If you don\u2019t bother to discover exactly what your prospects need, but continue to impart information on your products and services \u2014 and if you don\u2019t practice closing qualified prospects<\/a> on the call \u2014 then you\u2019re likely to be wasting both your time and theirs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, once you\u2019ve done that, it\u2019s in your best interest to work towards closing the sale<\/a> (or moving the sale forward) before you hang up the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But time wasted on unqualified prospects adds up quickly, so it\u2019s worth understanding how to properly execute a discovery call. Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n For every prospect who schedules a call, you\u2019ll need to know enough about them to hit the ground running and be as productive as possible in your discovery call together. Even for prospects who express interest but never schedule a call, it\u2019s good to learn a bit about them since it might allow you to disqualify them as future prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how do you do that? When \u201cdoing your homework,\u201d you\u2019ll need to at least cover the basics \u2014 and it\u2019s very simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first thing to do is look them up on LinkedIn<\/strong> and study some details of what they\u2019re about, including any current projects they\u2019re working on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In their profile, the prospect will likely tell you exactly what you need to know. For instance, if you\u2019re a leadership coach looking for new customers, you should notice if your prospect is in a leadership position or is taking on a new role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they have no LinkedIn profile, give them a search on Google.<\/strong> It\u2019s always a good idea to check out their personal website and what they\u2019ve been doing the past 3\u20135 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You should also learn more specific things about them depending on why you\u2019re wanting them as a customer. For instance, if you\u2019re a literary agent inquiring about a book with them, then in addition to checking LinkedIn and Google, you should check Amazon to determine if they published any books already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ensure that your lead is qualified before the call. <\/strong>Discovery is about figuring out whether a lead is a good fit for your product or service. But for that to happen, you need to know what your ideal customer looks like, in concrete terms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure, before you go after a certain archetype of prospect, you know the answers to these 6 questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re in the business of selling solutions. It\u2019s okay to say to yourself, \u201cI can\u2019t help this person.\u201d That strengthens your pipeline and will keep you focused on the leads you can help. Disqualifying leads before furthering your relationship with them is just as important as qualifying leads<\/a>; it will stop you wasting time on the wrong people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because there is so much relevant information about people online, limit your time doing homework on a prospect before a discovery call to only 5\u201315 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some very forward-thinking tricks to help generate great prospects with fewer resources, you should read Hacking Sales: The Playbook for Building a High-Velocity Sales Machine<\/a>, by Max Altschuler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember: doing your homework doesn\u2019t just mean scoping out prospects and working out how to win them over. It\u2019s also a chance for you to review what it is you\u2019re selling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re working through a long list of prospects and no one is qualifying for your product or service, the problem might not be them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to make sure your product or service solves a common challenge or meets a frequent need within your market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And if it doesn\u2019t? Review and adjust, and then review again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why it can be useful to take some time during the homework stage to write down the reasons prospects aren\u2019t qualifying. If the same reason comes up again and again, take this to your product team or to a decision maker within your company. How would your product or service need to change to address this issue, and qualify those prospects? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Say you\u2019re selling a traditional content marketing service, for instance, that offers blogs, features, infographics, videos, and SEO services. But when you login to LinkedIn, you notice a lot of potential prospects talking about influencer marketing \u2013 and they\u2019re really excited about its potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The only problem is that your content marketing service doesn\u2019t offer any influencer marketing products. In order to address this, you could qualify your list of prospects by hiring in some expert influencer marketers and positioning your brand as an authority within that area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It may be that the issue you\u2019re coming up against is something that can be more easily changed. Maybe your SaaS solution can\u2019t be easily integrated with an innovative new tool that’s sweeping the market, so it’s become less attractive to prospects. This could be a very easy adjustment to make that instantly puts you back at the top of prospects’ lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever the issue, don\u2019t be afraid to take it to your business leaders \u2013 whether they make the necessary changes or not, they\u2019ll thank you for your feedback \u2013 and you could find yourself with a much better product on your hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ever heard that you should smile through the phone? It\u2019s true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if your prospects cannot see you, they can hear your expression. They can hear your smile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But that\u2019s just the start. From the very opening of a discovery phone call, you must bring excitement and enthusiasm to the conversation. If you\u2019re not excited about potentially working together<\/a>, that will come through. And if that\u2019s the case, you should evaluate whether your prospecting strategy<\/a> is effective enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being enthusiastic also means being agreeable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A small trick to use is mimicking, or repeating, their words or phrases on the call. This lets them know you\u2019re listening, and it gets them reciprocating your behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI heard you say that you\u2019re transitioning into a bigger role and that you\u2019re looking to expand the team. That\u2019s great! What impact has this had on your processes?