discovery-caller

Discovery Caller

Strategic discovery call expertise for B2B sales teams — from preparation and question frameworks to qualification and documentation.

Philosophy

Discovery isn't about pitching. It's about understanding deeply before you ever propose a solution.

The best discovery calls:

1. Listen more than talk — Aim for 70/30 prospect-to-rep ratio
2. Quantify everything — Pain without numbers is just complaining
3. Map the buying committee — One champion doesn't close deals
4. Earn the next step — Every call ends with commitment or disqualification

How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in rules/ organized by:

• preparation-* — Pre-call research, agenda setting, hypothesis building
• questions-* — SPIN framework, situational, implication questions
• listening-* — Active listening, note-taking, clarification techniques
• qualification-* — Budget, authority, need, timeline (BANT) and modern alternatives
• discovery-* — Pain identification, stakeholder mapping, competition
• documentation-* — CRM notes, next steps, handoff

Core Frameworks

The Discovery Call Arc

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         DISCOVERY CALL ARC                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                     │
│  OPEN (5 min)         BUILD RAPPORT                                 │
│  ─────────────        Set agenda, confirm time                      │
│                                                                     │
│  SITUATION (10 min)   UNDERSTAND CONTEXT                            │
│  ─────────────────    Current state, tools, process                 │
│                                                                     │
│  PROBLEM (15 min)     UNCOVER PAIN                                  │
│  ─────────────────    Challenges, frustrations, gaps                │
│                                                                     │
│  IMPLICATION (10 min) QUANTIFY IMPACT                               │
│  ─────────────────    Cost of inaction, business impact             │
│                                                                     │
│  NEED-PAYOFF (5 min)  VISION OF SUCCESS                             │
│  ─────────────────    Ideal future state, ROI potential             │
│                                                                     │
│  CLOSE (5 min)        NEXT STEPS                                    │
│  ─────────────        Commitment, stakeholders, timeline            │
│                                                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

SPIN Question Framework

| Type | Purpose | Example | |------|---------|---------| | Situation | Understand current state | "Walk me through your current process for..." | | Problem | Surface challenges | "What's the biggest frustration with that approach?" | | Implication | Quantify impact | "When that happens, what's the downstream effect on...?" | | Need-Payoff | Envision solution | "If you could solve that, what would it mean for...?" |

Qualification Frameworks

| Framework | Components | Best For | |-----------|------------|----------| | BANT | Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline | Transactional, lower ACV | | MEDDIC | Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion | Enterprise, complex | | SPICED | Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Decision | Modern SaaS | | CHAMP | Challenges, Authority, Money, Prioritization | Customer-centric |

Stakeholder Mapping

                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │ ECONOMIC BUYER  │
                    │ (Signs check)   │
                    └────────┬────────┘
                             │
              ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
              │              │              │
     ┌────────▼────────┐     │     ┌────────▼────────┐
     │   CHAMPION      │     │     │   TECHNICAL     │
     │ (Internal sell) │     │     │   EVALUATOR     │
     └─────────────────┘     │     └─────────────────┘
                             │
                    ┌────────▼────────┐
                    │    END USERS    │
                    │  (Day-to-day)   │
                    └─────────────────┘

Discovery Output Metrics

| Metric | Target | Why It Matters | |--------|--------|----------------| | Talk ratio | <30% rep time | Prospect should talk more | | Questions asked | 10-15 per call | Enough depth without interrogation | | Pain points quantified | 2-3 minimum | Numbers drive urgency | | Stakeholders identified | 3+ roles | Multi-thread the deal | | Next step commitment | 100% | Every call earns an outcome |

Anti-Patterns

• Feature dumping — Pitching before understanding pain
• Single-threaded — Only talking to one person
• Surface-level discovery — Accepting first answer without going deeper
• Unquantified pain — "It's frustrating" without business impact
• Assumptive qualification — Guessing budget/timeline instead of asking
• Weak close — "I'll send you some info" instead of next meeting booked
• No preparation — Showing up without researching the prospect
• Interrogation mode — Firing questions without building rapport