I wish non-sales discovery calls were a thing. We could all benefit from 15-30-minute value and fit-establishing conversations for everyday life decisions.
For instance, a discovery call with my stepbrother would've let me know he wasn't okay with receiving shoes I originally bought for myself for Christmas — even though they were basically mint condition and only 1.5 sizes too big for him.
Unfortunately, discovery remains sales-specific, and nailing it is crucial.
So, we surveyed 300 sales leaders to better understand how to do it right.
Weak next steps are a big (if not the biggest) discovery ball drop.
We asked respondents where reps lose the most winnable deals during or after discovery. 29% cited weak next steps — eight points higher than the next most popular response.
Discovery calls aren't like first dates.
You don't benefit from playing it cool, telling a prospect you should "do this again sometime," and waiting for them to reach out.
You have to keep them engaged — and a vague, "the ball is in your court" transition is an easy way to lose their attention.
Pinning down the "who, what, when" and sending a calendar invite always beats saying, "I'll send some information, and we can reconnect."
How a prospect's company buys is more or less as important as whether they should.
We also asked our sales leaders to name the main element separating discovery calls that lead to closed-won deals from those that stall. The top responses were "identifying decision dynamics" and "confirming mutual fit" — each with 26% of the vote.
Establishing fit and a viable roadmap to execute on it are the pillars of effective discovery, apparently with similar failure rates.
Reps who miss fit might struggle with explicit confirmation, leaning too much on intuition — and reps having a hard time with decision dynamics might be uncomfortable with introducing big-picture elements early on.
Understanding both is crucial, and knowing how to do one enhances the other.
For instance, demonstrating a strong fit makes internal advocacy easier, and covering additional stakeholders surfaces other specific compatibility requirements.
All told, orgs should train on frameworks address these elements — and specifically emphasize those aspects' importance.
What can you do with this next-level, revelatory insight?
For reps: Build next step options into your discovery prep. Know what logical next steps look like for different scenarios — demo, technical review, stakeholder meeting, proposal review — so you can propose the right one fluidly rather than defaulting to "follow up."
For managers: Listen for decision dynamics discussions and fit confirmation in call reviews. Are reps asking about the decision-making process, not just problem details? Are they explicitly confirming fit, not just assuming it from enthusiasm?
For leadership: Train next steps as a skill, not an assumed competency. Most discovery training focuses on questioning and qualification. The final two minutes deserve dedicated attention — our research indicates a lot of deals get derailed there.
"I wrote this. I will never not have written it. And I'm not sorry for anything I said. That's really brave of me."
Jay Fuchs. Managing Editor, The Science of Scaling Newsletter
The data in question
we sourced the data we used here through Panoplai: The panoramic research platform I'm guessing 10/10 dentists would recommend — I'm also guessing that ratio is similar for professionals who need panoramic research platforms more than dentists.
What is the main element that separates discovery calls that lead to closed-won deals from ones that stall?
- Uncovering business impact — rep connects the problem to measurable consequences the prospect cares about - 13%
- Identifying decision dynamics — rep learns who's involved, how decisions get made, and what's blocking progress - 26%
- Establishing urgency — rep surfaces why the problem needs to be solved now rather than later - 19%
- Building champion commitment — rep leaves with a prospect willing to advocate internally - 10%
- Confirming mutual fit — rep qualifies that the prospect's situation matches what you actually solve - 26%
- None of the above - 6%
Where do your reps lose the most winnable opportunities during or after discovery calls?
- Shallow diagnosis — uncovering surface-level pain without connecting it to business impact - 14%
- Skipping qualification — advancing prospects who lack authority, budget, or urgency - 21%
- Weak next steps — ending with vague follow-ups instead of concrete commitments - 29%
- One-threaded relationships — failing to identify or engage other stakeholders during the call - 9%
- Premature solutioning — jumping to product before fully understanding the problem - 20%
- None of the above - 6%
Prospect Plays