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Most discovery calls feel like job shadowing. “Walk me through your process.” “How do you do this today?” “What tools are you using?” The prospect politely answers while mentally checking Slack. Why? Because you’re asking them to educate you before you’ve proven there’s a real problem worth solving.
Great sellers flip this completely. Instead of starting with process, they start with pain.
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SALES
Stop Asking “How Do You Do This Today?”
Step 1: Problem - figure out what actually sucks
Think about a doctor. They don’t start every visit with a full-body scan. They ask what hurts.
Yet most reps run a full diagnostic on every account before confirming there’s even a problem.
When we walk into a discovery call selling sponsorships or GTM programs, we don’t start with:
What channels are you using?
What’s your marketing budget?
How many campaigns are you running?
None of that matters until we uncover something that actually sucks.
In most sales-tech companies, common surface problems look like this:
No one knows you exist
Buyers misunderstand what you actually do
Pipeline isn’t where it needs to be
The simplest unlock? Ask why they took the call. Even in outbound, there’s always a reason.
Find the symptom first.
Step 2: Impact - decide if it’s even worth solving
Here’s where average sellers mess up.
Let’s say they admit, “Sales teams don’t really know who we are.”
Okay… so what?
If they’re crushing revenue targets and only need three enterprise logos to hit the year, awareness might not matter.
Impact determines urgency.
You dig deeper:
Are you losing deals to competitors?
Are prospects buying without even evaluating you?
Is this affecting revenue targets or growth?
Now we’re talking about consequences.
And until there’s measurable impact — revenue, churn, missed targets, market share — nothing else matters.
Step 3: Root Cause - diagnose last
Only after you confirm the problem is real and impactful do you explore what’s causing it.
This is where industry expertise becomes your edge.
If they’re losing market share, the questions become sharper:
Are you investing in brand at all?
Are you over-indexed on paid search with no top-of-funnel presence?
Are you sponsoring content that doesn’t convert?
Now you’re not asking generic process questions. You’re diagnosing with authority.
And once the root cause is clear, your solution becomes obvious — not pitched.
Discovery isn’t about gathering information. It’s about uncovering problems worth fixing. Start with what sucks. Prove the impact. Diagnose last. Because the rep who finds the real problem earns the right to solve it.
HEADLINES
Hot picks from the web
→ Employee-generated content is the next big thing for brands: Brands are getting more comfortable with employees playing public-facing roles. As far back as 2023, social media users were keen to see more frontline employees in brand account.
SOFTWARE
Tool of the day
✅ Y Interval: Go from idea to launch in under 90 days. No bloat, no endless sprints - just clean design, sharp code, and a product you can actually launch. Trusted by 100+ founders who shipped faster and smarter with Y Interval.
That’s all for today.
Until next time,
Team B2B Whales
P.S. If you’re serious about scaling, join our Whales Club - our premium B2B community with weekly expert sessions, deal feedback, and the resources we actually use to close. Membership starts at $100/month only - cancel anytime.