Sales Discovery Techniques by Kyle Lacey

Jul 29, 2024

Sales Discovery Techniques by Kyle Lacey

Introduction

  • Speaker: Kyle Lacey, VP at MongoDB & Founder of Sales Introverts
  • Topic: Improving sales acumen through effective discovery

The Purpose of Discovery

  • Balance understanding customer problems and educating them on solutions
  • Encourage continued conversation

Ideal Checklist of a Discovery Call

  1. Understand Value Driver:
    • Understand customer-defined important business problems
    • Identify 1-2 problems crucial for the customer to solve
  2. Current Solutions:
    • Assess how customers are currently solving these problems
    • Identify gaps or failures in current solutions
  3. Educate on Better Solutions:
    • Explain how your solution might better solve these problems
    • Earn buyer's confidence to continue the conversation

Balancing Qualification and Avoiding Interrogation

  1. Avoid Interrogation:
    • Ask questions with context to avoid making the buyer feel interrogated
    • Share relevant insights, case studies, or industry information
  2. Avoid Pitching:
    • Balance asking questions without making it feel like a pitch

Types of Buyers in Discovery

  • Qualified Buyer: Have budget, authority, decision-making power
  • Non-Qualified Buyer: May provide valuable intel even if not qualified

Preparing for Discovery

  • Point of View: Have a loose opinion about the customer’s problems and solutions
  • Research: Know the persona, role, and likely concerns of the person you’re speaking to
  • Understand the Current State: Job descriptions, LinkedIn profiles for technical insights
  • Buyer’s Objectives: Understand what they hope to achieve from the call

Conducting the Call

  • Shift from Agenda to Objective:
    • Objective: Understand if and how the solution can help
    • Set clear goals for the call from the buyer’s perspective
  • Contextual Questions:
    • Use “the reason I ask is…” to provide context
    • Share relevant case studies or industry insights

Level of Questions

  1. Level 1 (Danger Zone):
    • Basic questions you should know from research
    • Examples: