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(508)

40 (Sell): Pitfalls, best practices, and unique ways to successfully run a POC (Adam O’Chart, Top AE at Gong.io)

40 (Sell): Pitfalls, best practices, and unique ways to successfully run a POC (Adam O’Chart, Top AE at Gong.io)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Set up your exit criteria before you even touch the POC Let the prospect set the expectations for the pilot first Focus on your power users (champions) and your non-users (the converts) Get everyone on the pilot into a shared Slack channel for multi-threading Adam O’Chart’s Path to President’s Club: Top producing AE at Gong.io RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

17 Feb 202126min

39 (Sell): Data proven ways to transform the way you engage with customers (Jeremey Donovan, SVP Sales Strategy @ SalesLoft)

39 (Sell): Data proven ways to transform the way you engage with customers (Jeremey Donovan, SVP Sales Strategy @ SalesLoft)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Use under 100 words for your emails, one word for the subject line. Get away from slightly positive or neutral email sentiment. Different leads to Better. Only using one communication channel will land you with an 85% lower response rate. Do some “secret shopping” based on the problem you solve, and put it in the email. Jeremey’s Path to President’s Club: SVP Sales Strategy at SalesLoft Author of five books including the international bestseller - "How to Deliver a TED Talk." RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

10 Feb 202131min

38 (Sell): Utilizing the matrix of access vs growth accounts to optimize your prospecting strategies (Jeff Bajorek, Parabola Consulting)

38 (Sell): Utilizing the matrix of access vs growth accounts to optimize your prospecting strategies (Jeff Bajorek, Parabola Consulting)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Focus on prospects that are either accessible AND growable or just growable If price is the only objection, you are in a great position to close the deal Find 3 major differentiators and lead your prospects to that space Establish yourself as a consultant by asking questions that get the prospects thinking Jeff’s Path to President’s Club: Consultant at Parabola Consulting Author: When it Goes Sideways, The Five Forgotten Fundamentals of Prospecting, and Rethinking the Way you Sell Host of The Why and The Buy Podcast RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

3 Feb 202129min

37 (Sell): Leading with trust and curiosity to book more meetings over the phone (Chris Beall, CEO @ ConnectAndSell)

37 (Sell): Leading with trust and curiosity to book more meetings over the phone (Chris Beall, CEO @ ConnectAndSell)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Build trust in the first 7 seconds of the call by acknowledging you’re an interruption Cut out the yogi language (“I realize...”) Gain curiosity with “the breakthrough” instead of spewing product categorization Establish the 3 reasons why someone will gain value from taking the meeting Chris’ Path to President’s Club: CEO at ConnectAndSell Host of Market Dominance Guys RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

27 Jan 202127min

36 (Sell): Leveraging video to take your sales process to the next level (Tyler Lessard, Vidyard)

36 (Sell): Leveraging video to take your sales process to the next level (Tyler Lessard, Vidyard)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Use “video for you” in your subject line and say how long the video is in your body Use voicemails, LinkedIn, and emails to drive prospects to the video Use videos to keep your prospect’s attention through the deal Expand your reach with a video any time another decision maker might need the info Tyler’s Path to President’s Club: VP Marketing and Chief Video Strategist, Vidyard Author of The Visual Sale Fearless 50 Marketer & Telly Award Winner RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

20 Jan 202131min

35 (Sell): Adapting to a new age of buyers by optimizing for experience vs close rate (Joe Caprio, Co-Founder @ Reprise)

35 (Sell): Adapting to a new age of buyers by optimizing for experience vs close rate (Joe Caprio, Co-Founder @ Reprise)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Stop withholding the demo from your prospects, ask how they want to run it. 5 min harbor demo in the call #1, 30 minute deep-dive in #2, multi-thread, repeat. Don’t force yourself to power. Enable your champion to have the conversations. If you need power, ask your champion questions they need power to answer. Joe's Path to President’s Club: Co-Founder, Reprise Former VP Sales, Chorus Former VP Sales, InsightSquared RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

13 Jan 202131min

34 (Sell): Using strategic frameworks from working with gatekeepers to composing voicemail and emails (Jason Bay, Blissful Prospecting)

34 (Sell): Using strategic frameworks from working with gatekeepers to composing voicemail and emails (Jason Bay, Blissful Prospecting)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Utilize the gatekeeper to book the meeting or get insider information Use simple voicemails to point the prospect to your email: “Voicemail from X” 12-15 touches over 3-4 weeks for your sequences. Doesn’t sink in until 7 views. Build snippets for every single buyer trigger - 120 words max on the entire email Jason Bay’s Path to President’s Club: Chief Prospecting Officer, Blissful Prospecting Owner, Jason Bay Consulting RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

6 Jan 202130min

33 (Sell): Lifting weights and booking 85% of your meetings through video (Kayla Cytron-Thaler, Domino Data Lab x Barbells & Biz Dev)

33 (Sell): Lifting weights and booking 85% of your meetings through video (Kayla Cytron-Thaler, Domino Data Lab x Barbells & Biz Dev)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Zoom the camera into their Linkedin profile at the beginning of your video No notes in the connection request (Morgan Ingram also shared this one) Time block your research. No more than 3 minutes of time leading up to a video. Use the native LinkedIn videos instead of the cold email videos. Kayla Cytron-Thaler’s Path to President’s Club: ENT BDR, Domino Data Lab ENT BDR, Looker RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

30 Des 202031min

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