{"id":3823,"date":"2020-01-02T13:21:37","date_gmt":"2020-01-02T19:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/?p=3823"},"modified":"2020-12-04T15:16:13","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T21:16:13","slug":"sales-discovery-call-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Questions to Ask on a Sales Discovery Call to Qualify Leads"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many salespeople see the discovery call<\/a> as the most important part of the sales process<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

Discovery calls<\/a> can set the whole tone of your relationship with a lead. Fail to dive deep during your discovery call, and you\u2019ll likely find that deals become more complex and time-consuming than they need to be down the line.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, qualifying sales leads<\/a> isn\u2019t always a straightforward process. You can\u2019t simply gaze into a crystal ball, and see a glowing future relationship where you close endless deals. There are no guarantees.<\/p>\n

It should, therefore, come as no surprise that 22% of salespeople<\/a> say qualifying is the hardest part of their job, with only prospecting<\/a> (40%) and closing (36%) being named as more difficult.<\/p>\n

Need to up your game? Start by ensuring you\u2019re asking the right questions. These questions will give you all the information you need to be as accurate as possible when it comes to lead qualification.<\/p>\n

Of course, this is often easier said than done. One in four buyers<\/a> want to discuss budget, authority, and timeline. Needless to say, these aren\u2019t the qualifying topics salespeople need \u2013 or want \u2013 to talk about.<\/p>\n

To help you out, here are eight questions you can ask on your next sales discovery call<\/a> to better qualify your leads.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

1. What are your goals and timeline?<\/h2>\n

What do salespeople need to get from discovery calls? By the time you hang up, you need to genuinely understand the prospect and their situation so that you can determine whether or not they\u2019re a qualified lead.<\/p>\n

Finding out the prospect\u2019s goals \u2013 and the timeline for hitting them \u2013 should be top of your list.<\/p>\n

Ask about their financial goals, their operational goals, and their customer-related goals. This will help you see how your product or service can slot into the organization\u2019s roadmap and help them achieve their goals (not to mention, start putting your pitch together).<\/p>\n

It also gives you a good idea of how urgent their need for your product or service is. If all goes well, will the deal be closed in a week, or could closing take six months? This is essential for accuracy when it comes to financial forecasting \u2013 and for hitting your targets.<\/p>\n

2. What problem are you trying to solve?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is key. You need to work out if your product or service will truly solve the challenge(s) the business is attempting to overcome. If it will, that\u2019s a huge step towards qualifying the lead. If you know it won\u2019t, the lead should usually be disqualified, then and there.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re not sure? You\u2019ve got some more digging to do.<\/p>\n

Remember, most prospects will agree to a discovery call: after all, they want to know what you and your company are about. They\u2019ll want to find out more about the product or service you\u2019re offering, and decide whether it\u2019s worth their time continuing to speak to you. If you can genuinely help to solve their problem, it will be.<\/p>\n

Leverage this willingness to connect, but make sure you\u2019re steering the conversation in the right direction. If the prospect doesn\u2019t cover their needs on their own, ask more directly about the problem or problems they\u2019re trying to solve in the specific area your offering supports.<\/p>\n

3. How important is it for you to solve this problem soon?<\/h2>\n

Now it\u2019s time to find out how much of a priority it is for the business to solve the problem that relates to your product or service. Yes, you\u2019ve already spoken about timeline \u2013 this is about prioritization.<\/p>\n

If their need is urgent, that\u2019s a good sign for qualifying them as a lead. A high-priority problem will need a solution quickly; it\u2019s unlikely to be left on the backburner.<\/p>\n

However, if it\u2019s low priority \u2013 or if the business has a number of other challenges it needs to overcome first \u2013 there\u2019s a chance that the time and money allocated to solving this problem could be sidelined to deal with a bigger, scarier issue.<\/p>\n

If the lead isn\u2019t answering this question in the way you need, try asking why they\u2019ve not addressed the issue before. This should shed some light on prioritization within the business, as well as any you could wind up facing obstacles.<\/p>\n

4. How are you planning to approach solving this problem?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve found out what the problem is and how much of a priority it is. Now it\u2019s time to discover how the business thinks it should be solved.<\/p>\n

While the solution your lead describes might not be the approach you would recommend, it\u2019s extremely useful to identify their planned approach.<\/p>\n

