If Discovery is weak, the deal is already lost

Most deals don’t fall apart at the end—they were already lost in the very first conversation.

In this episode, we break down why weak discovery is one of the biggest hidden reasons deals stall, ghost, or quietly die. If your conversations stay surface-level, prospects feel no urgency, no real connection to the problem, and no clear reason to choose you over anyone else.

You’ll learn how to spot weak discovery (and avoid it), why it leads to selling the wrong solution, and how it makes you sound like every other salesperson in the market.

We then walk through a simple but powerful framework for running high-impact discovery conversations:

• Moving beyond basic facts into real problems
• Uncovering the true business and personal impact
• Tapping into the emotional drivers behind decisions

You’ll also get practical, high-quality questions you can use immediately to deepen your conversations and build real urgency—without sounding pushy or scripted.

If you’ve ever had a deal that “should have closed” but didn’t, this episode will show you exactly where things went wrong—and how to fix it going forward.

Key takeaway: Discovery isn’t just a stage in the sales process. It’s the foundation of the entire deal.

🎧 Next episode: How to Run a Perfect Discovery Call (Step-by-Step Playbook) — where we turn these principles into a clear, repeatable structure you can use in every call.

Welcome to the podcast!

Transcript

What Weak Discovery Looks Like

How Bad Discovery Loses Deals

The Four Levels Of Discovery

Five Questions To Uncover Pain

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Hello and welcome to this podcast. Now, if you've been following the podcast and particularly the last few episodes, I've been taking you through how deals can really be lost early on. And the truth of all of this, and hopefully this has come across, is that most deals aren't lost at the end. They're lost pretty much in the first conversation, and that's the subject of this podcast. So you may well have had the experience, and maybe this is why you're listening to this podcast, that you had a deal that was looking perfect. The client requirements were exactly what you offered. Um, they were perfect fit for your solution, everything seemed to be going well, and then they went and bought from somebody else. And often this comes down to the very first conversation where you can call that a discovery call or qualification call, whatever term you use. But if you get that wrong, you make it really hard to then pull the thing back. And one of the reasons for that is that you can be really trying to sell the wrong thing, you're not solving the right problem for this particular client. And this is the most important thing to remember that we as salespeople are problem solvers, and this is a really important distinction. And if you haven't approached sales that way, uh I really suggest you uh at least give it a try. So, what we're gonna do in this podcast is just take a look at what weak discovery actually looks like. So, this will start with questions tend to be very surface level. So, what I mean by that, you're asking questions along the lines of what are you looking for, or what's your budget? Uh, typically, salespeople who are not successful, I'm gonna be kind, tend to talk a lot, they start pitching way too early, they have no emotional insight into what's driving this conversation, particularly if this is somebody who has called to you called you or has prompted the contact, if the initial contact from came from the client, you have to understand that they have reached a level of pain with the problem that they are trying to solve that has moved them to action. And the other thing to remember is that whether you're selling business to business or business to consumer, most people won't take action. I'm talking broadly across uh most industries, it's not always true, but broadly speaking, most people will put time aside to talk to a salesperson when the level of pain they're experiencing around this issue has reached a certain level. So there's a and if you think of your own situation where you've had to buy things, it may be you've been putting things off for a while, and then finally you've just reached a point where you can't carry on with that situation any further. So you now need to go and find a solution. And this is exactly what's happening when somebody comes to you. If the conversation has gone the other way, this is somebody who you've approached, then the level of urgency might be lower. But this is where the having the right conversation early on can start to uncover whether there's a real need and whether there more importantly a driving need to push forward with a solution. So these are really important, and these things are absolutely vital that you get in your initial conversations, because if you don't, then it's going to be hard work. Your the sales cycle is likely to extend, and you leave yourself open to a competitor coming in and taking the deal. So if you are in that initial discovery call, be very conscious and maybe do a quick inventory now or after this podcast to write down the kind of questions you're asking. And if they're at the level of what are you looking for, what's your budget, all that kind of stuff, then I suggest a rethink and I suggest that you listen to the rest of this podcast for one thing. So to just recap that, you're asking surface level questions, you're