My Discovery Call Formula

Mike Gallardo
October 27, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

My 4-step formula for running great discovery calls with your customers.

Hey sales friends,

In this week’s newsletter I’m breaking down my formula for running great discovery calls.

Oftentimes, this gets overcomplicated and can be really confusing for sellers.

So I’m sharing what’s most important so you know exactly what to focus on and can run great discovery calls with your customers going forward.

Let’s dive in!

Pre Call Research

First things first.

Have a process that you follow for what you research ahead of the call.

For example, checking:

SDR Notes.
Google search.
The company’s blog.
Previous opportunity notes.

And leverage that information in your call.

The worst thing you can do is ask about:

Things they’ve already shared
Things that are easily findable on the internet with a quick search.

Some examples of how to insert research in your discovery:

Hey Jill - The last time we spoke you were focused on [insert priorities]. Has anything changed since then or is that still your #1 priority?

Hey Jill - I spoke with my colleague [insert SDR name] and they mentioned [details from SDR notes]. Curious, when it comes to [what they mentioned] what would yu say are your biggest challenges?

Hey Jill - I appreciate you joining the call today. I’d like to start by chatting about [what you’ve learned]. From there, I can share how we may be able to help and even walk through our platform a little bit. How does that sound?

Priorities and Problems

This is by far the most important part of the formula.

So if there’s one thing you spend a lot of time on mastering make this it.

And understanding priorities and problems really comes down to the questions you ask.

So here are some examples you can draw inspiration from:

Hey Jill - Appreciate you sharing. Other founders I work with in your situation are usually focused on the following [insert priorities]. When it comes to [what you help with] what would you say are your biggest challenges?

Hey Jill - Thank you for sharing. Sounds like [insert priorities] would be your top priorities in the coming months, or would you say it’s something else?

Hey Jill - I want to make sure I heard everything right. It sounds like [summarize what you heard in 1 to 3 sentences] and the key [insert priorities and/or challenges] are most important. Is that right?

Hey Jill - Usually when it comes to [what you help with] some key challenges are [insert most common challenges]. Curious when it comes to [what you help with] what would you say are the biggest challenges you’re looking to solve?

Building Interest

Now that you know the priorities and challenges of your potential customer. The most important thing you can do is build interest for the next meeting.

Two of the best ways to accomplish this:

A short slide deck (1 to 3 slides max)
A mini demo showing how you help (5 mins max)

People are “against slides” but I think that’s because they’re thinking of long and boring decks that most sellers use.

That’s not what I’m advising at all obviously.

No, what I’m talking about is 1 to 3 slides that are super clear about how you help your customers and what separates you from other providers — if done well, it can be a great transition in the conversation and build a lot of momentum.

If slides aren’t your cup of tea no worries I got you.

Because it’s also super powerful to show your platform and one way you can help them based on what they’ve shared. That way your customers get a sneak peak into how things work and get interested in a deeper dive demo.

Here are some scripts you can use:

Hey Jill - Thank you so much for answering all my questions. I really appreciate you running me through everything. Now I have a pretty good idea of how we can help with [insert key priority or challenge] > transition to slide(s) or demo.

Hey Jill - Looking at the clock we have about 15 minutes left. Here’s what I think would be most valuable. A quick run through of how we may be able to help with [insert their key priority or challenge. That way you can see exactly how things would work. How does that sound?

Setting Next Steps

Last but not least is setting next steps.

I actually just ran through a training with my team on this because it’s so important and often not done correctly.

3 critical components:

Watch the clock and save 8 minutes (interrupt if needed).
Make a strong recommendation.
Schedule the call live.

Special shoutout to watching the clock — this is what I see missed most often which means the end of the call is rushed or even worse no real next step gets scheduled.

A script you can steal:

Hey Jill,

Looking at the clock we have about 8 minutes left.

I’ve really enjoyed our conversation and I’m confident that we can help [insert key priority or challenge].

Based on that, may I make a recommendation here on next steps?

Great — Here’s what I’m thinking:

1. What you’ll show and why it’s valuable.

2. What you’ll show and why it’s valuable.

3. What you’ll show and why it’s valuable.

Do you have your calendar open?

Whatever you do, make sure you don’t:

Send your Calendly link and hope they schedule. People are busy and forget all the time. The moment you do this your win rate drops significantly.
Schedule a call to “check in”. Always have a clear reason that’s valuable to the person you’re speaking with. Plan this out ahead of the call so you’re not having to figure it out in the moment.

That’s it!

I’m telling you if you focus on mastering these 4 things there’s no way you don’t have absolutely great discovery calls on repeat.

If you have any other discovery call tips and tricks reply to this email and let me know, I’d love to hear from you!

See ya next week,

- Mike G

PS. Have questions? Reply to this email and let me know! I’m always happy to help and share my experiences and strategies.

And btw… I just learned which email inbox replies are going to so my responses will be MUCH faster going forward :)

When you’re ready…

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