You need to see where your product or service fits into their plan, and whether or not they\u2019ve properly understood what it can achieve. As much as you want that sale, don\u2019t mislead the client about the capabilities of your offering. This will just come back to bite you down the line.<\/p>\n

It might be that the plan your contact describes isn\u2019t best practice, or that they don\u2019t understand all of the possibilities presented by your product or service. If so, this is a great opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and add value. Just tread carefully.<\/p>\n

5. Do you need a product or service to overcome the problem?<\/h2>\n

It might sound counterintuitive, because of course <\/em>you want the lead to use your product or service to overcome whatever problem they\u2019re trying to solve.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to qualifying leads, you need to understand how likely it is that the lead will actually convert.<\/p>\n

This question lends you insight into whether your lead will definitely be buying a product or service to solve their problem \u2013 and therefore you simply need to ensure your offering is stronger than that of your competitors \u2013 or whether there\u2019s a chance they\u2019ll go it alone.<\/p>\n

If a product or service is 100% necessary to solve the problem, put more points in the \u201cQualified\u201d column. If there\u2019s a chance the business will go solo, this takes you closer towards disqualification.<\/p>\n

6. Which budget is the funding coming from?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In an ideal world, all discovery calls would include the relevant decision-maker (or decision-makers). However, as every sales rep knows, it\u2019s not always possible to get the person holding the purse strings on calls. In these cases, it\u2019s up to you to give your contact everything they need to convince the decision maker.<\/p>\n

Asking where the funding is coming from will help you find out who else you need to win over in order to close. Find out as much as you can about this person (without being creepy, of course).<\/p>\n

You can also ask how invested the decision maker is in solving the problem and how sold they are on using your product or service to do so. This will help you better gauge what you\u2019re up against when it comes to closing the sale<\/a>.<\/p>\n

7. What are the main obstacles to carrying out the plan?<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a reason your prospect hasn\u2019t solved their problem yet. One possibility is that they haven\u2019t yet met you. But another much more likely cause is that there are financial or structural roadblocks stopping the business from successfully solving the problem.<\/p>\n

What roadblocks is your lead going to have to overcome in order to implement their plan?<\/p>\n

Is there a chance it will be derailed? If so, what can you do to help them push it through?<\/p>\n

Listen carefully to these answers. If the roadblocks stated seem insurmountable or especially numerous, it might be time to step back from the opportunity to focus on leads with a higher likelihood of coming through.<\/p>\n

8. What does a good outcome look like?<\/h2>\n

What is your lead\u2019s ideal scenario? Will your product or service truly help to achieve this? And how can you fit your offering into this scenario?<\/p>\n