over talking, you're pitching too early, there's no emotional insight, you're only looking at the facts, but you're not looking at what the emotional drivers are. And remember, most people, particularly in business to consumer, but also in business to business, there will be an emotional element to that decision. And if you haven't covered that off, if you don't understand what that is, then you do leave yourself vulnerable in terms of closing that sale. And then finally, you need a clear definition of what the problem is so that you know what the problem is you're actually solving. If you don't have a clear understanding of that, then you really are in the dark. So the important thing to remember here is that if you don't deeply understand the problem, you're just guessing your way to a sale. Your your half of it is hoping that you're going to get lucky and just hit on the right point that will turn the sale in your favour. Okay, so what happens when discovery is weak, when you make all these mistakes? So, first of all, you start selling the wrong thing. So your solution isn't matched to solving their specific problem, or at least the key problem, the most important problem. There's also no urgency. So if you don't understand what the pain is, why should that person act? As I've already said, we are we tend to put things off until we have to do them. So it's really important as a salesperson that what you do is you understand what that driver is because you're there to solve a problem for the client. But some clients need a little bit of help actually taking that action. They'll kind of wait and wait, maybe even until it's too late, or the cost of delaying starts to really increase, whether that's a financial cost or some other cost. So it's really important that you understand where you can apply a sense of urgency to get the client to take action. Thirdly, with weak differentiation, so in other words, you you haven't got to the heart of what the problem is, you're just like every other salesperson they're speaking to. So the they're skating on the surface from a client's perspective, there's no real interest in solving their problem, it's more about just selling another whatever it is you sell and then moving on to the next client. So, again, putting yourself in the client's shoes, why would you go with that salesperson over another one if they're just as disinterested as everybody else? So it's very, very weak. And the the key thing here, and I've spoken about this in other podcasts, is that why most deals are won after the meeting. So last time I spoke about how this happens, that you don't actually win the deal at the meeting, it's what happens afterwards. But you win most deals, or why most deals are won after the meeting, is only true, or you only get there if your discovery is strong. So, in other words, the solution you're providing absolutely hits those pain points and provides a solution to them, and that's clearly communicated to the decision makers. Right. So, having spoken about all of that, uh let's dive in a little bit deeper. And I'll there are four levels basically of what the discovery call should be um meeting or hitting. So the first one is the facts. So, what's the current situation, what's the current setup, and what are the metrics that are being applied? So these can be the metrics that are defining the sl uh the problem, they can be the metrics that are defining the solution, but what are the metrics you need to be able to measure up against that you need to meet? So that's the first step looking at the facts. Level two is starting to get down to the problem. So what's not what is not working? Really, what what is what is driving this whole situation? Why can't they carry on the way that they are? So it's really, really important to first of all identify the problem, and then at the next level look at the impact that problem is having. So, in other words, what is this costing them? Is the cost measured in terms of time? Is it money? Is it stress? Is it missed opportunities? If you're selling to consumers, it could be um self-image, things like that. If you're selling fitness, for example, and somebody wants to lose weight, there might be concerns about health, having better health. What's the result of that? Well, they can be more active, maybe with their family, if they're older, uh, with children or grandchildren, whatever it might be. So it's really, really important that you get clear on the impact and you spend time really uncovering that. And then finally, level four is emotion. And this is the real game changer. Because up to this point, while you are identifying facts, you're you're identifying the key metrics here, but they're just facts, they're numbers, they're statements, they're um aspirations, maybe. But once you start getting into the emotion of it, and by that I mean it might be the frustration they're feeling, there might be pressure they're feeling from if it's uh again, if it's a health thing, it might be doctor, family, whatever it might be, or the fear of loss, the fear is an important one, or it could be ambition, they want to move their career forward. So conversation around this is really important because these are the hooks where the real sale is made. Because if you if you identify, for example, that providing a particular solution to a problem will help somebody advance their career, and they're clearly quite ambitious and they want to move on, and they want to