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Being enthusiastic is also about getting into a positive frame of mind. You can\u2019t have a good discovery call if you\u2019re not mentally prepared for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever scheduled a discovery call with a prospect right after you\u2019ve had a company group lunch? It\u2019s usually not the best idea because you\u2019re exhausted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter what else is going on in your life, you have to pump yourself up for a call to be able to control the tempo and conversation in a productive way. If you\u2019re interested in learning some unique tricks about this, read Way of the Wolf<\/a>, by Jordan Belfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s most important on every discovery call is that you are personable. Have an attitude that even if you don\u2019t make a sale, there\u2019s a chance you can still find commonalities and work together in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This helps build rapport<\/a> instead of just getting down to business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask questions about where they\u2019re from or where they grew up. Mention a commonality you found in their LinkedIn profile. You both know the reason for the call is to eventually get down to business, but it\u2019s good to break the ice first to ease the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, you want to close every person you talk to, but prospecting is not a perfect tool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll have plenty of calls with people that are not an ideal fit. Discovery is as much to filter out those bad fits as it is to close a good fit. It\u2019s during this process that you find the perfect customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a sales rep, you should ask yourself, \u201cWill us working together truly benefit them as a customer?\u201d This idea that salespeople do best when they focus 100 percent on helping clients succeed is the focus of Let\u2019s Get Real or Let\u2019s Not Play<\/a>, a book by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After building some rapport, you will want to transition to the purpose of the call. But remember, you must maintain rapport to ensure you\u2019re being personable enough to keep the conversation light. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps something like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo I reached out to you last week, and I\u2019m curious to know your thoughts on our discussion so far in email. What do you think?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Effective question-asking will help you discover more about the prospect and their goals. But from my point of view, if you\u2019ve done your homework properly, you should already have a fairly complete picture of your prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asking the right questions allows you to control the conversation. It also ensures that you and the prospect both get value from what you talk about on the call. If your prospect starts going down a rabbit hole talking about their cousin\u2019s wedding last weekend, then you need to reel it back in to stay on track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Useful and productive answers ensure you discover their pain points and whether your service or product could provide a good solution in the shortest amount of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is easier said than done. It\u2019s also why having a script is so important. More on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The point is, unless you\u2019re listening actively<\/a>, the prospect will be the one doing discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of time spent, sales reps should be talking less than 45% of the time in any discovery call. Prospects should be talking more than 55% of the time. The Ideal Talk:Listen Ratio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sales Rep<\/em><\/strong>: 45% of the sales discovery call<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lead<\/em><\/strong>: 55% of the sales discovery call The more you listen, the more they\u2019ll trust you. If you\u2019re talking at your prospect non-stop on the call, it\u2019s very unlikely they\u2019ll take the next steps with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managing your time effectively on a discovery call is a learned skill because both your questions and answers should be concise and professional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important when answering their questions to avoid explaining more than they ask for or be too relaxed in your tone. This can come off as you not being an expert. People most often want to buy from and work with experts. And it only takes one wrong answer to end a potential deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you start a discovery call, establish the ideal amount of time for the call. It could be 15 minutes or it could be 1 hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ideal time usually depends on the lifetime value of your average customer. If your LTV is <$1500, then you\u2019ll likely only need a 15-minute discovery call. If your LTV is $5k\u2013$15k, then 30\u201360 minutes is more appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, if you\u2019re a coach or professional, you might want to do an hour-long call if you start getting into assessments and start providing real value to the prospect in that first chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideal Length of a Sales Discovery Call<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n LTV < $1500<\/em><\/strong> = 15 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n LTV $5000\u201315,000<\/em><\/strong> = 30\u201360 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n Influencer coach Josh Steimle sums his discovery calls up like this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I do discovery calls for coaching or in my mastermind, I take them through a 2-hour, 7 Systems of Influence<\/a> audit to find out where they\u2019re at currently in terms of what they want, and the assets they have that will help them get there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n His clients often pay $10\u201315k for 6 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And enterprise sales can take even longer. When the LTV could be 6- or 7-figures, a discovery call could go a full day, and it\u2019s likely to be followed up by more calls or personal meetings with additional people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hi, [name]. How are you doing? Thanks for scheduling a call with me on your book. I see you\u2019re based in Buffalo, New York. Did you grow up there?