Tips for Virtual Assistant Discovery Calls

I've spent 10 years perfecting the art of discovery calls: - reviewed over 2,500 discovery recordings - analyzed millions of discovery calls with AI - personally run (estimated) 3,000 disco calls Here's 5 of my best discovery call tips for 2023: 1. Discovery is a process. Not an event. It’s not a STAGE during the sales cycle. It’s a process. Your buyer’s situation is in flux. If you do “set it and forget it” discovery, you lose. Bad salespeople treat discovery as “check the box." They "front load" discovery. Great salespeople do continuous discovery. Don't set it and forget it. 2. The best discovery CREATES value. It makes buyers THINK. "Most" discovery CONSUMES value. It merely gathers info. Yes, you need to uncover things. But if that's ALL you do? You build a transactional relationship. Don't settle for transactional. Settle for transformative. - challenge your buyer - diagnose the cause of issues - make them consider new angles $500k+ earners do that. 3. Uncover the 'need behind the need.' For whatever reason: Most buyers share surface-level info. I'm not sure why. I suspect it's just how humans crystallize thoughts. Try asking this: "Thanks for sharing that. Do you mind if I ask what's going on in your business that's driving that to be a priority to begin with?" Or, ask them to take you back in time. Your buyer once had a meeting with colleagues to discuss the issue they're trying to solve. That triggered them to reach out to you (among other actions). Ask them about that: "I have to assume you had a meeting with colleagues where you discussed the issue, and agreed to act on it. What did that meeting sound like?" There's gold behind that question. 4. Re-validate everything. Never assume that what you uncovered remains true. Priorities change. Buyers’ needs are transient. When things change, you’d better know. If you followed the last tip, you’ll uncover priorities. But if you treat discovery as “set it and forget it," you’ll miss. Here’s how to re-validate: Start every follow up sales meeting with this: "What’s changed since the last time we talked?" 5. Phrase questions to get LONG answers Hate it when buyers answer with one-word responses? It sucks. According to data, successful salespeople get LONG answers to questions. Here’s how: SIGNAL to your buyer that you want a long response. Do that by phrasing your questions the right way. Start your question with one of these phrases: - help me understand... - walk me through... - talk to me about... This phrasing signals that you want your buyer to answer in depth. You’ll get richer answers. I'm out of space. If you want more, let me know? Until then, know this: Questions are the most powerful tool you have to sell. I spent 10 years collecting the best sales questions in a Google Doc. I tested them. I refined them. Now you can use them. Here's the mega list sales questions: https://lnkd.in/g-VRcCsq

Struggling with your discovery calls? Let’s change that I just wrapped up an awesome session with Leslie Douglas on the Sell Better show and we dove deep into the art of discovery calls Here are some highlights and my must-have questions to level up your game ⤵️ 𝘿.𝙄.𝙎.𝘾 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝗗 - Discover the prospect’s business and strategic goals • "What are your top priorities and goals for this quarter/year?" • "How are your current processes aligned with these goals?"    𝗜 - Identify pain points and requirements • "What challenges are you facing that prompted you to seek a solution?" • "What solutions have you tried, and what were the outcomes?"    𝗦 - Scrutinize the decision-making process and competitor landscape • "Who are the key stakeholders involved in this decision?" • "What criteria do you use to make your final decision?"    𝗖 - Clarify success metrics and establish next steps • "How will you measure the success of our solution?" • "What are the next steps from your perspective?"    𝙈𝙮 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 ⤵️ • Understand their top 2-3 strategic priorities • Identify their biggest risk in new launches • Know their current metrics and where they want to be • Quantify the ROI they’re looking for • Learn what they’ve tried and why it didn’t work    Discovery isnt just a stage Its an ongoing process Keep digging, keep understanding and you’ll stop the status quo from eating you alive P.S. What are your go to discovery questions? Lets share and learn together!👇

How to run discovery calls better than 95% of AEs (4 steps). 𝟭. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 Don't ask "Where are you calling in from?" Instead: Hey Jill, Appreciate you taking the time. I want to make sure we get the most out of our call today. So I'd like to start with my research, what I know about your business and how I think we may be able to help. How does that sound? 𝟮. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Don't ask "What brought you to Acme?" Instead: Hey Jill, In my research I noticed XYZ. I speak with a lot of founders in your situation and usually, that means a focus on: 1. Priority 1 2. Priority 2 Is that the case for you or is something else more important? 𝟯. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 Once you learn their key priorities and problems. Explain the following: - How you'll specifically help - How your solution's different - Why those differences are important Have this be the cornerstone of your entire sales process. 𝟰. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 Don't ask "What next step makes sense?" Instead: - Make a reccomendation - What will be covered on the call? - Why is that valuable to the customer? - Multi Thread with other stakeholders This takes at least 5 minutes to do. 👉 Do these 4 things consistently and watch your confidence with discovery calls soar. What'd I miss, friends?