be able to demonstrate a track record of solving problems, of improving processes, improving efficiency, whatever it might be, it's really, really important that you start to understand that because then you can really align your offer to the emotional outcomes, the emotional goals of what that try that person is trying to achieve with this uh purchase. So remember, facts inform decisions, but emotion drives them, and it's really important to understand where the drivers are. So I'm gonna give you just um a few questions you can ask that um will help you along here. Now, as I hope you know, or if you've looked at the website, in fact, there's a free webinar that will take you through some of this process anyway, and that's just a 45-minute webinar that you you just jump onto and use. That's fine. And there's also um an in-depth training course that I offer online. So uh please remember to go and have a look at that because this covers this stuff plus an awful lot more, um, because there are layers and layers to being really successful in sales, and what I'm dealing with are the kind of top layer things, the top level things where you can apply them immediately and see an immediate change in your results, but we can dive a lot deeper too. So, what's the framework? I'm gonna give you five questions that I suggest you write down and you start using if you're not using them already. So the first one is what's happening today that made you take this call if you've called them. Or in or another way of asking this is what's happening um today that has resulted in us having this conversation. Again, coming from the point of view uh or the standpoint that they are busy people, they don't want to talk to salespeople because salespeople are always trying to sell them things, obviously. Uh, but they they a lot of people's fear about salespeople is that they're trying to exploit them somehow, and and this is important to take on board. And I think the reason for that is most of us have the experience of dealing with bad salespeople where we feel they don't really care about our um how we get along, what our outcomes are, they're just really interested in selling whatever it is they're selling. So you need to differentiate from that. So the first question, just to repeat it, is what's happening today that made you take this call? Second one is what have you already tried? So here we're starting to go in a little bit deeper and explore just exactly where they're at where they're at. Now they they might, it's also a way of measuring commitment because they've already tried several things and it hasn't worked. That's demonstrated that they are prepared to take action and they are really actively trying to solve this problem. If they haven't tried anything yet, that doesn't mean they're not serious. Um, and it can be a good thing because you might be the first person they've spoken to about it. So, from that perspective, the field's all yours. Equally, if they have tried other things, they haven't worked, you might be that breath of fresh air that suddenly it looks like you can provide a solution. So, whatever the answer is to this, there are clear advantages for you if you use them properly. Now, the next one is really important, and that question is what happens if nothing changes? So, this is where you start to stack the pain. Clearly, if you are at this point where they're having a conversation, particularly if they have approached you in whatever way, they are feeling sufficient pain around this issue that they are now taking active action. They're not just passively looking or fat-finding on Google or whatever, they are actually taking steps to resolve this problem, and that means that if they don't resolve this problem, that that pain is going to build. So it's really important to get clear on what happens if nothing changes. Fourth question how is this affecting you, or how is this affecting the team personally, or how is this affecting your business? Again, this is getting diving in a bit deeper into what are the results of this problem as they are being experienced right now, and we know that if this problem isn't solved, the the impact of not solving this problem is going to be it's gonna get worse, things are likely to get worse. So the more you can get clear on that, these are really important points. So if you're clear on what the effect is, and as you make it to them personally as well, you're starting to uncover their personal pain points as well as what might be painful to the business, and then finally get them focused on the outcomes. So the technique we use here is to basically identify the peer uh the fears and the pain, stack the pain, and then show them the outcome. So you get them to it's actually important to get them to feel the pain. It might not sound like a nice thing to do, but this is really important. Um, so the final question is to ask what would success actually look like in six months? Or how would you know that you've resolved this problem? What are what are the measurable um items here? What are the metrics that define success? So phrase that in a way that is appropriate for what you're doing, but you need to have them visualize and be clear on what a successful outcome is so that you know what you have to deliver, and also they can start to experience emotionally what resolving that problem will feel like, and this is all part of driving the emotional uh motivation to take action and to go with you.