With this question, it\u2019s time to add some more value. Is your contact\u2019s ideal scenario likely, or even possible? Perhaps they\u2019ve underestimated what can be done, and you can give them an even better outlook.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no point putting time and effort into pushing the lead along the sales cycle<\/a>, only for them to realize later on your offering won\u2019t actually help them in the way they need. Brush up on case studies as well. There\u2019s nothing like proven evidence to make discovery calls as effective as possible.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many salespeople see the discovery call as the most important part of the sales process. Why? Discovery calls can set the whole tone of your relationship with a lead. Fail to dive deep during your discovery call, and you\u2019ll likely find that deals become more complex and time-consuming than they need to be down the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/8-questions-to-ask-on-a-sales-discovery-call-header1.jpg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1","yoast_head":"\r\n8 Questions to Ask on a Sales Discovery Call to Qualify Leads<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 Questions to Ask on a Sales Discovery Call to Qualify Leads\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many salespeople see the discovery call as the most important part of the sales process. Why? Discovery calls can set the whole tone of your relationship with a lead. Fail to dive deep during your discovery call, and you\u2019ll likely find that deals become more complex and time-consuming than they need to be down the ...\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mailshake Sales & Marketing Blog\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-02T19:21:37+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-04T21:16:13+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/8-questions-to-ask-on-a-sales-discovery-call-header1.jpg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1138\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"493\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\">\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"http:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mailshake\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Mailshake-Logo-small.png?fit=325%2C59&ssl=1\",\"width\":325,\"height\":59,\"caption\":\"Mailshake\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Mailshake Sales & Marketing Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/8-questions-to-ask-on-a-sales-discovery-call-header1.jpg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1\",\"width\":1138,\"height\":493},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/\",\"name\":\"8 Questions to Ask on a Sales Discovery Call to Qualify Leads\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-02T19:21:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-04T21:16:13+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/#webpage\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fadba0629a6997a15e7b77e335c110d8\"},\"headline\":\"8 Questions to Ask on a Sales Discovery Call to Qualify Leads\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-02T19:21:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-04T21:16:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/#webpage\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"articleSection\":\"sales\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call-questions\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fadba0629a6997a15e7b77e335c110d8\",\"name\":\"Sujan Patel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/071c63b926025330e9468435427b9f37?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sujan Patel\"},\"description\":\"Sujan Patel is the founder of Mailshake, a sales engagement software used by 38,000 sales and marketing professionals. He has over 15 years of marketing experience and has led the digital marketing strategy for companies like Salesforce, Mint, Intuit and many other Fortune 500 caliber companies.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\"]}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"http:\/\/wp.me\/p85zFH-ZF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4481,"url":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-call\/","url_meta":{"origin":3823,"position":0},"title":"Sales Call Strategy: Everything You Need to Know","date":"05\/07\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Phone selling is a must-have skill for salespeople. But unfortunately, in-person sales skills don\u2019t necessarily translate to phone calls, where you don\u2019t get the benefit of seeing your prospect\u2019s expression, body language, and other non-verbal communication. A few of the factors that go into successful phone selling include: Developing and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "sales"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Sales-Call-Strategy-A-2804.jpg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2796,"url":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-discovery-call\/","url_meta":{"origin":3823,"position":1},"title":"How to Execute a Good Sales Discovery Call (Simple 7-Step Process)","date":"09\/04\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Before we get into how to execute an effective discovery call, let's answer one question. What is a discovery call? The goal of a discovery call is to either qualify a prospect (discover a sales opportunity), or disqualify them so as not to waste further time. If you don\u2019t bother\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "sales"","img":{"alt_text":"sales discovery call","src":"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/How-to-Execute-a-Good-Sales-Discovery-Call-Header.jpg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4188,"url":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/cold-calling-techniques\/","url_meta":{"origin":3823,"position":2},"title":"Ditch Your Script, Use These Cold Calling Techniques Instead","date":"03\/11\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cCold calling is dead!\u201d I\u2019m tired of hearing this argument \u2014 largely because the argument is between salespeople and \u201csales gurus,\u201d when what our prospects think about cold calling is far more important than what we salespeople think. The problem isn\u2019t that cold calling is dead. It\u2019s that reps aren\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "sales"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Ditch-your-script-A.jpg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6589,"url":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/sales-operations\/","url_meta":{"origin":3823,"position":3},"title":"Sales Operations: Definition, Techniques, and Why It\u2019s Important","date":"12\/23\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"You might have the most talented salespeople in the world \u2013 reps who are exceptional at engaging prospects, asking the right questions, and closing the deal. But if you don't get the sales operations piece right, they simply won\u2019t perform as well as they could, because they won\u2019t have the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "sales"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Sales-Operations.jpeg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3131,"url":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/personal-selling\/","url_meta":{"origin":3823,"position":4},"title":"Personal Selling: Definition, Techniques, and Examples","date":"10\/04\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Once upon a time, sales was 100% personal selling. But now, thanks to globalization, advances in technology, and the rising cost of travel, personal selling is just one of many techniques available to salespeople to warm up a lead and close a deal. Personal selling should be part of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "sales"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Personal-Selling-header-1.jpg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2849,"url":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/what-is-b2b-sales\/","url_meta":{"origin":3823,"position":5},"title":"What Is B2B Sales? (And What Does a B2B Sales Rep Do?)","date":"09\/25\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"B2B sales\u2026 If you\u2019ve ever wondered what it is and why it stands out from other types of sales, look no further.\u00a0 Here, you\u2019ll learn what it is, why it\u2019s unique, how it\u2019s done, and what you need to succeed in B2B sales. Ready? Let\u2019s dig in! What Is B2B\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "sales"","img":{"alt_text":"what is b2b sales","src":"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What-is-B2B-Sales-header-2.jpg?fit=1138%2C493&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3823"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3823"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6322,"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3823\/revisions\/6322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"http:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}