A rep should prepare for a discovery call by writing down what the deal already has, choosing the two or three things this call must find out from the buyer, and scripting the opening question and the closing ask, then saying the plan out loud to someone who will push back.
- Known, in the buyer's words
- Assumed
- What this call must find out
- The opening, written in full
- The hardest question
- The close: a dated next step
- Said out loud to someone who will push back
The short version
Most prep advice is about research: the company's news, the buyer's LinkedIn, past CRM notes. That is useful up to a point. Research is there to make better guesses, and a discovery call exists to turn guesses into things the buyer has said. A rep who has read everything and still does not know which guess this call must test will run through a question list.
So start from the deal. What is already known in the buyer's words? What is the rep assuming? Of the assumptions, which two or three would change the deal if they were wrong: the cost of the problem, who signs, what happens if nothing changes? Those become the call's job. Research only what helps ask about them well. In whichever method the team runs, the unknowns have names: the gap between current and future state in Gap Selling, metrics and the economic buyer in MEDDPICC.
Then prepare the two ends of the call. They are the parts a rep is most tempted to improvise. Framing is the opening: why we are here and what the buyer gets from the next 30 minutes. Gaining commitment is the close: a dated next step with the right people. Write both in full.
Last, say it out loud. A plan that reads well often falls apart when someone asks "what if she says the budget is gone?" A manager, a peer or a coach who knows the deal can ask that in five minutes. Our discovery call guide covers the call itself.
What a finished prep note looks like (illustrative)
A finished prep note fits on one screen: what is known, what is assumed, what the call must find out, the opening, the hardest question and the close. This deal is invented. Kim has a first discovery call with Rob, IT director at a 300-person logistics firm, booked from a webinar.
- Known, in Rob's words: "Our ticket backlog doubled since we opened the second warehouse" (webinar Q&A).
- Assumed: the backlog costs real money; Rob owns the budget; there is a deadline.
- This call must find out: what the backlog costs, and who signs.
- Opening: "You mentioned the backlog doubled after the second warehouse. I'd like to understand what that has done to your team, and at the end we can decide together if a second conversation is worth it. Does that work?"
- Hardest question: "Who else would need to agree before anything changed here?"
- Close: "Could we book 30 minutes with whoever signs off, so they hear the numbers from you?"
Kim talks it through on a call that morning, with her manager or with Caty, our deal expert. Caty asks what she will do if Rob says the backlog is a staffing problem. She adds a follow-up.
Step by step, in the order it matters
- Read what the deal already has. The booking form, the email thread, CRM notes and any earlier call. Copy anything the buyer said about the problem in their own words into the note.
- Write down what you are assuming. The size of the problem, who signs, whether there is a deadline, who else is involved. Written down, they show how much of the deal is guesswork.
- Choose the two or three unknowns this call must settle. Pick the ones that would change the deal if they were wrong. Usually that means the cost of the problem and who decides.
- Research for those unknowns. Stop when the research no longer changes a question (more on this below).
- Write the opening in full. Why you are meeting, what the buyer gets from the time, and an offer to decide together at the end whether to talk again.
- Write the hardest question. The one you are most likely to skip. Usually it is about money or authority.
- Write the close. A specific next step with a date and the right people in it.
- Confirm who is coming. If the buyer is bringing colleagues, find out who and what each of them owns, and adjust the opening.
- Say the plan out loud. To a manager, a peer or a coach who knows the deal, and let them push on the weak parts.
What to research, and what to skip
Research earns its time when it changes a question. A recent hire, an acquisition or a new location can explain why the buyer took the meeting, and it lets the rep open with something specific: "You opened a second warehouse recently. Has that changed how tickets come in?" The buyer's role tells the rep which part of the problem they feel and which part they only hear about. Past CRM notes stop the rep asking something the buyer has already answered.
Skip what only proves the rep did homework. Reciting the company's revenue or quoting its mission statement back takes up the buyer's time and tells the rep nothing new. Personal details from social profiles work as small talk at most. If a fact would not change a question you plan to ask, leave it out of the note.
Common prep mistakes
Preparing a pitch. A deck and a demo environment are prep for a different call. Have them ready in case the buyer asks, and keep them closed until then.
Writing twenty questions. A long list gets read out in order. Two or three questions tied to the unknowns, with a follow-up for each, make a better call.
Leaving the close to the moment. Reps who improvise the close tend to settle for "I'll send something over." Writing the ask in advance makes it easier to say.
When more than one person joins
A second or third person on the buyer's side changes the prep. Each of them came for a reason, and the rep should know it before the call. Find out each person's role from the invite or a quick email to the main contact, then write one line per person: what they own, what part of the problem they feel, and the one thing the rep wants to learn from them.
Plan who speaks first. The person who booked the call usually frames the problem, and the most senior person usually decides whether there is a second call. Give the senior person a question early, so they are part of the conversation and not watching it. If two people are likely to disagree, for example an operations lead who feels the problem and a finance lead who pays for the fix, plan a question that lets each of them describe the cost in their own terms.
A short agenda to send (template)
Send two or three lines in the calendar invite or a short email the day before:
"Hi Rob, looking forward to Thursday. I'd like to understand how the backlog has changed since the second warehouse opened and what it means for your team. At the end we can decide together whether a second conversation makes sense. Anything you'd like to add?"
Adjust the middle sentence to the buyer's own words from the booking. The last question invites the buyer to set part of the agenda, which often tells you what matters to them before the call starts.
After the prep
The discovery call guide covers the call itself. For the full step-by-step job, see how to prepare for a sales call; for what to ask, discovery call questions. Afterward, talk to us about scoring the call and preparing the next one on a call that morning, the way Kim did.
FAQ
How long should you spend preparing for a discovery call?
About fifteen minutes for a first call, the same as any sales call. Spend it choosing what the call must find out and writing the opening and close, then a few minutes saying the plan out loud. When prep keeps growing, it has usually turned into research for its own sake.
What should you research before a discovery call?
Research only what helps you ask about the call's unknowns: a recent event at the company that might cause the problem, the buyer's role and what they own, and any past conversations in your CRM. Skip anything that would not change a question you plan to ask.
Should you send an agenda before a discovery call?
Yes, a short one helps. Two or three lines saying what you would like to understand and that you will decide together on a next step set expectations, especially for buyers who expect a demo. Keep it short enough to read in the calendar invite.
Should you prepare discovery questions in advance?
Yes, but only a few. Prepare the opening, the hardest question and the close word for word, plus one or two questions for each unknown the call must settle. Everything else should follow from what the buyer says. Discovery call questions lists more, sorted by what each one is for.