There are many stages of the sales process, and sales discovery is one of the most essential. However, there’s not really any definitive consensus on how to run a sales disco call. There are tons of different tactics and strategies out there, but there’s never necessarily going to be a “best” way to do things. 

So, there might not be one best method of how to conduct a sales discovery call, but there are definitely some best practices. In this blog, we’ll be telling you 10 steps for an effective sales disco call. These methods may work for you, and they may not. The one thing to remember is that no sales discovery method is going to be perfect. It takes trial and error. Effective sales discovery calls are also often dependent on the sales rep of the product or service being sold. We can give you the basic tools you need to guide your call, but ultimately it’s going to be up to the rep to draw the prospect in. Read on if you’re ready to learn 10 steps that can help you capture that lead on your next discovery call. 

What Is a Sales Discovery Call?

First, let’s define a sales discovery call. In a sales discovery call, you’re essentially finding out if a lead is likely to buy. A sales discovery call should be helpful for both the rep and the potential customer. The customer learns more about the product and gets to ask their burning questions, and the rep gets to find out if the customer is a good fit. Also, the rep can learn if the sale is worth pursuing further or if it seems like the prospect is generally uninterested. This prevents anyone from wasting their time on a business relationship that isn’t going to pan out. Now that we know the goal of a sales discovery call, let’s talk about how you can make your calls as successful as possible.

Research Your Prospect

The great thing about a sales discovery call is the fact that you can prepare as much as you like. This includes research about your sales prospect. Find out how your product or service might benefit them. Get an understanding of why they might be interested in what you’re selling, so you can refine the points you want to make and sell them on the value of using your product or service. Research potential is sometimes limited, but it’s still a good idea to try to get as much information as you can. The more information you find, the more ammo you’ll have when your call rolls around. It never hurts to be over prepared. 

Be Prepared to Provide Value

Speaking of preparation, make sure you’re bringing a lot of value to your discovery call. Try to imagine what your prospect would want from your product or service and answer those questions for them before they have to ask them. This shows your prospect that you understand what they’re needing and how you can bring the maximum benefit with what you’re selling. Also, make sure you’re building value throughout the call. As you’re learning more about your prospect through the call, you can put that new information to use and apply your knowledge of your product to the points and questions they bring up.

Have the Right Sales Call Script

The right sales call script could be the difference between locking down a prospect or losing them. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to strictly adhere to a call script without ever veering from the path, but having a solid script prepared can ensure that you stay on track and don’t lose the thread during your call. It also gives you something to fall back on if you ever feel lost during your conversation. 

A good script should branch and consider multiple possibilities. When you bring up big objectives or questions, make sure you have planned out multiple responses to what their answers might be. Your script should also consider the main objections that your prospect might have. This is something that usually comes with time. When you’ve sold your product or service for a certain period of time, you’ll start to learn what objections are recurring. This will allow you to mold your responses to overcome those objections and lead your prospects to the close.

Develop Your Active Listening Skills

Make sure you’re not doing all the talking on a discovery call. In fact, the more you can control the conversation and get your prospect to talk, the better. This allows you to guide the conversation the way you want it to go. You should be listening to the objections and questions your prospect has and responding to them in turn. Make sure you develop active listening skills. This means that you’re not just listening and then spitting out a rote response. You’re actually listening and learning about your prospect as you speak, and your responses are specifically tailored to your conversation with them. This helps prospects feel more comfortable and will get them closer to the buying phase.

Create Personal Connections and Rapport

Don’t be afraid to be easygoing in your discovery call. Obviously, you don’t want to be overly informal, but the call can be a lot more enjoyable for both parties if you establish personal connections and rapport with your prospects. This way it feels less like a business transaction and more like a casual conversation between associates. When you can get your prospects comfortable talking to you, they’ll be more likely to want to do business with you.

Demonstrate Your Understanding of Their Goals and Pain Points

This is where your research, active listening and script should intersect. Show your prospect that you know what goals they have and you understand their pain points, and then show them how you can address those goals and pain points. When you demonstrate a complete understanding of your prospect, they can rest assured that you have their best interests in mind and they’ll start to buy in, knowing that your product or service can do what they need it to do for them.

Ask if They Have Questions or Priorities for You

Keep the conversation loose, open and focused on the needs of your prospect. Make sure you leave time for them to ask all of their questions and address their priorities for you. This will help give closure to the conversation, and it will ensure that there are no lingering, open-ended questions on their part. They’ll feel like you’ve given them all the information they need to make their decision, which bodes well for a potential close. 

Finish the Call With Clear, Solution-Focused Next Steps

Make sure to end your call on a strong note and ensure that you have a set time to follow up. You need to be clear and concise during this step. Outline the next steps and make them solution focused. This way you don’t leave anything up in the air, and you have a plan to follow up and potentially close the sale.

Record, Evaluate, Iterate

It’s extremely important for you to record your discovery calls. This allows you to evaluate them and iterate on them. As you record more calls, you learn more about the discovery process and how you can improve. You’ll be able to pick out mistakes, find areas of the conversation that the prospect resonated with and perfect your script. You’ll also just learn about your own personal sales process and how you can make it as effective as it can be.

Equip Your Team With the Right Conversation Intelligence Tools

If you really want to make the most of your discovery calls, make sure to equip your sales team with conversation intelligence tools. Conversation intelligence software analyzes your conversations for you. The software can analyze and compile reports from your entire sales team, highlighting the phrases and tactics that lead to the prospect closing. Conversation intelligence is the future of perfecting your sales process, and Flockjay’s platform allows you to capture the best moments from your sales calls and share them with your team.

With Flockjay sales enablement, you can help your sales team be the best they can be. If you’re interested in sharing the best practices from your sales calls with your entire team, get in touch to learn about Flockjay for sales development leaders.

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