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(509)

77 (Sell): Leading with data in your sales process and why traditional sales is broken (Anthony Iannarino, President @ SOLUTIONS Staffing)

77 (Sell): Leading with data in your sales process and why traditional sales is broken (Anthony Iannarino, President @ SOLUTIONS Staffing)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways:  * Lead with insights to show the prospect that you know their business. * Don’t assume the customer deeply understands their world, be prepared to share learnings. * Show the buyer what they should be considering during their evaluation. * Sell the model, not the features, of your business. ====================== Anthony’s Path to President’s Club: * Over 30 years of sales experience in staffing & B2B  * Creator of Iannarino Sales Accelerator  * Founder of B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy  RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

1 Des 202132min

76 (Sell): Selling to executives, selling with them, and everything in between (Kris Rudeegraap, CEO @ Sendoso)

76 (Sell): Selling to executives, selling with them, and everything in between (Kris Rudeegraap, CEO @ Sendoso)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways:  * Bring your executives early to accelerate the deal instead of at the end when it’s too late. * Sell the vision of your deal (as the executive) before justifying the product with logic. * Avoid asking for meetings too far above the line. Instead as for a referral to the appropriate person. * Utilize the “Sent from my iPhone” subject to give a genuine feel to emails. ====================== Kris’ Path to President’s Club: * CEO and Co-Founder @ Sendoso * Writer for Forbes Technology Council RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

24 Nov 202128min

75 (Sell): Getting out of the script for more effective Gap Selling (Keenan, Author of Gap Selling)

75 (Sell): Getting out of the script for more effective Gap Selling (Keenan, Author of Gap Selling)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways:  * Don’t talk about root causes/technicalities until you get to the business impact first. * Condense the problem you solve into a single sentence - stop overcomplicating things. * Lean on their desired future state instead of talking about the past. * Get to the question/reason behind those unexpected/general questions. ====================== Keenan’s Path to President’s Club: * Author of Gap Selling * CEO @ A Sales Guy Consulting RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

17 Nov 202132min

74 (Sell): Mapping out your demo during the discovery call to drive the ‘aha’ moment (Will Lui, CRO @ Pairsoft)

74 (Sell): Mapping out your demo during the discovery call to drive the ‘aha’ moment (Will Lui, CRO @ Pairsoft)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways:  * Tie each feature you demo to the discovery, then an example, then a use case so it really sticks. * Give examples of how existing customers with similar pain points are using your tool. * Avoid the deep-cut discovery with outbound prospects, present your thesis and let them react. * Once you get to power, immediately leverage them into a demo with the entire team for credibility. ====================== Will’s Path to President’s Club: * CRO @ Pairsoft * Former Director of Strategy and Operations @ Adobe Workfront RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

10 Nov 202127min

73 (Sell): Working with your Sales Engineer to run effective discovery and demos (Zach Farber, AE @ Salesforce)

73 (Sell): Working with your Sales Engineer to run effective discovery and demos (Zach Farber, AE @ Salesforce)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways:  * Lean on your champion to schedule large meetings with multiple functional groups. * Stay active during the demo by linking discovery to features (instead of trolling through Facebook). * Take at least 15min before a large demo to review discovery notes with your Sales Engineer. * Send individualized recap emails highlighting points that hit well with that functional group. ====================== Zach’s Path to President’s Club: * AE/Magician @ Salesforce * Forme AE @ Loopio RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

3 Nov 202128min

72 (Sell): Systematizing the way you use text messages in a deal cycle (Eric Buckley, President @ Skipio)

72 (Sell): Systematizing the way you use text messages in a deal cycle (Eric Buckley, President @ Skipio)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways:  * Don’t try to sell over text, your goal is to get a response, meeting, or call. * Keep your texts short and sweet to encourage a quick response. * Bump your thread back to the top with a “bubble-up” text. * Use a pulse check text to get informal context/feedback during your deal cycle. ====================== Eric’s Path to President’s Club: * President @ Skipio RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

27 Okt 202126min

71 (Sell): Perfecting the Up-Front Contract...straight from the source (Joe Diliberto, President/Owner @ Sandler Training)

71 (Sell): Perfecting the Up-Front Contract...straight from the source (Joe Diliberto, President/Owner @ Sandler Training)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways:  * Use an UFC at the beginning of your meeting to anchor customers to next steps at the end. * Use an UFC at the end of your meeting to anchor to outcomes of the following meeting. * Demonstrate active listening and credibility by pausing to dig in deeper when uncovering a truth. * When surprised by a hard stop...establish an even shorter stop to figure out if the time is even needed. ====================== Joe’s Path to President’s Club: * President/Owner @ Sandler Training SF RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

20 Okt 202132min

Playbook: Cold Emails

Playbook: Cold Emails

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Every 10th episode, we tear down one topic. This is how to send cold emails that actually work. FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Stop trying to sell everything under the sun. Keep it to one pain point per email. Start your sequence with an email, and move to 10 touches over 30 days with a mix of calls and emails. Use the 3x3 rule with a crispy problem, what you do, and a quick ask for interest. Avoid over formalities/news headlines so that your message actually resonates with the reader. RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

13 Okt 202129min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
pengepodden-2
finansredaksjonen
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
utbytte
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
rss-sunn-okonomi
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
aksjesladder
lederpodden
stinn-av-gryn
okonomiamatorene
pengesnakk
aksjepodden
boligbobla