discovery-call-strategist

# Discovery Call Strategist

## Overview

Transform discovery calls from information-gathering exercises into strategic conversations that uncover true buyer motivations, qualify opportunities accurately, and establish differentiated value. This skill encodes the procedural intelligence that separates top-performing sales reps from average performers.

## When to Use This Skill

- **Pre-call preparation** — Building question sequences for specific personas or deal stages
- **Live call guidance** — Real-time methodology application and next-question suggestions
- **Post-call analysis** — Extracting qualification signals, identifying gaps, recommending next steps
- **Sales training** — Teaching discovery methodology with concrete examples
- **Call scoring** — Evaluating discovery effectiveness against best practices

## Core Methodologies

This skill operationalizes four proven discovery frameworks. Select based on deal complexity and organizational fit.

### MEDDIC (Complex Enterprise Sales)

Best for: High ACV deals ($100K+), multiple stakeholders, long sales cycles.

| Element | What to Uncover | Sample Questions |
|---------|-----------------|------------------|
| **M**etrics | Quantified business impact | "If you solve this, what does success look like in numbers?" |
| **E**conomic Buyer | Person with budget authority | "Who ultimately signs off on investments of this size?" |
| **D**ecision Criteria | How they'll evaluate options | "What factors will determine which solution you choose?" |
| **D**ecision Process | Steps to purchase | "Walk me through how decisions like this typically get made here." |
| **I**dentify Pain | Specific, urgent problems | "What's the cost of not solving this in the next 6 months?" |
| **C**hampion | Internal advocate | "Who on your team is most motivated to see this change happen?" |

**Qualification threshold:** Minimum 4/6 elements confirmed to advance to demo.

### BANT (Transactional Sales)

Best for: SMB deals, shorter cycles, clearer buying signals.

| Element | What to Uncover | Sample Questions |
|---------|-----------------|------------------|
| **B**udget | Available funds | "Do you have budget allocated for this initiative?" |
| **A**uthority | Decision-making power | "Are you the one who makes the final call on this?" |
| **N**eed | Problem severity | "On a scale of 1-10, how urgent is solving this?" |
| **T**imeline | Purchase timeframe | "When are you looking to have a solution in place?" |

**Qualification threshold:** 3/4 confirmed for qualified opportunity.

### SPIN (Consultative Selling)

Best for: Solution selling, complex needs uncovering, building urgency.

| Phase | Purpose | Question Types |
|-------|---------|----------------|
| **S**ituation | Establish context | "How do you currently handle X?" / "How many people are involved in Y?" |
| **P**roblem | Surface difficulties | "What challenges do you face with...?" / "Where does the current approach fall short?" |
| **I**mplication | Amplify pain | "What happens when that problem occurs?" / "How does that affect your team/revenue/customers?" |
| **N**eed-Payoff | Envision solution value | "If you could solve that, what would it mean for...?" / "How would your team benefit if...?" |

**Progression rule:** Never jump to Need-Payoff without establishing Implications.

### Challenger (Teaching-Oriented)

Best for: Commoditized markets, educated buyers, differentiation through insight.

| Phase | Objective | Execution |
|-------|-----------|-----------|
| **Warm** | Build credibility | Share relevant industry insight or data point |
| **Reframe** | Challenge assumptions | "Most companies believe X, but we've found Y" |
| **Rational Drowning** | Quantify the problem | Present data showing cost of status quo |
| **Emotional Impact** | Personalize stakes | Connect to their role, reputation, or career |
| **New Way** | Present differentiated approach | Position your solution as the logical response |
| **Solution** | Map capabilities to reframe | Only now discuss product specifics |

## Question Library by Persona

### C-Level / Executive

Focus: Strategic impact, competitive advantage, risk mitigation.

**Opening:**
- "What's driving your focus on [area] right now?"
- "Where does [problem area] rank among your top priorities this year?"

**Strategic:**
- "How does solving this connect to your broader company objectives?"
- "What happens to your competitive position if this doesn't get addressed?"

**Decision:**
- "For initiatives of this scope, how do you typically evaluate options?"
- "Who else needs to be aligned before moving forward?"

### VP / Director

Focus: Team performance, operational efficiency, looking good to leadership.

**Opening:**
- "What metrics are you measured on that this could impact?"
- "How is your team currently handling [process]?"

**Pain discovery:**
- "Where are you losing the most time/money/efficiency?"
- "What would your team say is their biggest frustration with the current approach?"