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n A script should be used as the foundation for your discovery calls and responses. Then as you get more confident, it can help you develop your own style<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A good script is mainly talking points, listed in the ideal order you need to talk about them. This ideal order is based on the sales process<\/a> that\u2019s most likely to close a deal or get to the next steps in the pipeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It should be based on prospects\u2019 most commonly asked questions, and it should provide the rep clear answers that help them come off as an expert during the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is key: The script must quickly establish the rep as an expert. How quickly and efficiently you\u2019re able to answer common questions is the big tell here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to questions about your service or product, you also need to be familiar with the broader strokes of the industry you\u2019re in. If the lead has questions about trends or a recent event, and you don\u2019t have an answer, you\u2019ll immediately lose points with the lead. And that may be the end of your sale right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your script should include basic key milestones, like this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Intros and rapport > pain points and similar experience > <\/em> In this example, you are trying to hit all of these milestones, or talking points. Once you hit one, you can then move on to the next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people call this call mapping<\/a>. The idea is to know in advance what your objective is and the route you need to take to get there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, if you\u2019re satisfied that the lead has a pain point or two that your service or product can provide a solution for, then get to the pitch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the prospect then asks about pricing, that usually means they\u2019re satisfied with your explanation, and you can move on to the next part. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If they ask about next steps, that means they are satisfied with pricing and your offer, and you can take steps to close the prospect into a customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being in sales requires savvy. It takes awareness to know when there is no sale and it\u2019s time to stop chasing a prospect. But it also takes awareness to know when a prospect is making excuses to themselves and how to turn a No, no, no <\/em>into a Yes, yes, yes<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, some prospects love to engage but will tell me they are not a fit via email before we even get on the phone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I tend to agree with them. If a prospect wants to close an opportunity before a discovery call, then they are likely not someone I want to work with. This happens sometimes with referrals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the flip side, if I reach out to someone personally because I would like to work with them and know they are my target customer, then I\u2019m going to try every trick I know to overcome their objections and get that phone call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to make judgment calls all the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Add-in the fact that it takes skills for persuasion once you do land the first phone call, and this whole thing can start to get complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The golden rule is that you should only attempt to close the sale if both you and your prospect are confident that working together is beneficial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, you have some rapport, and trust is building. Now we need to get a Yes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why having a clear discovery process is super important. It\u2019s not about landing a big customer every time. It\u2019s about consistency, and incrementally increasing the number of \u201cyes nows\u201d you receive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask the prospect if you offer something they\u2019d like to have\/do with you. Their answer will be very telling. Remember, you\u2019re in this together. And that should come across in every spoken word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t want to be too direct, you can offer to send details of the next steps via email and establish when you will be in touch again. Then, schedule a follow-up call while you\u2019re still on the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you get a next call scheduled, that shows very high intent from this prospect, and you can give them more attention in the final steps of the sales process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you receive a \u201cyes, but later\u201d then add them to your pipeline and follow up at a later time. Those will build and build until you can use your pipeline to close customers whenever you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Completing a good discovery call is often the first step in closing a deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is still the possibility for a prospect who just finished a good discovery call to go cold. You must follow up often and hold them accountable from here on out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re now their coach, which means they\u2019ll follow your lead. If you don\u2019t follow up for two weeks, neither will they.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To improve your discovery process, it\u2019s vital to pay attention to the results you\u2019re seeing. This will allow you to identify which techniques are working for you, and which you should drop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is it so important to continually adapt and improve your process?<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Sales Call Planning: Do Some Homework<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Have a Lot of Enthusiasm!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"research](\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/01-Have-a-Lot-of-Enthusiasm.jpg?resize=263%2C225&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n3. Build Rapport Quickly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Ask the Right Questions and Listen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. Set a Call Duration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"tone](\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/02-Set-a-Call-Duration.jpg?resize=263%2C263&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n6. Follow a discovery call script<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
the pitch > pricing > credible story or case study > <\/em>
what are the next steps > follow up<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n7. Close the Deal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Evaluating a Discovery Call<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"build](\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/03-Evaluating-a-Discovery-Call.jpg?resize=263%2C263&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n