When engaging in a discovery discussion with a prospect, too often sellers operate on autopilot. They know what questions they are supposed to ask. Maybe they have a checklist. And they run down the list, through each question to “check the box” and move on to the next one. After all, they know what answers they are looking for; the ones that support the pitch they can’t wait to give.
But they miss so much. We should all know by now the importance of providing insights to prospects. But sellers need to also gain insights from prospects. And gaining meaningful insight requires more than stepping through a list of questions and recording the first answers. It requires getting beyond the obvious; probing deeper beyond the first answer. And sometimes probing even more. Productive discovery (that actually helps you win deals) goes beyond a surface understanding of a prospect’s situation. That’s certainly a critical starting point. But the real “gold” lies in a conversation with them about implications and consequences of their situation to them, their team and their business. This requires a deeper conversation.
To accomplish this sellers must have a truly inquisitive mindset. I call it insatiable curiosity. They must have a true desire to understand why things are the way they are, how things got that way, the root causes of problems, their impact on the business, the consequences of not addressing them, and so on. This kind of conversation serves the seller well. It helps them figure out if a prospect is likely to buy. But at least equally important, it helps the prospect think beyond the obvious too. They may not have considered true root causes and all the implications of their situation. When conducted effectively, prospects are likely to appreciate (may I say “find value”?) in such a conversation. And it helps the seller and prospect work together on a solution that addresses root causes and actually works, rather than one that deals only with symptoms.
Insatiable curiosity. It’s a key mindset for conducting thorough discovery, wining more deals and being considered a “trusted advisor” by customers!
PVG Solutions
