from this could be hey what

are your timelines for achieving those

specific goals and the buyer's answer to

this question is going to help you

determine whether the implementation

time for your product matches up for how

long you want to spend with this

customer and if it's worth investing

with them if they turn around and say

hey well this is my goals for the next

decade i probably want to close this

deal in eight years from now this is

probably an unqualified buyer and you

shouldn't spend too much more time with

them the next discovery question is hey

what's keeping you from achieving the

goals that you just outlined and this

might seem like a bit of a vague

question but we're keeping things

general here we're keeping things open

we want to work out what challenges the

buyers facing because if we can help

with these challenges with our product

or service we're miles ahead to get

their deal done and this question also

leads the buyer into what we call a

challenge oriented state of mind so the

more concrete these challenges become in

the buyer's head and we can help them

this is one of the ways we can add value

as a sales professional to a potential

customer the more valuable your product

is going to seem if you can solve these

issues moving forward so let me just

recap that so for a lot of you there the

clearer the challenges are in the

buyer's mind and the clearer that we are

in how we can solve these issues the

easier it is for a deal to happen that's

why some of these discovery questions

add more value than what they seem up

front so a follow-up question we can ask

here is why are you having these

problems in the first place the answer

here to this question is going to help

identify if the buyer's current solution

is working even a little bit maybe not

and if yours can solve all these issues

in one fell swoop next we need to layer

on a bit of pressure in our discovery

call we're going to ask the question

what happens if these problems go

unresolved because setting up a what if

scenario solidifies all the risks

involved in just letting this problem go

from ending the conversation right now

from not replying to your future

follow-up in the not too distant future

it underscores the challenge that the

prospect is facing and if the

consequences for not solving this

problem are pretty dire it makes your

solution even more rock solid and

appealing than ever before and beyond

that this question also lets you

selfishly that's fine to be selfish in

some of this lets you gauge the buyers

urgency as well you can judge whether

you need to increase the urgency that

you push on to your buyer or if they're

in a pickle if they really need to solve

this problem quick you don't need to add

any more pressure just let them solve it

with your product as quick as possible a

follow-up question here could look like

hey you solved the problem then what

would success look like exactly this

follow-up question helps you determine

if the buyer's expectations are

realistic and this is vital for you

deciding whether you're going to qualify

or disqualify the buyer based on this

discovery call discovery question number

five is who else is involved in choosing

a solution and one of the essential

aspects of any qualification framework

in determining

whether the person you're speaking to is

an authority or not do they have

decision-making power or are they just a

gatekeeper who responds back to the

actual authority so rather than asking

hey

sucker that i'm chatting to who's really

in charge here this question allows you

to uncover that information without

eroding rapport without getting your

prospects back up and the follow-up

question here is so

so valuable this might be the most

important follow-up question in the

whole of this video in the whole of the

discovery process you're going to ask do

you already have a specific criteria

crafted for choosing a solution and this

is

literally the holy grail of qualifying

and disqualifying information if you can

pull it out of a buyer and some buyers

won't give up this criteria willingly

but if at this point in the conversation

you've built up some good rapport you

might be able to get access to that

information and once you know what the

criteria is for success the criteria to

get your product in that organization

it's a box ticking exercise you've got

to go through take each of the boxes

then hand it to the buyer and say hey

we've done everything you've asked let's

get this deal signed an additional

follow-up question could be hey who

created those criteria and this will

give you a subtle hint at who the true

decision-makers are within the account

the next discovery question is if we can

find the right solution for your problem

what will it take to implement this said

solution and the point of this question

is threefold first off this question

gives you a clearer idea of the process

that's needed to get this implemented

what steps do we need to go through to

get a deal approved what departments

does it have to pass through before we

get things signed off and this

information here is going to help you

nail down timeline and a hint as

authority as well second it's going to

further connect your product with the

idea of a problem being solved as an

underlying premise for the whole of this

sales process that makes it way easier

for the buyer to say yes to you and

lastly we're going to use the vital

we we

language in this question this puts you

and the buyer on the same team you're

solving the same problem and it's going

to boost rapport throughout the rest of

the sales process as well i follow the

question here could be what are the main

hurdles you see that's going to stop us

having a smooth implementation this

