7 SIMPLE STEPS TO HELP YOU MAKE A PRODUCTIVE DISCOVERY CALL
Discovery calls are a vital aspect of the sales. Just as the name implies, discovery calls are aimed at discovering a sales opportunity, acquire more information, understand your prospect needs, and identify high-quality prospects.
Discovery calls are important because they mean the difference between winning a sale or losing a sale. Your discovery call as a Salesperson determines the trajectory of the deal. However, for most salespersons, making a discovery call can be somewhat nerve-cracking, scary, and complicated because you are yet to build a relationship with the prospect.
As a Salesperson or member of a Sales team, failing to carry out discovery call can lead to several delays in completion of the sales cycle, delay within the sales pipeline, waste of strategy, and dealing with unproductive leads.
Below are seven (7) simple steps to help you make an excellent and productive discovery call.
- Research & Plan
When it comes to prospecting, embarking on research can never be emphasized. You can never find out about prospect businesses, their pain points, and other vital information if you do not study. The first step to executing an exceptional discovery call is research.
By carrying out in-depth research about your prospect, you can create a comfortable bond with your prospect, ask the right question, and make your call more personal in nature. As you carry out research, create a plan on how you are going to approach your prospects assumed questions and the type of answers you will give to them.
It is always a good idea to ask questions that highlight the importance of your service and not questions that are ‘sales focused’.
- Make use of stories to drive your points home
Sharing stories with your prospects is a great way to help them relate to your product or service better. When you can share stories or examples of how your product or service has been able to solve the problems of past clients with similar issues, your prospect is more likely to listen to your offering.
By making use of the story strategy during your sales discovery call, you are not only helping your prospect relate with your offering but providing them with a testimonial. In embedding a story during your sales discovery call, dwell your story on the problem faced by the previous client and how your product helped them.
- Make Use of the ‘BANT’ Strategy
This strategy was introduced in the 60’s by famous software giant IBM to assist Salespeople in identifying who is an ideal prospect and potential buyer. Making discovery calls can be overwhelming, and without the right strategy in place, it is easy to miss the key information. The BANT strategy is vital because it helps you remember the key information you need to learn from a discovery call.
The BANT strategy entails the following;
- Budget — Do they have a budget in place for this type of product or service?
- Authority — Does the person you’re speaking with have the authority to make this purchase? Who are the other decision makers who should be looped into the conversation?
- Need — Does this company have a need for this type of product or service? What pain points do they face relevant to your company?
- Timeline — Are they ready to buy now (if they have a need) or down the road?
Learning how to use this strategy as a salesperson during your discovery call is the best way to be in control of the conversation, gather the right information, determine whether the prospect is a high-quality prospect or a time waster. It is important because it helps you and your Sales team evaluate your sales processes.
- Do More Listening and Less Talking
Over talking not only bores your prospect but makes them retreat by paying little to no attention to your offering. According to Roy Bartell, “Most people think ‘selling’ is the same as ‘talking.’ But the most effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job”. Do more of listening and less of talking. Your prospects are more likely to discuss their pain point with you when you let them do the talking.
- Offer Your Prospect Solutions
Most prospects are not focused on buying products but solutions to their needs. If your discovery call is focused on selling your product or service, there is a high probability that you will lose the prospect.
Your discovery call should be centered on offering solutions, understanding your prospect needs, what your product can do for them, and testimonials. Show in details how you can resolve the problems plaguing your prospect and their business.
- Offer A Clear Direction on What Next
Just like the initial introduction of a sales discovery call is important, closing a discovery call is also of great importance. At the end of the call, it is essential to provide your prospect with a call to action.
Providing your prospect with a clear direction will enable your prospect to know what is the best next step they will love to take. Instead of just ending the call and expecting the prospect to reach out, you should build up a schedule depending on the decision of your prospect. You can set up a demo for your prospect to have a feel of what you offer.
- Record Your Calls
Recording your conversation with a prospect during a discovery call is a smart idea. During a discovery call, there are tons of information shared. There is always a high tendency to lose out of vital information during a discovery call. By recording your discovery call with a prospect, you can;
- Remember information shared during the conversation flow.
- Evaluate each call to find out what warmed up your prospect and what made them put up a defense. By gathering these details, it helps you in improving your future discovery call strategy and reviewing the success or failures of your discovery calls.
With the advent of the internet and development of technology, there are softwares available online you can employ in recording your calls and that of your Sales team. An excellent example of such software is the Oreka TR which is great for recording your calls for replay later.