Show up with a perspective. Even on a discovery call, you should have a point of view. That comes from doing the pre-work: ➖Research their business ➖Understand the industry ➖Anticipate the likely problems When you show you get it, people lean in. It gives you instant street cred. Lowers their guard. Builds trust fast. The prospect is thinking: “This person gets me.” Then drop in social proof: 🗣️“Our client XYZ had a similar problem. Would it be helpful to share how they addressed it?” Now the dynamic shifts. You’re not just qualifying. You’re adding value. You’re leading. You’ve become an advisor > vendor. This creates connective tissue and sets the tone for the entire sales process.

I used to be terrible at sales. I don't talk much publicly about my ADHD. However... ADHD + Sales = a crappy combo. 🍕🍍 I get sidetracked super easy.  Everlasting explanation......?  My mind checks out. I'm still no "master of sales"...but I got better.  Want to know how? Storytime: 📜 Ever walked out of a conversation realizing you were your own worst enemy?  That was me with this prospect. Let's call him Kyle.  I had a plan. But did we follow it?  🚫Hell no.  We wandered so far off that even Google Maps🗺️ couldn't help us. Running a good discovery call is tough as nails.  There's a ton to cover to get sufficient context.  ⏰The clock is ticking - 1 hour or less.  Active listening combined with steering the conversation is mandatory. The Kyle call started rough as sandpaper.  He rambled, and I sucked at getting us back on track.  I missed critical info. 📉Then it got worse. I got fascinated by his internal personnel gossip.  Ooh, 💎shiny object!💎 (thanks ADD)  My seemingly random questions made Kyle's rambling worse.  He felt hammered with questions without a clue about our destination. The call = inefficient as hell.  ❌The result = No deal. I took the recording to my coach.  We broke down my screw-ups.  Here's what I changed: Before the call: Give prospects questions upfront.  Allows them to consider their opinions ahead of time and shows you respect their time. During the call: Outline the big stuff we'll cover, even though they already know.  🤝And get them to agree to the agenda upfront.  Gets their buy-in to stay on track.  Creates accountability to refocus if needed.  We both need to get through the questions to have a successful engagement. Things often stray into time-wasting alleys.  Ask upfront to keep the conversation on track to use their time well.  🔄If they ramble, interrupt nicely and steer back on course. The moral?  After reviewing the call, my coach said, "You've won business before. That means you can do it again."  I still struggle, but I'm way better than when I started.  If you can close one client, you can snag another.  🌱Be coachable.  Fall in love with the grind—not just the win. Don't take missteps personally.  Screw-ups are clear indicators of opportunities for improvement. 📚Sales is about learning from every call.

Discovery calls often go wrong for a few reasons, but in almost all of the hundreds upon hundreds I've heard, it goes south with the first business-related question we ask. It starts with a narrow question. "My BDR said the incumbent has this product issue?" "Tell me a bit about what interested you in today's call." "I see you operate in 20 cities? And you're opening another office?" "So, I know single sign on is a big thing you wanted, right?" Those questions lead to either more narrow questions or replies that focus on product issues. What we're looking for is to identify company challenges, larger pain points ...NOT product issues. So, how to do it? After you've done your rapport building (you're rapport building, right? and it's not about the weather, right? 😏), use this script: "So, I could tell you a million things about #samsales (insert three pillars of your work here that's related to the buyer)...about our Show Me You Know Me #SMYKM trainings, how we teach discovery calls, or how we build brands for leaders on LI, but I'd love to hear from you first (insights, what you learned from your BDR to show the notes conveyed - quick hits) - I read up on my team's notes from your first call, saw you're going through an acquisition, and read a bit about your recent raise, but tell me about your team, challenges, what's the overall landscape like on your side, if that's okay?" Super broad Gives them time to think Shows them you did your homework Asks for permission of how they want to run the call What you'll get the majority of the time? A deep sigh followed by an unloading of information that tells you their exact business (not product) challenges, and let's you dig in/qualify/learn everything you can about how you can help their business, not the product issues. Best part? You'll skip demo'ing and slides on the first call, you'll story tell through out, and you'll earn the right to multi-thread immediately on the second call. Want more? We're dissecting a recorded call on Friday @ 12pmET - come join us as we walk through our idea of a perfect framework and then breakdown a call from one brave AE @ Insightly - Modern CRM 🧡! You know were to find the details to join us!