further clarifies that last question and

it's going to give you an idea of any

potential challenges any issues that may

be lying ahead or you could follow up

with hey what are your other options for

solving this problem this question is

going to reveal your competitors whether

they be internal competitors of this

budget could be spent here or this or

that or there or it could be very

literal competitors of hey this training

program is going head-to-head with your

training program and we're only going to

implement one of them the seventh sales

discovery question that i want you to

start asking is what is your

implementation

timeline so getting a bit more into the

nitty and gritty and by this point

you've hopefully built some strong

rapport with these questions you've

added some value in your responses so

asking this question more assertively

and going hey how much time do we really

have here is this even feasible is going

to be more than appropriate here with

this question we're checking for

realistic expectations and we're also

looking to potentially disqualify the

buyer as well because if the bias

problem isn't driving them all that much

pain right now and they turn around and

say the implementation period is going

to be six months 12 months

five years then it's time to end the

discovery call and move on and if you

want to move things forward if you've

heard all the right things through these

first set of qualification questions

well a great follow-up at this point is

hey are you ready to begin solving this

today the buyer might say yes let's do

it the buy might say no i'm not ready

yet either way is absolutely fine what

we're doing with this question of hey

are you ready to begin solving this

issue today is we're judging how urgent

the problem really is directly

succinctly we're not beating around the

bush anymore because ideally we want

them to be excited about your solution

and if they aren't well it's your job to

build that excitement and this question

will tell you whether you are at that

point or not last but not least what is

your approximate budget now discussing

monetary terms can be a little bit

tricky so be sure to leave this question

perhaps later on in the discovery

conversation but

but it must happen at the beginning of

the sales process you don't want to go

through the entirety of the sales

process you've done all this work loads

of content has been sent away you've had

a bunch of calls you've presented and

you find out that they're never going to

have the budget to get the deal done

fine leave it to the end of the sales

discovery call or towards the end of it

but the discovery call must come towards

the beginning of the sales process

you've got to get ballpark figures at

the very least frankly inquiring about

the budget is a necessity if they can't

afford this project then

disqualify them this deal is a

non-starter a potential follow-up

question here is hey is the budget owner

a executive sponsor what we're looking

for with this question is are there any

senior level employees directly involved

even if they don't make the end decision

if you know that a vp of sales a vp of

marketing a cro has to at least go

through the deal or see a presentation

you can customize your presentation to

give them the facts they need to agree

it as well and finally this is how i

like to wrap up my sales discovery calls

i ask the question

how is this going to make your life

better and it's essential to wrap up the

conversation by helping your sales lead

envision what your product is going to

do for them how are you going to

brighten their future specifically are

they going to have more time on their

hands are they going to be less stressed

are they going to be able to finally

attract the ideal potential customer

will the department be able to boost

their efficiency and meet the lofty

goals that have been set for them post

covered whatever it is you need to get

the buyer to think about those benefits

doing so makes your solution so so much

more appealing when your buyer really

envisions using your product when

they're sold on this idea and they can

see themselves using it each day they're

going to be able to then sell your

product internally and passionately to

the other stakeholders within their

account and the final follow-up question

i love to ask

to wrap up these sales calls is hey

how can i make this easy and this lets

the buyer turn the table slightly they

get to start asking you questions pull

more information from you leverage your

expertise and it's a great way to start

building more rapport the buyer at this

point is going to coach you of what they

need from you to make the deal happen

and typically there'll be one or two

things in there that you haven't

considered yourself no matter how many

of these widgets products or services

that you've sold in the past every bio

is unique that's what you're there for

as a salesperson to close an individual

if it's just a large b2b marketing deal

it can happen without sales people

involved this final question allows you

to get that last little bit of

information to make everything run

seamlessly moving forward so there we

have it a strategic discovery call does

way way more than just let you see if a

sales lead is a good fit for your

business it also allows you to uncover

valuable information that you're going

to use later on throughout the sales

process to deliver a customized bespoke

spot-on sales pitch what does that mean

for you it means the rest of the sales

process is easier higher close rates and

better commissions so i hope you enjoyed

this video if you did make sure to click

the video on the screen right now to

continue your sales education