Why Your Discovery Call Isn’t Finding Real Problems | Bite-Sized Tactics

Why Your Discovery Call Isn’t Finding Real Problems | Bite-Sized Tactics

Max Licht (Enterprise AE @ MaestroQA) breaks down his shadow-based discovery process. This technique goes beyond typical discovery calls, allowing you to witness firsthand where inefficiencies and bottlenecks are happening. 1. Identify the Painful Process - Research the customer's current workflow and tools (e.g., Excel, Salesforce) to understand the manual, time-consuming steps involved. - This reveals where inefficiencies exist, giving you a clear picture of the pain your solution can alleviate. It also helps you identify the "drag them through the glass" moments where the pain is most acute, which is critical for building urgency. 2. Set Up the Shadowing Session - Frame the shadow as a collaborative step to fully understand their process. Instead of just making claims, say something like, *“Before I make any promises, I want to fully understand your current reporting process to see where we can add the most value.”* - This approach shifts the focus from selling to problem-solving, making you a trusted partner rather than just a vendor. It also sets the stage for a more meaningful business case. 3. Conduct the Shadow - Watch the prospect use their current tools and processes. Take notes, capture screenshots, and pay attention to friction points, inefficiencies, and workarounds they rely on. - Seeing the workflow in action often reveals unspoken pain points and limitations that even the prospect might not articulate in a standard discovery call. This firsthand observation helps you tailor your pitch to the reality of their day-to-day work. 4. Use Shadows to Build a Business Case - Use the insights gathered to frame your solution as a direct response to the pain points you observed. For example, highlight how your tool eliminates specific inefficiencies, reduces manual steps, or streamlines complex reporting. - This concrete evidence makes your pitch more credible and aligns your solution directly with their business goals, increasing the likelihood of internal buy-in. 5. Follow Up Strategically - After the shadow, summarize your findings in a follow-up email or meeting, highlighting specific pain points you observed and how your solution can address them. Use this to drive urgency and move the deal forward. - This reinforces your credibility as a problem-solver and keeps the conversation anchored in real, observed issues, rather than hypothetical value propositions. 6. Use the Shadow as a Catalyst for Future Conversations - Reference specific pain points in later stages of the sales cycle, using them to frame your solution as a clear, tangible fix for their current frustrations. - This approach keeps the focus on solving their problems, reducing friction in the decision-making process and increasing the likelihood of a successful close. RESOURCES DISCUSSED: ⁠Join our weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠Things you can steal⁠ ⁠Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST”

Episoder(512)

Hall of Fame: Nick Casale

Hall of Fame: Nick Casale

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Do not neglect internal research when you're preparing for a sales call. Find out if your company has spoken to them before and dig internally. Prep for your sales calls by understanding lookalike conversations your team has had in the past. Use the lighthouse email to engage someone at the top, mid-deal cycle. Don’t just pull them into the boat. Let them know that the boat is there and you have an awesome champion so they can affirm you’re in the right place. Don’t say “AI” in your sales call. Instead, focus on the problem they want to solve and what they want to do. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Co-Founder @ Handoffs Director, Sales @ Sendoso Manager, MM & ENT Sales @ Sendoso Founding Account Executive @ Sendoso RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

2 Sep 202439min

244 (Lead) How to Navigate Firing, Hiring, and PIPs as a Leader (Ken Amar, Agoge Prospecting School)

244 (Lead) How to Navigate Firing, Hiring, and PIPs as a Leader (Ken Amar, Agoge Prospecting School)

FOUR ACTIONABLE LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS Clearly communicate metrics, quotas, and potential performance improvement plans (PIP) during onboarding Design compensation plans that allow top performers to earn substantial rewards. To gain approval from finance, include decelerators where reps who don't reach 70% of quota earn no commission. When turning around an SDR team,iIntroduce new talent by hiring fresh SDRs and replacing underperformers to inject new energy into the team. Use a pod system (e.g., 4 AEs to 2 SDRs). This allows AEs to focus on key accounts while SDRs work on B and C tier accounts, generating additional meetings. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Consultant @ Agoge Prospecting School Director of Sales Development @ Vercel Senior Manager of Sales Development @ Outreach SDR Team Lead @ Outreach RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Agoge Sequence

