Tips for Successful Virtual Sales Calls

90% of salespeople run terrible discovery calls. At best, they "check the boxes." At worst, they annoy the hell out of buyers. Use these 5 tips for discovery calls that buyers actually THANK you for: 1. "Prime" the call for success. Bad discovery calls start with bad expectations. You do one thing (ask questions). Your buyer expects another (demo). Get the first 5 minutes of the meeting right: After a few min of small talk, say "Do you mind if we talk about the agenda?" Then ask: "Here's what I have in mind for this call. Lmk if you're thinking something different. This meeting will be successful if ________________. Does that feel right?" Fill in the blank with an objective. THEN set the agenda to get there: "The way we'll accomplish that is first by talking about X, then Y. Anything to add or remove?" Do that, and you're ahead of most sellers. 2. Match your questions to the buyer's journey Meet your buyer where they stand. If they're exploring solutions, ask: "What's driving you to explore this category?" If they're not, and they're still crystallizing their challenges, ask: "Let's talk about the top challenges in [you area] that would be an issue if you didn't solve in 6-12 months." The point? Your first few questions should "meet them where they stand." Match your questions with the buyer's journey stage. 3. Firm up the 'why' When your buyer gets off the Zoom call: - they have 100s of emails - they have missed phone calls - their Slack is lit up like a Christmas tree They'll forget about you. Unless you get to the 'need behind the need.' Ask this: "What's going on your in your business that's driving [challenge they shared] to be a priority? What's the origin story of how this challenge got prioritized?" That question is as close to magic as you'll find. 4. Banter on the root cause Bad salespeople do nothing but get information. Great salespeople *create value* in the sales cycle. Here's how: Help your buyer think through the 'root cause' of their problems. - Offer new perspectives - Share what you see with customers - Ask challenging (but tactful) questions Business problems are messy. They're hard to figure out. If you help them do that, you create value. 5. Quantify the value 'Quantifying value' is misunderstood. Most sellers: Do it because it serves you, the seller Great sellers: Do it because it serves the buyer When you help your buyer quantify the value: - you help them appreciate the full magnitude - you help them know what they can ignore - you help them set priorities Try asking: "What metric will improve the most if you solve this issue?" That will start the process. - What tips would you add for better discovery calls that buyers enjoy? P.S. I've kept a list of 39 questions that sell over the last 12 years. These come from watching 3,000 Gong calls, and running over 1,000 discovery calls myself. Here's the free list of 39 questions that sell: https://go.pclub.io/list

I recently closed a $15,000 deal with the potential of being a $100K deal. We had 3 discovery calls w/ 2 presentations. Here are 6 strategies I did to close this in less than 30 days that you can copy: 1/ Shared My Research: I did my homework on the company, industry, and buyer persona. I got to the call and shared my notes about my research and how I connected the dots. E.g. "Btw, from my understanding, you're dealing with a really antiquated buyer persona for the most part who is either using a competitor or some old school method of doing things, like managing their tasks on Excel..." Don't keep your notes private. 2/ Be Radically Transparent: Most salespeople try to hide that they're taking notes and looking at another screen, but prospects want to feel like you're taking their problems/goals seriously. E.g. "Btw, if you see me look at another screen, it's because I am. I'm writing some notes and ideas down as we talk through this, which I'll share at the end." Be candid. 3/ Looked For Problems: Salespeople hate opening a can of objections during a call, but I'd argue that is your best bet for maintaining control of the deal. I asked questions that would get me and my business in trouble. The prospect ends up selling you on why you'd be a better fit. E.g. "You mentioned you used to use [COMPETITOR] training program, why not just continue with them since the team is sold on it already?" Unsell yourself. 4/ Gave Value Before The Pitch: Most prospects expect you to spend more time pitching your services or product, but I flipped it on its head. I spent more time giving them strategies and advice on how to better run their department. E.g. "Whether you go with me, another provider, or none at all, here's what I recommend you do in the next 30-60 days.. [INSERT VALUE ADD]." Always teach something new. 5/ Set Up Next Steps Upfront: Most salespeople set up next steps at the end of the call, but that's when prospects are out the door. I like to set them up front because there's the least amount of resistance. E.g. "Assuming this would be fit, you'd probably want another call to dive deeper into your process so we can scope out the work and proposal, so let's set some time in the end to do that later this week for 30 minutes, sound good?" Make next steps worth it for them to agree. 6/ Recapped In The Beginning: At the beginning of our follow-up discovery call, I recapped their challenges/goals from our last call, but I did it by sharing my screens and showing them my notes. E.g. "Based on our last call, these were top of mind for you [LIST CHALLENGES/GOALS] - 1) What's missing from here? 2) And are these still top of mind? Use slides strategically. The takeaway: prospects don't want to be sold to, they want to be helped. #helpmedontsellme P.S. Here are my top 24 discovery questions to quantify pain that helped me close this deal: https://lnkd.in/edAVrn2v

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!

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

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?