**Impact:**
- "If this doesn't improve, what does that mean for your department goals?"
- "How does this affect your ability to deliver on commitments to leadership?"

### End User / Practitioner

Focus: Daily workflow, tool usability, making their job easier.

**Opening:**
- "Walk me through how you handle [task] today."
- "What's the most frustrating part of your current process?"

**Workflow:**
- "How much time do you spend on [manual task] each week?"
- "What workarounds have you built to deal with [limitation]?"

**Adoption signals:**
- "What would make you actually want to use a new tool?"
- "What's made past tool changes successful or unsuccessful?"

## Call Structure Framework

### The 30-Minute Discovery Call

| Time | Phase | Objective |
|------|-------|-----------|
| 0-5 min | **Opening** | Build rapport, set agenda, confirm time |
| 5-15 min | **Situation & Problem** | Understand current state, surface pain |
| 15-22 min | **Implication & Impact** | Quantify pain, establish urgency |
| 22-27 min | **Vision & Fit** | Explore solution requirements, test fit |
| 27-30 min | **Close & Next Steps** | Summarize, confirm next action, schedule |

### Opening Script Template

> "Thanks for making time today, [Name]. I've done some research on [Company] and [relevant context]. My goal for the next 30 minutes is to understand [their situation] and see if there's a fit worth exploring further. If there is, we'll schedule a deeper dive. If not, I'll point you to resources that might help. Does that work? Before we dive in, is there anything specific you're hoping to learn today?"

### Closing Script Template

> "Based on what you've shared, it sounds like [summarize key pain points] and the impact is [quantified cost/risk]. We've helped companies like [relevant reference] address similar challenges. The logical next step would be [specific action]. Does [proposed date/time] work to [next step description]?"

## Qualification Scoring

### Opportunity Score Card

Rate each dimension 1-5 based on discovery findings:

| Dimension | 1 (Weak) | 3 (Moderate) | 5 (Strong) |
|-----------|----------|--------------|------------|
| **Pain** | Nice-to-have | Acknowledged problem | Urgent, quantified |
| **Authority** | No access | Influencer only | Economic buyer engaged |
| **Timeline** | No urgency | Vague timeframe | Defined deadline |
| **Budget** | Unknown | General range | Allocated funds |
| **Champion** | None identified | Passive interest | Active advocate |
| **Competition** | Unknown | Evaluating others | We're preferred |

**Scoring interpretation:**
- 25-30: Strong opportunity — prioritize
- 18-24: Qualified — continue with caution flags
- 12-17: Needs development — address gaps before advancing
- Below 12: Disqualify or nurture

## Red Flags and Disqualifiers

### Immediate disqualifiers:
- No budget and no path to budget
- No problem they're motivated to solve
- Decision maker refuses to engage
- Timeline beyond your sales cycle tolerance
- Fundamental product-market mismatch

### Yellow flags (address before advancing):
- Only talking to one stakeholder
- Vague pain ("we want to be better at X")
- No defined decision process
- Competitor already in POC
- Champion lacks organizational influence

## Post-Call Analysis Framework

After every discovery call, document:

### 1. Key Findings Summary
- Primary pain point (specific, quantified if possible)
- Secondary pain points
- Current solution/process
- What triggered them to look now

### 2. Qualification Status
- MEDDIC/BANT score
- Gaps to fill
- Risk factors identified

### 3. Stakeholder Map
- Who was on the call (role, influence level)
- Who else needs to be involved
- Champion status

### 4. Next Steps
- Agreed actions (theirs and ours)
- Timeline to next meeting
- Materials to send

### 5. Competitive Intelligence
- Other solutions mentioned
- Evaluation criteria stated
- Our positioning advantages/disadvantages

## Resources

### references/
- **question-bank.md** — 200+ discovery questions organized by persona, industry, and methodology
- **objection-responses.md** — Common discovery objections with response frameworks
- **industry-contexts.md** — Vertical-specific pain points and language (Healthcare, E-commerce, Finance, etc.)

### scripts/
- **call-prep-generator.py** — Generates personalized question sequences based on prospect research
- **call-summary-extractor.py** — Extracts qualification signals from call transcripts

### assets/
- **discovery-scorecard.xlsx** — Opportunity qualification scoring template
- **stakeholder-map-template.pptx** — Visual stakeholder mapping template