Discovery Calls: What To Do When You Hang Up

BY Jessica Helinski
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Discovery calls are a commonly-​discussed sales topic, but not much is said about what to do directly after a call. Sure, you want to celebrate the new opportunity, but you also should do a few things to make sure the next steps in the sales process go smoothly. Sujan Patel, for CloserIQ, recommends reps take certain actions directly following discovery calls, suggesting that you add “the following activities to your sales discovery call workflows to ensure you’re getting the maximum possible value out of every conversation.”

Discovery Calls To-Do

One of the actions Patel suggests is to add captured information from the call. However you record this information, whether it be a simple document or complex CRM, you should immediately gather and note all of the insights gained from the discovery call, including:

  • Was the person a decision-maker? 
  • Are they the right person to connect with at the company?
  • Information on their purchase decision-​making process (including timelines, size of the buying committee, etc.)
  • Any details regarding their urgency of need
  • How does their need manifest in terms of pain points?
  • Were they receptive toward taking the next step with you?

Adding detailed information like this, while still fresh in your brain, makes it easier to revisit during the qualification process. Discovery calls are for mining information, so it’s important that you don’t let your gathered insights get lost.

The next step, according to Patel, is to take the data you’ve gathered and use it to assess what value you can bring to the prospect. “Asking yourself a few questions can help standardize this process so that you remove wishful thinking or other emotional responses from your prospect evaluations,” he explains.” Evaluating discovery calls is an important step because you can drill down exactly how can (or can’t) provide value. He suggests starting this step by asking yourself the following three questions:

  • Is the prospect actively seeking a solution to their need?
  • How significant is the pain the prospect is experiencing?
  • Can my company help the prospect meet the need they expressed?

These two steps, along with his other suggestions, will give you guidance on how to proceed following your sales discovery calls. Even if the call didn’t end as you hoped, following these steps can help you better evaluate the information you gathered, and maybe even offer some lessons to learn for future discovery calls.

Want to make sure that you maximize each discovery call? Check out these tips.


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