29 Aug 202438min

243 (Sell) Mastering Multichannel Sales: How to Combine Cold Calls with Other Outreach (Sara Uy, Pareto)

243 (Sell) Mastering Multichannel Sales: How to Combine Cold Calls with Other Outreach (Sara Uy, Pareto)

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS If you make a mistake while recording a prospecting video, don't discard it. Send it anyway, as it can add authenticity and still lead to positive outcomes. When you feel the conversation winding down, go straight to asking for the meeting to increase your chances of booking it. After sending a LinkedIn video, start by asking, "What did you think of the video?" followed by "What didn't you like about the video?" to engage prospects. Leverage your last interaction—whether it's a video, voicemail, or previous call—as the reason for your next outreach to create continuity and context. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Sales Director @ Pareto Senior Business Development Manager @ Pareto Senior Account Executive @ Pareto Account Executive @ Pareto Business Development Representative @ Pareto RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

27 Aug 202435min

Hall of Fame: Charles Muhlbauer

Hall of Fame: Charles Muhlbauer

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS If you say yes to doing something for a prospect and then realize you shouldn’t have offered that, call them to apologize. If you are giving reasons to a prospect for why something they asked for is not the best idea, make those reasons about them and in their best interest. Don't chase tennis balls. Create equal footing by getting something before we just jump to giving. Be a guide, not a servant. Buyers are not looking for us to say yes to everything. Evaluate every ask through “is this actually the best way for the buyer to get what they're looking for?” PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Founder @ DiscoveryCoach.io Sales Enablement Manager @ AlphaSense Lead Revenue Enablement Manager @ CB Insights Senior Sales Training Manager @ CB Insights RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

26 Aug 202435min

242 (Lead) 5 Steps to Become the Sales Leader That Inspires Your Team (David Priemer, Cerebral Selling)

242 (Lead) 5 Steps to Become the Sales Leader That Inspires Your Team (David Priemer, Cerebral Selling)

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Delegate regular tasks, such as skill-building sessions in team meetings, to your reps to encourage leadership development and lighten your workload. When introducing new narratives or initiatives, provide a clear example of what good execution looks like, so your team knows what to aim for. Be transparent with your team about the reasons behind significant changes, such as quota increases or territory shifts, to help them understand and accept the decisions. Create a safe environment for reps by making it acceptable to forecast low numbers if that’s the reality, with categories for worst-case, most likely, and best-case scenarios. DAVID'S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Founder @ Cerebral Selling Vice President of Sales @ Influitive Vice President Commercial Sales @ Salesforce RESOURCES DISCUSSED David's Book: The Sales Leader They Need Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

22 Aug 202439min

Sell Playbook: The Definitive Objection Handling Guide (Jason Bay, Outbound Squad)

Sell Playbook: The Definitive Objection Handling Guide (Jason Bay, Outbound Squad)

Jason Bay, Nick, and Armand walk through how to handle almost all the objections you can encounter on a cold call RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal The Book on Cold Calling Outbound Squad

20 Aug 202451min

Hall of Fame: Chase Macaione

Hall of Fame: Chase Macaione

FOUR ACTIONABLE LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS How engaged someone is on LinkedIn is a proxy of how good of a champion they'll be for you as a buyer. What you do in a call differs from what you want to get out of a call. The agenda is what you want to do, but make sure to explicitly say what you want to have coming out of the call. Have reps come in with a hypothesis or a POV based on what they see about the company. If the company is shrinking, the way you do discovery will be different from if it is growing. List out discovery questions to get people from high-level pain to deeper pain. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Director of Commercial Sales @ Zip Sales Director @ Celonis Strategic Account Executive @ Celonis Regional Sales Manager @ Oracle RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Chase Macaione's Discovery Call Prep Sheet & Guide

19 Aug 202439min

Sell Playbook: The 5 Most Common Cold Call Objections

Sell Playbook: The 5 Most Common Cold Call Objections

Get our book on cold calling "Cold Calling Sucks (and that's why it works)" Nick and Armand walk through the five most common cold calling objections and run through ways you can overcome them. Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

16 Aug 202411min

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