Discovery Call Questions: How to Make or Break Deals Before Next Steps

Introduction

Most discovery calls fail because sellers ask the wrong questions. Top performers use discovery not just to gather information, but to create pain points by helping prospects recognize problems they haven't fully articulated and connecting those to business outcomes. This transforms discovery from fact-finding into a value-creation conversation that progresses the sales process and improves lead qualification.

Strategic Discovery Questions

Effective discovery is critical to both lead qualification and advancing your sales process. Focus on three question types with different purposes:

• Situational questions (use sparingly): "How many people are on your team?" "What tools are you currently using?" "What is your current process?"

• Problem questions (use strategically): "What's your biggest challenge with [key function]?" "Where do you see gaps in your current approach?"

• Implication questions (prioritize these): "When [common problem] occurs, what impact does that have on your business?" "How do these challenges affect your ability to meet your goals?" "What happens to your team's effectiveness when these issues arise?"

For example, instead of asking "What are your current challenges?", ask a question that connects problems to business outcomes. In cybersecurity sales, this might be: "When security teams lack visibility into potential threats, how does that impact your ability to protect sensitive customer data, and what downstream effect does that have on regulatory compliance and customer trust?"

Uncovering True Buying Intent

To separate tire-kickers from serious buyers, use "alternative future" questioning: "Some leaders prioritize [outcome A], while others focus on [outcome B]. Which would create more value for you right now?" For cybersecurity sales, this might be: "Some security leaders prioritize improving threat detection capabilities, while others focus on streamlining incident response processes. Which would create more value for you right now?"

Reverse-engineer the decision process: "The last time you implemented a solution in this category, what criteria did your team use?" and "Who was involved in that decision, and what role did each play?"

For budget discussions, ask indirect questions: "How are investment decisions of this size typically evaluated?" and "When you've implemented similar solutions, what ROI thresholds needed to be met?"

• Intent validation: "What happens if you don't address these issues in the next 6-12 months?" "How does solving this problem compare to other priorities?" "How does this fit with your ideal customer profile?"

• Decision criteria: "What would success look like after implementing a solution?" "What capabilities are must-haves versus nice-to-haves?"

• Process insights: "Who else needs to be convinced this initiative is worth pursuing?" "What's the typical evaluation process for solutions in this category?"

Anticipating Objections

Normalize potential concerns: "When other companies in your industry have implemented similar solutions, they've sometimes worried about [common concern]. Is that on your mind as well?"

In cybersecurity sales, this might be: "When other companies implement new security platforms, they often worry about integration with existing security tools. Is that something you're concerned about?"

Use "guided concern exploration" with questions like: "If we were to move forward, what do you see as the biggest implementation hurdles?" and "Who on your team might have concerns about changing the current process?"

• Competitive landscape: "What other solutions are you evaluating?" "What aspects of your current approach work well that you wouldn't want to lose?"

• Risk assessment: "What concerns would you have about making a change?" "What would need to be true for you to feel confident moving forward?"

• Change management: "How does your team typically respond to new tools or processes?" "What change management challenges have you faced with similar initiatives?"

Saber's usecase library includes objection anticipation questions tailored to each buying committee role, ensuring complete coverage across stakeholders with different priorities.

Integrating Discovery Insights

Document key insights in a structured format that relates to your sales stages. The most effective discovery process isn't a one-time event but an ongoing component of your sales process steps. For multi-stakeholder deals, create a discovery insights matrix that maps pain points, priorities, and potential objections to each key stakeholder.

• Demo preparation: "Which capabilities are most important for you to see demonstrated?" "Who should participate, and what specific concerns should we address?"

• Proposal alignment: "We typically include [key components]. What else should we address?" "What elements are critical for different stakeholders in your organization?"

• Ongoing discovery: "Has anything changed regarding your priorities?" "Have new stakeholders become involved?" "What additional information would help your evaluation?"

Saber's account intelligence tools connect discovery data with stakeholder mapping and qualification frameworks, making insights actionable across your entire sales motion.

The Discovery Call Playbook

• Pre-call research: Recent industry challenges, stakeholder profiles, current tech stack, relevant requirements or pain points, and how the prospect fits your ideal customer profile

• Call structure: Introduction and agenda (5min), business context (10min), current challenges (15min), current approaches (10min), decision process (10min), next steps (5min) - these represent critical sales process steps for effective discovery

• Post-call analysis: Evaluate the opportunity on pain (compelling reason to change?), power (connected to decision-makers?), vision (solution addresses needs?), and process (clear path to decision?) - this analysis forms the basis of your lead qualification

Conclusion

The questions you ask during discovery make or break deals before you get to next steps. By approaching discovery strategically, uncovering true buying intent, anticipating objections, and integrating insights throughout the sales process, you'll improve your lead qualification and create a distinct competitive advantage in complex B2B sales environments.