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(511)

Playbook: Everything prospecting that isn't email or phone

Playbook: Everything prospecting that isn't email or phone

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Create an event-specific sequence for expos/tradeshows w/ the CTA being “open to stopping by the booth?”. Use highly tailored gifting for your top-tier accounts instead of just sending out dozens of Starbucks gift cards. Seek out referrals by finding tangential partners to trade leads with. Don't treat LinkedIn like email: use connects, content engagement, and DM's strategically. RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

17 Aug 202236min

110 (Sell): Leveling with your buyer and setting clear expectations using PPO (Doug Landis, Growth Partner @ Emergence Capital)

110 (Sell): Leveling with your buyer and setting clear expectations using PPO (Doug Landis, Growth Partner @ Emergence Capital)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Don’t just set an agenda. Use PPO (purpose, plan, outcome) to set clear expectations for you and your prospect. Avoid deep-diving into features until you've established “why change?” and “why now?”. Show up to your discovery with a theory about their pains and your solutions. Don’t just start peppering questions. Soften the CTA with “would you be open to” instead of heavier asks before the customer is ready to dive deep. RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

10 Aug 202232min

109 (Sell): Prospecting into your customer's new company (Todd Busler, Co-founder & CEO @ Champify)

109 (Sell): Prospecting into your customer's new company (Todd Busler, Co-founder & CEO @ Champify)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Stay top of mind with your closed/lost opps with introductions, referrals, and nuggets (don't be another email marketer). Re-engage former customers at new companies by proposing how your product fits them in their new role/company. Leverage team selling to stay multithreaded in an account instead of restarting a sales cycle when you lose a champion. Get a new champion by finding the next biggest fan and ramping them with condensed steps that you've already taken in the deal. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Co-founder & CEO @ Champify VP, Sales @ Heap Account Executive @ Square Sales Engineer @ SAP RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

3 Aug 202230min

108 (Sell): Managing expansion sales and executive teams (Evan Cassidy, Sr. Director, Mid-Market & Growth Expansion Sales @ Drift)

108 (Sell): Managing expansion sales and executive teams (Evan Cassidy, Sr. Director, Mid-Market & Growth Expansion Sales @ Drift)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Get ahead of every executive conversation by first prepping with a champion pre-call. Use Slack channels for champion collaboration and driving deals to close. Before going into an executive demo, make sure the priorities you collected from discovery are aligned with the executive's. Always create a work-back plan linked to date-of-value so deals don't stall when entering legal, security, etc. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Sr. Director, Mid-Market & Growth Expansion Sales @ Drift Manager, Sales Development @ Dropbox Account Executive @ Yelp RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

27 Jul 202227min

107 (Sell): Architecting the buyer’s journey (Kyle Asay, VP of Sales @ Qualtrics)

107 (Sell): Architecting the buyer’s journey (Kyle Asay, VP of Sales @ Qualtrics)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS When you’re asking questions don’t just ask the question. Say, “the reason I’m asking is because (insert problem). Go into a discovery call with a hypothesis of the problem you can solve. As you prove it out, give little proof points (case studies, stories) so it’s not an interrogation. When demoing, demo 80/20. 20% of what matters most spend 80% on that. Bonus: stack your demo with what makes your product different as opposed to what everyone has. Before giving concessions or discounts, narrow the scope (number of seats, commercial terms, service term, number of years in the deal) and get everything on the table before you start giving any sort of concessions. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB VP of Sales @ Qualtrics Regional VP of Sales @ Qualtrics Director, Corporate Sales @ Qualtrics Sr. Manager, Corporate Sales @ Qualtrics RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

20 Jul 202230min

106 (Sell): Looking for trouble with humbling disclaimers to land your deals on the button (Charles Muhlbauer, Lead Enablement Manager @ CB Insights)

106 (Sell): Looking for trouble with humbling disclaimers to land your deals on the button (Charles Muhlbauer, Lead Enablement Manager @ CB Insights)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Go back to “home plate” and re-anchor to top priorities when dealing with demo “nitpicks”. Use “To what extent” to turn any close-ended question into an open-ended question. Turn your demo into more discovery with (a) HOW does this compare? (b) WHERE does this fit in your workflow? (c) WHO would use this? Seek out hesitation. “Based on what you’ve seen today, what would prevent us from moving forward?” PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Lead Enablement Manager @ CB Insights Enterprise Account Executive @ Sentieo Sr. Account Executive & Team Lead @ Axial Sr. Associate @ Deloitte RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

13 Jul 202229min

Product Roadmap: Q3 2022

Product Roadmap: Q3 2022

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 We like to drop new stuff from time to time. So here's the scoop...  RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

7 Jul 20227min

105 (Sell): Taking control of the buying process (Lauren Bishop, Sr. Commercial Account Executive @ Gong)

105 (Sell): Taking control of the buying process (Lauren Bishop, Sr. Commercial Account Executive @ Gong)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Write down what you want to get out of the call and two ways you can get it. Use one team to prove your business case, then build it out for the others. Don't enter a PoC unless you have security, legal, etc. wrapped or in progress already. Don’t fixate on just a person’s title. Someone with tenure may have as much or more political capital than those with a newer, higher title. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Sr. Commercial Account Executive @ Gong Account Specialist, SMB @ Salesforce Product Marketing Manager @ ProMathletics Account Manager @ The Food Mint RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

6 Jul 202230min

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