EPISODE 05

The do’s and don’ts of a discovery call

Are you searching for solid advice on how to conduct a sales call?

You don’t need psychological tricks or manipulative tactics!

Tune in to learn my human-centered, authentic approach to discovery calls.

show transcript

Hey, friends. Welcome back to the show. And today, we’re talking about discovery calls, or as some would say, sales calls. So much to dive into here. What to do, what not to do, which is just as important.

And I was thinking back to how I handled these in the beginning. I was so nervous and insecure and unsure how to structure the conversation in an effective way. I also wasted a ton of time on complex custom proposals. You know, it was all just a bit of a mess, honestly, so I wanna provide some insights here. And before we get started, it has to be said that before you even get on a call, it’s useful to have some clarity on your offer, the features and benefits, and how you uniquely provide value.

It’s helpful to have a compelling description of the offer or of your services on a website, a simple landing page, a social media post, or even a simple Google Doc. And if you’re describing the offer well, alongside a strong online presence overall, when a prospect books a discovery call, they should be 95% of the way to a yes. And this is part of what actually takes the pressure off because I don’t believe discovery calls should be sales calls. The purpose of a discovery call is not to enter into it with a core intention to convince, impress, sell, or pitch. A discovery call is just 2 people trying to genuinely discover if they are a good fit to work together.

If your offer and approach is a good match to get them the results they desire. And also if you feel a positive personal click with that person. So you’re not selling, you’re having a conversation and making a connection. The selling happens online. And this is the world we live in today.

You know, we’re not in the 19 fifties or pre Internet days. People know how to use the Internet and technology to research a product or service or service provider they’re interested in. So a lot of the sales process happens without the salesperson. And in that way, the power in the process has shifted more to the buyer. But this is good news for us as sellers too because it means our content and website can act as a kind of 20 fourseven automated sales machine.

Now, if you’ve looked into this topic of sales calls at all, you have likely seen a ton of advice on how to close a client, how to handle and overcome objections, and how to apply high pressure tactics to get people to say yes. You’ve also come across templates and scripts that provide manipulative language and psychological tricks to exploit people’s vulnerabilities. And you’ll see all of this described euphemistically as quote unquote developing your sales skills, but I call BS on that. Now if you are an employee who is part of a sales team at a corporate company, yeah, you need to develop sales skills and negotiation skills. But for the kind of solo business owners I work with, no.

Now you do need a certain level of marketing skill. You do need a certain level of clarity and confidence around what you offer, and you need to be able to say your price without it being awkward. But beyond that, you just need to be human. You need to care and be curious, listen and empathize, keep it simple and genuine. Now I’m gonna go over what you should do on a discovery call in more detail, but again, be careful to filter the advice out there.

If a prospect tells you no, respect it and trust that they are capable of making their own decisions. Work on ways to improve the way you articulate the value in your online presence, and maybe I’ll do a future podcast episode on that. But accept the no. Hearing no, it’s part of being an entrepreneur. Get used to it.

It happens. Okay? And if people tell you that they want some time to make the decision, give them time to make the decision. When people tell me they wanna think about it, I say, absolutely. Take your time.

I don’t shame them or pressure them. To give you an example of a sales coach who teaches these manipulative tactics, I want to read you a few lines from an actual email template they provide for when someone says they can’t afford it. And it goes like this. I understand what it’s like to discover an experience that you know will make an impact on your life and feel like you can afford it. I would never want to pressure you into something that you believe you can’t afford.

I’ve felt similar before as well. I invested to work with someone and literally put my ass on the line. The investment was scary. But on the other side of that investment, I’m accomplishing the things I once questioned if they were even possible. The reason I’m sharing this with you is that I genuinely want you to know I understand.

And it goes on, but I’ll stop there. So unethical, and I think it speaks for itself. Of course, you can and should address any concerns, questions, or hesitations to buy, whether that’s in the discovery call, in a follow-up, in an FAQ section, or even in your content. You want people to have the information they need and ensure they feel safe to say yes. That’s much different than what we see going on in that email template.

Now you can see a lot online, a lot of courses you can buy, digital products you can buy that promise the perfect enrollment script or sales script, the magical words and techniques that will get people to say, Yes. Save your money. Because this is the kind of thing that they’re going to give you. And while on the surface it may seem genuine or inspiring or clever, what it’s actually doing is it’s manipulating and pressuring people to buy something they can’t afford. And, you know, I myself have experienced being on the other end of one of these manipulative sales calls with a business coach who employed all the greatest hits from the playbook, tactics like telling me I was playing too small, insisting that we continue to book calls to chat even after I clearly said no, and some version of the classic question that goes something like, Beth, tell me the cost of not taking action today.

