You can use the same template for each person, but be sure to personalize the names and contact information for greater response.
3. Offer two or three different options of times to speak.
4. Use a subject line that identifies your contact to increase your acceptance rate.
5. Follow up with a meeting invite to secure the time on the person’s calendar.
Illustration by 24Slides
Figure 2-2: An example email request for a discovery conversation.
The key to a great discovery meeting is knowing what you want to find out and leaving room for your prospect to surprise you. For example, you may uncover additional challenges, competitive insights, or strategic goals that help you more closely align with your prospect’s needs. Following are some key findings you want to look for when speaking with someone in your prospect’s company:
✔ Get everyone’s point of view. Don’t assume that everyone within your prospect’s organization has the same understanding of the problem or agree on the solution. Ask each person her perspective on the problem and expectations of a solution. You want as full a picture as possible. If the answers are conflicting, circle back with your primary contact and ask for help to ensure that you understand the issues so that you can properly address the best interests of the company.
✔ Understand the decision-making process. Figure out how the prospect makes decisions. Does the organization have a formal process? Do all decision makers have equal say or does one person’s opinion have more weight? The more you know about the decision-making process, the more you can tailor your message. For example, if the CEO is the sole decision maker, you know to structure your presentation more around how your solution impacts the organization as a whole and less around the details of the process. See Chapter 3 for tailoring your message to decision makers.
✔ Define the personal impact. In addition to discovering how the current problem affects the organization, determine how it affects each prospect individually. The closer to home you can bring the problem and solution, the more powerful and memorable your presentation.
In a competitive market more than likely you won’t be the only one asking your prospect questions prior to the presentation. In fact, your competitor may be asking many of the same or very similar questions and use the answers to help build a case for its product or service. If you’re the third or fourth vendor doing the questioning, your prospect’s answers can sound quite perfunctory. Set yourself apart by recognizing the following underutilized benefits of the discovery conversation:
✔ Revealing insights. Each question is an opportunity to gain insight around a prospect’s experience, expectations, and preferences. Don’t just settle for a pat answer. Take a four-year-old’s approach and ask why. Why do you do things that way? Why are you considering that option? Ask your prospect if there’s anything you may have missed. You’re looking for anything that can give you an insider’s view, which may include information on how bad the problem is, what’s at stake, and why the prospect needs to make a change. The answers you receive can help you to tailor your presentation to fit your prospect’s needs and expectations. Read more about applying insights in Chapter 3.
✔ Speaking your prospect’s language. Every company has its own buzzwords and acronyms. Instead of expecting the prospect to learn your language, make the effort to learn the prospect’s and incorporate some of the terminology into your presentation to build your credibility. For example, does your prospect call its salespeople “account executives” or “business consultants”? Does it refer to “customers” or “clients?” You may want to ask pointed questions about how your prospect refers to specific things or just take note of her word choice when she speaks.
✔ Planting seeds. The discovery conversation isn’t the time for a full-court sales press, but you do want the prospect to get off the phone with a sense of excitement and anticipation about your presentation if she’s attending, or a motivation to pass on her support if she’s not. Statements like, “It sounds like you could really use the extra time to focus on your new responsibilities if this were resolved quickly” can set expectations early. Aim for subtlety and be careful not to slip into a full-on selling mode.
✔ Building rapport and interest. Asking questions isn’t just about getting answers. You have a prospect on the phone or in person, so use this valuable time to strengthen your relationship and create some early interest going into your presentation. Here are some effective ways to do so:
● Really listen. The discovery conversation is the time to listen. End users in particular may have never been asked their opinion before and therefore may be more than happy to share given the chance, so keep your pencil sharp and listen. This time isn’t just about checking off a box. Don’t make assumptions or finish your prospect’s sentences. You’ll have plenty of time to speak during your presentation.
● Repeat back. Make sure that you’re clear on your prospect’s meaning, especially on important points, by repeating back to her what you heard her say. If you don’t understand something, ask questions until you do.
● Respond with empathy. Your conversation isn’t a therapy session, but it also isn’t a deposition. You’re talking to real people about real problems. Taking a moment to express appropriate emotion can go a long way toward establishing rapport. For example, “Wow, that sounds really frustrating” or “I imagine that must create a lot of pressure for your department,” will make your prospect feel validated and may get them to open up more.
Not preparing for objections – reasons your prospect would have to not move forward with the sale – is like waterskiing without a life vest. You may glide along just fine for a while, but when you hit the water, you’re going to be glad you planned ahead. Although most salespeople prepare to address objections in their presentation, you can begin to neutralize many of them early in the planning stage before positions have hardened by doing a thorough job of discovery with your prospect. Following are some common objections that may come up in your initial prospect calls or discovery conversations and how to nip them in the bud or lessen their impact during your presentation. Check out Chapter 15 for more tips on handling objections.
✔ It’s not that bad/we’re in no hurry/other decisions are more pressing. These objections all fall into the “lack of urgency” category. You can usually handle them early on by getting the prospect to acknowledge or share the full financial impact of not solving the problem. If the prospect still brings up her objections in the presentation, you’ll be able to remind your prospect of the cost of delay.
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