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(516)

Sell Playbook (Part 2): How to Structure an Effective Discovery Call (Nick & Armand)

Sell Playbook (Part 2): How to Structure an Effective Discovery Call (Nick & Armand)

FOUR ACTIONABLE SALES TAKEAWAYS Do 90 seconds of rapport building, launch off with a business related question that highlights you've done some research Set a PPO agenda, coving the purpose, plan, and outcomes of the call Ask the prospect why they took the call, if they don't give you a good answer offer them a high-level overview to anchor their expectations At the end of the call run the 5-minute drill which includes 3-questions, do you want to buy? When do you want to buy? How do you buy? RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Early access to The Book on Cold Calling

4 Jun 202427min

Hall of Fame: Ryan Reisert Ep. 118

Hall of Fame: Ryan Reisert Ep. 118

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Use the 80/20 principle - if someone hasn’t picked up within 5 calls, start expanding your efforts in the other channels. Prioritize direct dials & operations (their job is to transfer you). Avoid gatekeepers when possible. Document your channel validation. For phones: direct vs operator, validated vs not validated, etc. Focus on the tone/pace of your opener vs the words themselves. Then preface with the intent of your call to lower their guard. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Student of Sales, Principal @ Reisert Consulting Director, Paid Media + Audience @ Sprinklr VP Sales @ Booshaka, Inc. (Acquired by Sprinklr) RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

3 Jun 202434min

221 (Lead) Cloning Your Top Reps by Identifying What Good Looks Like (Kevin "KD" Dorsey)

221 (Lead) Cloning Your Top Reps by Identifying What Good Looks Like (Kevin "KD" Dorsey)

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS When working with reps and trying to help them improve, work backwards from what you want to the prospect to say then build what they need to do to get them to say that Coach forward vs. backwards, coach to prepare so that future performance will be better and they feel more prepared for actual scenarios approaching Have each one "What Great Looks Like" exercise per manager per quarter, pick one metric, find the rep who is the best at that, then diagnose the different behaviours they exhibit to adopt across the rest of your team Use the "Four Ds" to roll out WGLL across your team - define what good looks like, document it, demonstrate it with training, and deliberately practice it by scoring reps performing the new tactics on calls PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB SVP of Sales and Partnerships @ Bench Accounting Practice Lead, Revenue Leadership @ Winning by Design VP of Inside Sales @ PatientPop Inc. Head of Sales Enablement & Development @ ServiceTitan VP of Sales @ SnackNation RESOURCES DISCUSSED Read: Join our weekly newsletter Steal: Templates, drips, scripts Watch: How to get an accurate picture of your team's pipeline ft. KD Listen: How to build a winning sales team ft. KD KD's past episodes: Build a Winning Sales Team Discovery Part 1 Discovery Part 2 Getting Prospects to Agree to Their Problem

30 Mai 202435min

Sell Playbook: How To Ask Discovery Questions To Uncover Business Problems (Nick & Armand)

Sell Playbook: How To Ask Discovery Questions To Uncover Business Problems (Nick & Armand)

FOUR ACTIONABLE SALES TAKEAWAYS Avoid interrogating the prospect with surface level questions, use vertical questions to get deeper and give meaning to your questions Try to avoid putting words into your prospect's mouth or leading them with stereotypical sales questions that make them feel trapped Aim to uncover the prospect's situation, problems, and impacts with questions like "Why did you take the call?", " Recap what you've learned and give back by sharing a story or a very short "harbour tour demo" RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Early access to The Book on Cold Calling

28 Mai 202437min

Hall of Fame: Chris Orlob Ep. 123

Hall of Fame: Chris Orlob Ep. 123

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Ask your inbound leads what prompted them to take the call. Start your calls with outbound leads by calling out that they might not know what you do and explaining the problems you solve. Then make the transition into discovery.  Categorize buyers’ answers into problem language or solutions language. Buyers often answer “problem” questions with solutions, so ensure you get the problem language. Avoid discovery fatigue with a mix of emotionally intelligent techniques. (Examples: quick customer stories, summarizing, questions) PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Co-Founder & CEO @ Stealth Startup Director of Sales & Go-To-Market @ Gong Co-Founder & CEO @ Conversature Regional Sales Manager - New Business @ InsideSales.com  RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

27 Mai 202430min

220 (Lead) Keeping Reps Accountable to Their Forecasts (John Sherer, Growth Assistant)

220 (Lead) Keeping Reps Accountable to Their Forecasts (John Sherer, Growth Assistant)

FOUR ACTIONABLE LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS Do a bi-weekly "pipe squeeze" (pipeline review) with each rep share your screen and take notes as you go to save time & maintain control Discounts drive velocity, when a deal has stalled or there is no next step, use a manager email to see if a pricing incentive will move the close date Ask the same 5 questions in deal review - Deal size, deal close date, buyer buy in, next step, and any incentives on the deal. Send the update to your leader for upward transparency Only have reps forecast deals in pipeline for the month then run the historical math to see what may change both positive or negative PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB COO @ Growth Assistant VP of Sales @ Lattice Sales Director @ Lattice VP of Sales @ Appcues RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

23 Mai 202432min

219 (Sell) Skyrocketing Close Rates with Onsites (Michelle Cecil, Procore)

219 (Sell) Skyrocketing Close Rates with Onsites (Michelle Cecil, Procore)

FOUR ACTIONABLE SALES TAKEAWAYS Recognize your SE and team members who help you on deals & onsites Call each attendee after a meeting to thank them for their time and ask them for their feedback When pitching an onsite be prescriptive about what's in it for your champion and close with "Do you think your team would be open to something like that" as a softer ask Send a multiple choice pre-meeting survey to each of a meeting's attendees to ask questions about the client's current state PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Commercial Sales Manager @ Procore Account Executive, Enterprise @ Procore Account Executive, Majors @ Procore Account Executive, Mid-Market @ Procore RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

21 Mai 202434min

Hall of Fame: Henry Schuck Ep. 146

Hall of Fame: Henry Schuck Ep. 146

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Don’t let the fear of breaking rapport prevent you from asking for the next step. Answer the yes-or-no questions and SHUT UP! Figure out their vision through discovery, then tell the story of their business in terms of how other world class teams use you to achieve it. Turn the CEO's team into your champions to get the inside scoop on everything about them beforehand. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB CEO & Founder @ ZoomInfo CEO & Co-founder @ DiscoverOrg Adjunct Professor @ Washington State University RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

20 Mai 202428min

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