What will life look like or feel like if you don’t make this investment? What’s it costing you to not achieve this goal? Right? And that question is so distasteful and disrespectful. It’s twisting the knife.

You know, you ask people to open up and share their situation and challenges. That’s important. But you don’t need to twist the knife like this. It’s a very negative way of trying to convince someone, which again is not the primary purpose of the call. What you can do to build trust is interject little light statements, comments, and hints about the solution to their problem and your expertise.

For example, let’s imagine you’re a professional organizer on a discovery call. And as the prospect is describing their situation, you might interject and say, yep I understand that, and to address that, you know, we might look into this type of storage space or this type of container and see what makes sense. So dropping little hints and insights without going deep and without trying to solve a complex problem within a short call, which risks overwhelming the prospect and is impossible anyway. So here’s a quick and simple outline of an effective discovery call. There’s 4 sections.

First, start with some small talk to establish rapport. Get to know them. Make them feel at ease. Let them know the agenda for the call is simply to get to know each other. Ask questions, and if it makes sense, discuss how we move forward.

Right away, that signals to the prospect that this isn’t a high pressure sales call. 2nd, get them talking and dig into their top 3 to 4 challenges or goals, listen intently, ask follow-up questions, validate emotions and be empathetic. 3rd, if at this point it’s feeling like a good fit, restate their goals and express your genuine interest and enthusiasm in working with them. So this might sound like, okay Beth, I’m hearing that you’re looking to XYZ, sum up their situation. This is exactly what I cover in my program, and I’d love to help you.

Shall I tell you a bit more about how it works? Now this is where you very briefly outline your program and process, the highlights or framework, the unique value, the key details and price. You can refer to your website here or use a few slides if it helps. Now I’m not talking about a heavy powerpoint deck, okay? Just 1 to 3 simple slides that help visualize or emphasize the key talking points.

You can even outline your price and payment plan on the last slide, and this might help ensure that you do get to it. And when you get to that part, just state the price in a straightforward matter of fact way. Try to think of the price as just a boring dry fact or a piece of data. You know, you might say the investment is 1500 with the option to pay in 5 monthly payments of 300. That’s it.

Then in the 4th and final section, here’s where you pause and simply give them room to respond or ask questions. At this point, they may say, okay. When can we get started? But if not, you can gently say something like, so tell me, Beth, what are your thoughts? Would you like to move forward?

Just like that, easy and authentic, using whatever words feel natural to you. No sleeves, no stress, just a gentle invitation. The mindset here is imagining you’re chatting with a friend and they sure struggle and you respond by saying, hey, you know, I know something that can definitely help. Let me tell you about it. So you’re there to give them something, not take something.

You’re like a helpful, caring friend who is gently offering a solution. Now let me round out today’s episode with a few more quick tips and details. Effective discovery calls should take between 30 to 45 minutes. Sometimes they take up to an hour if the person you’re speaking with has a lot of questions or is particularly talkative, I’m not super strict about setting a hard time limit because I wanna give someone the time they need and also give me the time I need to get to know them and where they’re at. But I do set it up for 30 minutes and try to keep it to 45 or less.

A key element that I recommend you add on to this whole process is a pre call questionnaire or application form, which gives you helpful background information, which saves time and helps you prepare for the call. It can also help you evaluate if they are an ideal client. You can have a list of questions ready if that helps you remember key questions and feel less nervous. I real rarely do that at this point, but I will take some time to look at the prospect’s online presence and sometimes write down a few specific questions. The key questions that I have are included in my pre call questionnaire, so I refer to that and I ask people to further elaborate on those things in the call.

Now depending on the type of clients you serve and the type of work that you do, you may need a dedicated kickoff call or an in-depth intake or assessment call before the first proper meeting or session. That’s different from a discovery call. So try to include only the questions that you truly need at this stage. Should you put your price on your website? In most cases, yes.

Especially if you’re selling to individuals or in the b to c space. And this acts as a filter and prevents you both from wasting time. Finally, remember that when someone decides to say yes or no, it’s about so much more than you. It’s it’s them saying yes to making a change, to feeling ready, to maybe being vulnerable. Yes to some sort of next big move.

Yes to making this investment in themselves. They may be just as nervous as you are. So my friends, there’s a lot more I could say but I’m gonna leave it there for now. I do hope today’s episode helps you feel more clarity and confidence going into your discovery calls. Talk to you soon.

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