If you shoot from the hip, your sales will dip. Prepare to crush your discovery call With this pre-call plan framework: -------------------- 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 What relevant information did you find? What is your outside point of view? -      Firmographic data -      CEO vision -      Strategic priorities -      Challenges -      Related projects or initiatives -      Tech stack -      Partners -      Investors -      Funding status -      Recent announcements 𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐒 Name, title, research notes -      Current role -      Work history -      Previous companies -      Location -      Universities -      Recent posts -      Things they care about -      Interests, skills, -      Common connections -      ‘People also viewed’ on LinkedIn 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 Name, title, research notes -      What is their org chart? -      Who do the attendees report up to? -      Are there any connections to the top? -      Any patterns between groups of people -      (used to work together, same school, etc) 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 (𝐆𝐎𝐀𝐋𝐒) What do you want the buyer(s) to do, know, and feel? What do you want to accomplish? -      Agree to a follow up meeting -      Provide documentation -      Intro to leadership -      Motivated to take action -      Agree to text 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓 What info & opinions do you need to validate? -      Use Case -      Problem -      Consequence -      Required Capabilities -      Value Impact -      Constraints -      Alternative solutions -      Decision process -      Buying committee -      Budget, Timing 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐓 What points or topics do you want to emphasize? -      Share research (company and people) -      Name drop (common connections and key execs) -      Why US -      Customer stories -      Buying process 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐒 What metrics/KPIs/OKRs are they likely to care about? -      Revenue growth -      Cost reduction -      Completion rate -      Error rate -      Fraud exposure 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐄 What questions might the buyer have? What will be your response? -      Competitive landmines -      Pricing -      Experience -      Security -      Integrations -      Implementation process 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 What are the meeting topics, sequence, and timing? -      Attendee roles -      Opening (building rapport) -      Agenda -      Next Steps -      Highest person in the meeting -      Potential blockers

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!👇

On 30 Minutes to President's Club, I shared this simple 3-step framework for Discovery calls: --> Instant Credibility --> The Menu of Pain --> Match Their Urgency Here's how it goes: --> Instant Credibility I start the meeting with our "Nascar slide" on my screen. The first thing they see when they join the meeting is 20+ well-known logos. Our Reference clients. Their brain instantly processes the familiar images. It registers "my peers are already doing this." Way more impactful than an "About Us" slide Instant credibility + also a lil FOMO Without us saying a word --> The Menu of Pain Friction reduction applies to Discovery Don't ask them "essay" questions Give them multiple choice Here's the formula: In this role, I talk to [your industry] leaders all day long. They tell me about their heartburn around problems A, B, and C. How much of that sounds like your world & what did I miss? IRL at UserGems this sounds like: "Usually, when Sales leaders join these calls they usually want to either Capitalize or Catch up. • They have hiring freezes, but quotas are not going down. • They're facing double-digit growth metrics & not sure how they're going to hit them. • They are seeing Pipeline dry up, so they're looking for a new channel. • . . . OR - they're facing none of these challenges, are hitting record high revenue, and want to capitalize to grab market share. • Curious how much of that sounds like your world? And what did I miss?" --> Match Their Urgency There are 3 reasons people show up for Discovery calls. Figuring this out saves everyone time.** This sounds like: "Sometimes people join these calls because they are in education mode and just want to understand new tools. Sometimes people join these calls because they have a big churn, pipeline or revenue problem they needed to solve 6 months ago. Sometimes people join these calls because they need to do something about big churn, pipeline or revenue in the next 12 months, but it's not urgent. Curious where would you put yourself on that scale? Asking because I never want to chase anyone. If today was purely education, that's ok." **I ask this at the end of the call After they've gotten the product overview And BEFORE we talk next steps. Because their answer determines what next steps make sense. The hardest thing about Discovery calls is that there are 100 questions we could ask. AND we have to balance what we want to know with what the prospect wants from the call. The simple 3 step framework helps us establish credibility, diagnose & qualify. How do you approach Discovery calls? How do you think something like this would go over with your Prospects? Want a PDF of my top discovery questions? More details ⬇️ #pipelineanxiety #sales

🌟 Unlocking Insights: The Top 10 Best Discovery Questions to Elevate Your Sales Conversations! 🚀 Hello Small Business Sales Leaders! Mastering the art of discovery is the key to understanding your customers and tailoring your approach effectively. Here are some of the best discovery questions to guide your sales conversations: **1. "Can You Walk Me Through Your Current Challenges and Pain Points?" Understanding the challenges your prospect is facing provides valuable insights into their immediate needs and priorities. **2. "What Goals Are You Looking to Achieve in the Next Quarter/Year?" Aligning your solution with the prospect's goals allows you to position your product or service as a strategic asset to their success. **3. "How Does Your Decision-Making Process Typically Work?" Uncovering the decision-making dynamics within the prospect's organization helps you navigate the sales process more effectively. **4. "Who Are the Key Stakeholders Involved in This Decision?" Identifying and understanding the key decision-makers and influencers ensures you engage with the right individuals throughout the sales journey. **5. "What Solutions Have You Tried in the Past, and What Were the Results?" Learning about past solutions provides insights into what has or hasn't worked for the prospect, guiding your recommendations. **6. "What Timelines Are You Working Within for Implementation?" Understanding the prospect's timelines allows you to tailor your proposal to align with their urgency and priorities. **7. "How Would You Measure Success in Implementing a Solution Like Ours?" Defining success metrics ensures that both you and your prospect have a clear understanding of what a successful partnership looks like. **8. "What Concerns or Objections Do You Have About Implementing a Solution?" Addressing concerns upfront allows you to build trust and tailor your pitch to alleviate any reservations the prospect may have. **9. "Can You Share Insights About Your Current Vendor or Solution?" Gaining insights into the prospect's current relationships helps you position your solution as a valuable enhancement or alternative. **10. "How Can Our Solution Best Support Your Unique Business Needs?" Tailoring your solution to the prospect's specific business needs demonstrates a commitment to a personalized and impactful partnership. 🚀 Pro Tip: The art of discovery lies in active listening and adapting your questions based on the prospect's responses. Make it a conversational exploration rather than a checklist. Ready to Elevate Your Discovery Conversations? Let's Connect! If you're looking to refine your discovery process or discuss how to tailor these questions to your unique sales landscape, let's connect. Together, we can unlock valuable insights that drive successful sales outcomes. Here's to impactful discovery conversations and the thriving journey ahead! 🌟💼 #SalesDiscovery #ElevateConversations #UnlockInsights 🚀✨

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.