Sales enablement

Webinar Recap: Seven Levels of Stunningly Successful Discovery

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Jul 31, 2024 - 2 min read

During a recent webinar, Lee Berkman of CloudShare and guest Peter Cohan, author of Doing Discovery, took attendees on a deep dive into the art and science of mastering discovery calls for software sales.

This blog post provides a summary of the subjects covered and you can view the full webinar here. Also, check out “Better Discovery, Better Conversion” – an ebook that we co-authored together with Peter, which provides a concise and informative guide to catapulting software sales with masterful discovery. 

The Power of Effective Discovery

Experienced salespeople know that inadequate discovery leads to a bunch of problems, including delayed decisions, unwarranted discounts, and demos that go nowhere. Gartner reports that nearly 45% of forecasted opportunities in B2B software companies end in a big fat “no decision.” But if you’re able to nail your discovery, you’ll have a good chance of gaining competitive advantages, most notably positive differentiation, referencing customers, and realizing customer lifetime value (CLV). 

Think of effective discovery as rainfall on a mountain range: the more thorough and wide-ranging the discovery, the better the results downstream in your sales process. Without it, you’ll end up with a dry riverbed at the bottom. 

The Seven Levels of Discovery Skills

According to Peter, sales professionals should master seven levels of discovery skills.

Level 1: Uncovers statements of pain

Level 1 in the discovery process focuses on identifying and understanding the prospect’s initial pain points. This involves asking open-ended questions like, 

“What kind of pain are you experiencing with your current solution or process?”

Level 2: Uncovers pain and explores more deeply

In Level 2, you delve deeper into the initial pain points identified in Level 1, to understand the full scope of the problem. Here is an example:

Prospect: “Our existing system is giving us problems.”
Poor salesperson: “Great, we’ve got several new systems for you.”

A smarter response involves asking questions to get at the root causes and impacts of the pain.

Prospect: “Our existing system is giving us problems.”
Smart salesperson: “Sorry to hear that. Tell me more about the specific problems you’re having.”

This approach will yield the insights you need to offer a solution that addresses your prospect’s particular challenges.

Level 3: Uncovers pain, explores deeply, broadens the pain and investigates the impact

Level 3 goes beyond identifying and exploring pain points to understanding their broader impact. After categorizing the pain within the workflow, it’s important to ask, “Who else is impacted?” 

This question helps uncover how this pain point affects other parts of the organization. For example, if a prospect mentions a manual process causing issues, do not just offer a solution. Instead, ask, “Who or what else does this impact?” This question could reveal, for example, that the problem slows down other departments and critical tasks. By reframing a small departmental issue as an organizational priority, this approach provides the insights to create a holistic solution.

Level 4: Uncovers pain, explores and broadens, investigates impact and quantifies

Level 4 takes the discovery process further by not only identifying and exploring pain points but also quantifying them. It’s essential to identify tangible metrics to highlight the real impact of your prospect’s problems. For instance, if a prospect finds a manual process cumbersome and time-consuming, ask how long it currently takes and what their ideal time frame would be. If a process taking two weeks can be reduced to one day, the time saved can be calculated in terms of person-days and, ultimately, financial impact. By quantifying the pain, you’re transforming vague issues into concrete numbers, making it easier to demonstrate the value of your solution and justify the investment. 

Level 5: Uncovers pain, explores and broadens, investigates impact, quantifies and reengineers vision

After uncovering and quantifying pain, Level 5 reengineers the prospect’s vision of a solution. Many prospects aren’t fully aware of all the capabilities your solution offers, so this stage involves shifting their limited perspective by introducing new possibilities they hadn’t considered. For example, when prospects manually handle processes, they may not realize how much more efficient they could be with advanced tools. By using techniques like bias questions, you can help prospects see the broader potential of your solution. 

An example question might be, “Many of our customers have found that tracking prospect engagement during a trial period significantly improves their follow-ups and engagement strategies. Is this something that would be valuable for you?” This approach not only redefines their vision but also highlights your solution’s unique advantages, making it more likely they’ll see its true value.

Level 6: Applies these skills to the broad range of prospects represented across the Technology Adoption Curve, “burn victims,” disruptive and new product categories, highly transactional sales cycles, and other scenarios

Level 6 involves applying discovery skills across various prospects, each with unique needs. Understanding where a prospect falls on the technology adoption curve – from eager innovators to resistant laggards – provides valuable insights into their behavior and requirements. Recognizing “burn victims,” or prospects who have had failed implementations, is also crucial, as they need reassurance and careful handling.

Tailoring your discovery approach to the cultural attributes of organizations is key. Startups might be innovative across departments, while large companies may have specific technology groups exploring new solutions. Additionally, understanding your prospect’s implementation culture, such as whether they prefer quick demos or long pilots, ensures a more personalized and effective discovery process, leading to better outcomes and stronger relationships.

Level 7: Integrates and aligns the skills above into a cohesive discovery methodology

Level 7 focuses on integrating and aligning all the discovery skills into a cohesive methodology. Think of discovery skills like a toolkit: the more tools you have and the better you understand how to use them, the more effectively you can build something remarkable. Just like building a house, there’s a proper order to follow. You wouldn’t pour a foundation without planning for plumbing, or put up walls before the wiring is done.

A successful discovery methodology addresses four key questions: 

  1. Why are you doing this? 
  2. What do you need to accomplish?
  3. How do you do it (including detailed descriptions)?
  4. When do you do each step? 

This structured approach ensures that nothing is overlooked. By following this methodology, you create a robust framework that supports effective discovery and leads to better sales outcomes. As one enablement professional aptly put it, “Methodology enables enablement”: a well-structured discovery process is crucial.For more insights into mastering each level, check out our ebook, “Better Discovery, Better Conversion,” which CloudShare co-authored together with this webinar’s guest, Peter Cohan.