A discovery call is an early sales conversation in which the buyer describes, in their own words, their problem, what it costs and how they will decide.
How a discovery call works in a sales team
The discovery call usually follows a booked meeting from outbound, an inbound request or a referral, and comes before any demo. An account executive runs it, typically for 30 minutes, with a short frame, questions about the buyer's current situation and its cost, questions about who approves and how, and a close that asks for a dated next step.
- 01A short frame
- 02The buyer's situation and its cost
- 03Who approves, and how
- 04Close on a dated next step
The rep arrives with guesses about the buyer and leaves with the buyer's statements, so the measure of the call is which of those guesses the buyer confirmed out loud. Managers coach the call before (picking what this call must find out) and after (checking what the buyer said against the plan). The full method is in our discovery call guide, and the step-by-step version is how to run a discovery call.
A first call on scheduling software
This example is illustrative. An account executive selling scheduling software has a first call with an operations director. She asks what happened the last time a technician's day fell apart. The director describes a Tuesday with three reschedules and an angry customer. The rep asks what that costs; the director estimates an hour a day per technician.
The rep asks who signed the last software purchase; the director names the CFO and says anything over a set amount goes to her. The call ends with the director agreeing to send the technician count by Friday and a meeting booked with the CFO. Three things the rep had guessed are now in the buyer's words, and the next step has a date.
The difference shows in the note the rep writes afterwards. A weak one reads: "Great call, lots of pain, very interested." A strong one reads: "Three reschedules last Tuesday; about an hour a day per technician (director's estimate). CFO signs above the limit. Technician count due Friday, CFO meeting booked." The manager's question for the first note is the same every time: "Which of those did the buyer say, and which did you?"
Related terms
- What is a buying committee?: the group a discovery call has to map.
- Discovery call questions: what to ask, grouped by what the buyer has to say.
- Discovery call vs demo: when discovery ends.
- What is deal coaching?: the coaching that happens around the call.
FAQ
What is the purpose of a discovery call?
The purpose of a discovery call is to get the buyer to state their problem, its cost and their decision process in their own words. That tells the rep whether there is a real deal and what to do next. To have your team's recordings scored, talk to us.
How long is a discovery call?
A first discovery call with one buyer usually runs 30 minutes. Calls with several stakeholders often need 45 to 60. The right length is whatever it takes to get two or three things confirmed by the buyer and a dated next step.
Is a discovery call the same as a sales call?
A discovery call is one kind of sales call: the early one focused on understanding the buyer. Later sales calls include demos, proposals and negotiations, each building on what the buyer said in discovery.