Discovery–deep, high-quality discovery–is the single most important part of the entire sales process. Without a deep understanding of the client’s specific challenges and problems, there’s no way the account executive can be sure recommended solutions actually solve a problem that’s important to the client. Worse, the client is left to try to guess whether the account executive’s products or services solve anything worthwhile.
Done correctly, positive outcomes include:
- The seller walks away with a comprehensive understanding of the problem(s) the client needs to solve, and why it’s important to them.
- With this level of understanding, the seller will be better able to craft a tailored solution that truly solves vital client problems.
- It’s through the discovery process that account executives begin to solidify the account map, identifying key stakeholders and decision makers that will play a role in the project. Although pre-discovery research should result in a partial map, discovery will firm up the key players and roles.
- It changes the tone of the relationship from what could potentially be seen as a somewhat adversarial seller/buyer relationship to a strategic, consultant/advisee relationship, with both sides working collaboratively.
In the end, effective and thorough discovery transforms what could otherwise be just a transactional, commoditized sale into a value-driven process that truly solves the client’s problem(s), which leads to not only a successful sale in the short term, but a long-term relationship with even greater profit potential.
As a seller, this is your blueprint for a successful sale. Build it carefully.
When Does Discovery Start?
First of all, discovery isn’t a one-time event. Done properly, the kind of research needed for effective prospecting (understanding the company’s industry, competitors, specific challenges, announced initiatives, etc) are essentially the first steps in discovery. Having an understanding of the basics starts before what most would call a “Discovery Meeting.”
When Does Discovery End?
Never.
What about the first “official” discovery meeting?
There are no hard and fast rules for the first discovery meeting. That said, being fully prepared for the meeting, and correctly setting the stage can make all the difference. Ideas to consider include:
- From research and conversations with people in the organization, make sure you know everything possible about the company and their problems.
- Remember, beyond just learning more about the company and their problems, a major objective is to establish credibility, to be a consultant, an advisor, and not just the latest transactional salesperson.
- The “What We’ve Heard” slide. Briefly start the meeting with an insightful summary of your understanding of their situation and problems based on research and conversations to date.
- Set the agenda. Frame the purpose of each meeting, the objective, and next steps. Make sure the meeting sets up a clear and compelling reason for the next meeting.
- Come equipped with a strong point of view. What is your current understanding of them and their problems? Use questions to either confirm what you already know, or to add to your knowledge base.
- Go beyond the surface-level answer. Clients will often answer with generalizations. The real problem, the real pain, likely rests several layers deeper. Your job is to uncover it.
Always remember that any discovery meeting is only one step in a much longer process. The goal with each step, however, is to gain as much understanding of the client and the problems as possible.
Some of My Favorite Discovery Questions
In no particular order:
- I noticed/heard you’re doing (what you learned). That may cause (this kind of problem). What challenges do you anticipate with that?
- What’s going on in your business that’s making this a priority right now?
- What’s your take on what’s causing this issue?
- How have you attempted to solve this so far?
- What do you see as your options for solving it?
- Who else in the company is impacted by this?
- What are the ripple effects on the rest of the business?
- What will change if you find a solution?
- What are the challenges you’ve run into so far in trying to solve this?
- Tell me about how you do (process) right now, and where you see room for improvement?
- Tell me about…
- Walk me through…
- Help me understand…
- Is there general agreement in the company about this being a problem?
- What would a dissenting view be? Who?
- Is there general agreement on the basic solution?
- The desired future state?
- Clarify and confirm. A lot. “It sounds like (state your understanding). Is that right?”
More important than any of the above questions is this: This has to be a conversation, not an interrogation. You need to understand the basic structure these questions can play in a discovery conversation, but ask them in the context of responding to what they just said.
Where it Can Go Wrong
The list could be endless. Or, it could be summed up as just, “not doing what is listed above.” By way of summary, though, beware of these common mistakes:
- Jumping ahead to solutions: Inexperienced account executives may be so excited when they uncover the first surface-level need that they start offering solutions. The purpose of the meeting(s) is to fully develop and understand the extent of the client’s problems. And to make sure they completely understand them as well.
- Failure to actively listen: What’s the old question? How can you learn something new when you’re always talking? Actively listen. Look for verbal and non-verbal signals. Read the room.
- Being generic: If your client perceives that you’ve asked the same set of generic questions to every other client, that this isn’t a highly personalized, specific problem solving session just for them, you’ll become just another transactional salesperson..
- Not recognizing your audience: Different levels of the organization will have different perspectives on the problem and different communication styles. A lower level department manager might care about making it easier for the department to get their work done. A C-level VP may be more concerned (ultimately) with a solid ROI (i.e., “if we do this, we can save 10% of headcount). It’s a different conversation.
- Failure to dig deep and uncover the real problems and effects: Seek to understand the core issues. The impact, the consequences, how it makes them feel, what happens if they don’t fix this, the impact on their career, their bonuses, and so forth.
Conclusion
Discovery is the sales process. Or, at a minimum, it’s woven through every part of the overall sales process. The work you do with initial and ongoing discovery blends, to some extent, with the development of the next step, building your business case. The initial information you gather in these initial discovery meetings will form the foundation of the business case, which in turn, will result in a successful deal.