I've made a lot of mistakes on discovery calls that cost me deals. There's one mistake I've found that seemed to completely shift how the rest of the call went. The faster I uncovered this, the BETTER the call went. The single thing? My SPEED in uncovering the ROOT problem. I was simply taking too long to uncover the real problem when I first got started. This meant less time on the call to dive in deep. Less time to have them soak in the pain. And it meant surface-level responses that don't make the prospect think. Here are 10 simple questions you can use to get to the root problem fast: (I'm pretty direct so take these and adjust them to fit your style) • What sparked you to book a call today? • What's making this a priority now? • What are you currently doing to address (Problem)? • How's that been going? • What if 6 months go by and you're still dealing with (Problem)? • How does that impact you directly? • How does that impact your company? • Who else is impacted by this? • How are they impacted? • If (Problem) was solved, how would you measure it? If you bolt on follow-up questions that dive in deeper with each response... Watch your prospect go from CURIOUS... to COMMITTED. Share to help more AEs crush it 🔁

As a VP of Sales, I've heard hundreds of cringey sales calls -- here are the 4 keys to making discovery NOT sound like an interrogation: 1️⃣ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Horizontal questions constantly change the topic: - How do you do X - How do you do Y - How do you do Z But vertical questions use the previous question to build the next? - How do you run comp reviews? - Typically when comp's on spreadsheets that means X or Y, which is it for you? - Sounds like Y is a problem. When'd you realize that was a problem? These not only demonstrate that your listening, but get you into 1 DEEP problem instead of 3 SHALLOW problems. 2️⃣ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝟐+ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 This often happens when you ask "why'd you take the call?" and they barf 3 random problems at you. Playback the 3 problems so that they know you're actually listening. Then isolate the 1 that matters the most first. 3️⃣ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 "𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐞-𝐨𝐧𝐬" 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 A pile-on is when your prospect shares a problem and you take it a step further, like this:   --> Prospect (Problem): Ugh, these employees don't realize that we pay so much money for benefits and it's not just about salary! --> Rep (Pile-on): I know. I remember the first time I got a cobra letter... it was freaking $800 a month for my own health care. --> Prospect (Elated): I KNOW!!!!! Do it right and they'll think "finally, someone gets it!!!" 4️⃣ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 "𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬" 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 It doesn't matter if your prospect is writhing in pain at the end of the call if they literally have no idea how you can help them. A parallel story is the most powerful form of a "pitch" Once you get a painful story from your prospect, trade a story from a customer that you helped (and your solution will be implicit). *** If you hate cringey discovery calls as much as I do, I broke down each of these tactics in this week's noozy. There's a button below my name -- go check it out there :) #sales #saassales

80% of your discovery call/demo/proposal call comes down to what happens BEFORE the call. Level 0: Pull up the CRM notes as you’re opening Zoom and try to remember what the call is about Level 1: Come prepared with the things you need to get out of the call Level 2: Come prepared with the things you want them to take away from the call Level 3: Understand what they want to get out of the call, how they’ll respond to what you say, what their concerns will be, and how you will address them Level 4: Share your plan for the above with your buyer before the call and come up with a mutual plan Most sellers (including founder sellers) live between 0-1. Elite sellers are consistently at 3-4. Take an honest look at your calendar this week - what level are most of your calls at right now?

Remember in Hitch when Will Smith is teaching Kevin James to kiss? "You go 90... I'll go 10" This also happens to be how I've always thought of #Discovery If I can come "90" with my research, the prospect will be more likely to come "10" with some info I can't get as a non-employee The goal is to "earn the right" to have the deeper conversation (as a buyer, it is NIGHT and DAY the reps who come with an informed view of my company and those who ask me what I do in my role...) Getting really good at building that 90 and guiding the conversation to the final 10 is an acquired skill with experience (IMO), but here are some tips to get yourself going: - Avoid reading the news to your prospect. Try and build a POV based on what you know about the industry and their company. Go one layer deeper than what you can read online - Have enough confidence in your research to make some inferences ("based on X it seems like you are pursuing Y") but flexibility & humility enough to know you are not an expert at their company (yet) - Come in ready to explore multiple avenues as opposed to one mission critical project you are assuming is important Finally: it's ok to be wrong (within reason) and the prospect clarifications can be just as valuable! Anything to add? It's a big topic with lots of avenues to explore and get better at! #Prospecting #SalesEnablement #SalesCalls #CorrCompetencies P.S. please don't try and kiss your prospects at the end of the call