When you nail your discovery conversations, I guarantee you that you will have far better conversion rates, your closing rate will improve, and you will proactively know what prospect to follow up on and which one to qualify out. The result is a higher performance, in the same time, and far less stress… don’t we all want this?
Unfortunately, so many people don’t achieve this now, for a number of reasons:
The biggest reason is that many sales people start talking, without listening to their clients.
There are a number of other reasons that come out of this:
- You talk how you solve problems, without knowing what specific problem they have
- You don’t have the time to ask questions
- You assume the customer gets it
- You leave the customer in their current mindset
Fortunately, there is an easy path I am going to show you how to get started, and immediately get results.
Here’s how, step by step:
Step 1: Start seeing a discovery conversation as a coaching session
Coaching is the art of, by asking questions, letting see the coachee the light.
In a discovery call, as you know you are assessing if there is a potential opportunity with the prospect. Start by telling the reason-to-contact and then switch to asking questions about them.
Step 2: Ask follow up questions
Then, the next step is to ask follow up questions.
It is always better to cover 4-5 topics and go to the root of it by asking follow up questions, than asking 20 superficial questions. Not only will you discover fundamental blockers or accelerators, the discovery meeting won’t sound like a survey, but like a genuine discovery.
Step 3: Listen to their priorities
When you discover those blockers, then you will notice a pattern here: what are they coming back to, and what are they not talking about?
You will get to understand what are their priorities, and if they are aligned with their organisation’s priorities.
Step 4: Let the customer see there is another reality
Build the vision that there is another reality that by using your solution: there is a better way, one that solves their priorities.
For example, if your contact person is a marketeer that spends 10 hours a week to measure the impact of their marketing campaigns, and create a weekly report and present it to the leadership team, and you happen to have a a single pane reporting solution, solving this in 15 minutes, then let them imagine what they can do with that freed up time! They can go home sooner, they can work more on strategy, trainings, …
Now, as you see, by asking questions, you have gone on a journey with your prospect to the realisation that your solution enables another, a better reality.
Step 5: See their Aha Moment
That realisation is their AHA moment. You did not have to try to convince or push your opinion to them. Changing someones opinion is almost impossible. At the same time, by asking those questions, you let them come to the realisation that your solution can help them.
When you let them come with the idea, then working with you becomes their idea, and you do not need to sell, only to fulfil.
