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(530)

9 (Sell): Death to fluff on your cold calls and pricing tactics (Belal Batrawy #DeathtoFluff)

9 (Sell): Death to fluff on your cold calls and pricing tactics (Belal Batrawy #DeathtoFluff)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Decoy Pricing: $6 (undesirable), $7.50 (acceptable), $8 (just what they need) First 15 seconds explain why you called, say it’s a cold call, then ask a peer question In the agenda, tell the customer you’re gonna give price before they get off the call Use what they want as the rows in your pricing instead of what you want (seats) Belal Batrawy’s Path to President’s Club: Community Leader of #Death2Fluff 7x Startup Seller and Sales Advisor RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

24 Jun 202023min

8 (Sell): Getting prospects to agree to their problem with killer discovery (Kevin “KD” Dorsey, VP Sales @ PatientPop)

8 (Sell): Getting prospects to agree to their problem with killer discovery (Kevin “KD” Dorsey, VP Sales @ PatientPop)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Kevin “KD” Dorsey teaches us to get prospects to admit to their problems without asking unnatural, off-putting questions. Killer questioning tactics while still sounding human. Four Actionable Takeaways: Use problem ?’s ending in “so that _____ doesn’t happen.” Then give multiple choice. Use a slight downtone when hearing the response to get prospects to lean in Use bucket questions to get your prospect to agree to 1 of 2 problems they’re having Use “I think this might make sense” before coming in hot with your value prop KD’s Path to President’s Club VP of Inside Sales @ PatientPop Head of Sales Development & Enablement @ ServiceTitan InsideSales Top 10 Sales Leader + Sales Development Executive of the Year RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

17 Jun 202025min

7 (Sell): Stop obsessing over technical problems and start gap selling (Keenan, Author of Gap Selling)

7 (Sell): Stop obsessing over technical problems and start gap selling (Keenan, Author of Gap Selling)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Align on the problem and impact first, then start brainstorming root causes and solutions Build a problem identification chart with the problems, impacts, root causes of your ICP Talk to customers, become an expert. Why did they buy? What problems did you have? You need customers to agree to the problem they have and be willing to solve it with you. 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

10 Jun 202025min

6 (Sell): A cold calling clinic from 5000 dials a month (Ryan Reisert, Reisert Consulting)

6 (Sell): A cold calling clinic from 5000 dials a month (Ryan Reisert, Reisert Consulting)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Open every conversation with “Hey it’s Ryan Reisert”, then stop. When they answer, ask if you can get 27 seconds to tell them why you’re calling? Work in buckets for everything - finding accounts, researching contacts, making dials. Document the path. Every time you hit a phone tree, write the dial path down. Ryan Reisert’s Path to President’s Club: Sales Director, ConnectAndSell Author, Outbound Sales, No Fluff Founder, The Sales Developers RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

3 Jun 202025min

5 (Sell): Break up with the prospect before they break up with you (Richard Harris, Harris Consulting)

5 (Sell): Break up with the prospect before they break up with you (Richard Harris, Harris Consulting)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Use the respect contract as your agenda to give the prospect the right to say no throughout the call Set a timer 5 minutes before the end of your call to drive next steps every time Use “commercial terms” instead of “price” when negotiating your deals When you give price, don’t just go silent. Ask “how does that feel?” Richard Harris’ Path to President’s Club: Founder, Harris Consulting Director of Sales Training, Sales Hacker Host, Surf & Sales Podcast RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

27 Mai 202020min

4 (Sell): Everything you need to crush cold emails (Kyle Coleman, VP Revenue @ Clari)

4 (Sell): Everything you need to crush cold emails (Kyle Coleman, VP Revenue @ Clari)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: 5x5x5: 5 minutes of research. Find 5 insights on the person/account. Write your message in 5 minutes. Use whitespace in your emails and have 1 idea per line. Make the structure and the tone conversational Keep your emails short. If you have to scroll more than once or if an email is over 125 words, fix it. Have your voicemails reference your emails and vice-versa. It boosts your reply rates. Kyle Coleman’s Path to President’s Club VP, Revenue Growth & Enablement @ Clari Sr Director, Sales Development & Optimization @ Looker A massive LinkedIn following with killer content RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

20 Mai 202027min

3 (Sell): Ripping apart the phones and video (James Bawden, Host of the Lunch Break Podcast, Director @ OutboundView)

3 (Sell): Ripping apart the phones and video (James Bawden, Host of the Lunch Break Podcast, Director @ OutboundView)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Avoid the double intro on the phone if they ask “wait, who’s this?” Just get on with it. Close the cold call with “here’s what happens next” instead of leaving it in their hands Disarm with “I’m not delusional enough to think I’m calling you at the right moment.” Lead your value prop with your customer’s problems instead of the features in your solution James Bawden’s Path to President’s Club: Host, Lunch Break Podcast Director, OutboundView And a damn well-known Linkedin personality RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

12 Mai 202029min

2 (Sell): Negotiating against the master (Mark Raffan, Host @ Negotiations Ninja Podcast)

2 (Sell): Negotiating against the master (Mark Raffan, Host @ Negotiations Ninja Podcast)

Join the most tactical sales newsletter in the world: https://hubs.ly/Q01-R33G0 Four Actionable Takeaways: Before a negotiation, know YOUR needs / wants + THEIR needs / wants Set expectations upfront that we don’t do end of month discounts before you need to Say the price and shut-up. Don’t try to justify it, it shows insecurity When they ask for discounts, ask probing questions to discover the truth behind the ask. Mark Raffan’s Path to President’s Club: Host, Negotiations Ninja Podcast President, Content Callout Negotiation Master Class, Harvard University RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

12 Mai 202028min

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