Mistakes To Avoid On Calls

unknown 16:47

Right.

Closing Thoughts And Next Episode

SPEAKER_00 16:48

So, having given you some questions to ask, what are the mistakes to avoid? So the first one is turning this discovery conversation into an interrogation. Discovery is really important for, and particularly if you're doing this on the phone before an initial face-to-face meeting where you'll go in and maybe a demonstration as well. So, whatever your next step is in your sales process, the discovery call is about getting clear on the problem, the pain points, the drivers, how you can move things forward. Is this sale likely to happen in a week, in six months, in a year, all of these things, so that you can you're qualifying not only the problem from the perspective of can you solve this problem? But as I've spoken about before in other podcasts, you have limited time, so you need to prioritize who you're spending time with. So going through this process is uh a really important way of prioritizing where this particular client needs to go in terms of uh what you're doing this week, this month, this quarter, in order to meet your business goals. Because obviously, we're doing this to um uh to stay in business, hopefully, keep a job, whatever it is. So don't turn discovery into interrogation. Get very clear on the questions that you're gonna ask in this phase and what you need to come away with. And once you've got clear on those questions and you've got answers that are basically go-no-go. So, in other words, you need to be getting green lights that this is worth spending your time with, that you can provide a good solution. So don't be afraid of qualifying people out if you cannot provide a good solution, or they're looking really iffy whether or not you can close this deal. So, qualification is as much about qualifying whether this is worth your time or not, as well as moving this sale on. So don't make an interrogation and don't jump into a solution too early. So you really want to get clear on this point, and um I would suggest uh that you you really minimize the selling at this stage. Um, find out how they want to proceed. You really want to get a face-to-face meeting where you've got quality time with them, where you can go through in more detail, and that there's a whole process to having a really effective meeting, but you want to do that. Uh, and I wouldn't do it on the discovery call unless there's a really pressing reason to do so. So the next big mistake that people make is not listening, and what I mean by that is that the client says something, and you immediately think, oh, yeah, we can do that. And if I provide this solution with these options, that's gonna be an absolutely perfect fit. All the time that you're doing that in your head, you are not listening to the client. So, and and this is also waiting to speak, so you get that idea, and they're still talking, and so you're just kind of waiting for them to stop to take a breath, so you can come in with what you've just been thinking about. But of course, what's happening in that whole period is you're not really listening to what they're saying, so you've got to be listening to everything. By all means, jot things down or ask them to just hold ask them to pause for a moment. You say, I've I've just if you don't mind pausing for a moment there, it's really important what you're saying. I've just had a thought, I just want to make it uh jot it down so I don't forget it, and then please carry on, something like that. But do make sure you are listening all the time because this is it's a really simple thing, but this is where this is I don't know if it's the number one mistake, but it's definitely up there that this is what poor salespeople do. They don't listen to the client and they end up trying to sell something that's a really bad fit, and then finally ignoring emotional signals. So I'm I'm a I'm a big favor of face-to-face meetings, and one of the reasons is you get all the emotional, all the non-verbal communication comes through, and that's where you can see and feel where things are really emotional, and that's such important information. So, communication is more than just words, um, and this is important, understanding where the emotional parts are. If you can't get a face-to-face in the meeting, in the room with somebody meeting, then do a telephone call or a video call, but where you're listening to their voice, because we give away a lot of emotion in our voices, and that's why that is really important. If you are trying to do this by email, that is a major mistake. So if you are not actually talking to people, you are missing a huge amount of what's contained in person-to-person communication, and what's contained in that communication can give you the edge, it will help you to identify what the really important things are. Okay, so that's pretty much it for this podcast. Um, so I wanted to it it kind of completes this loop of eight. So if you haven't listened to them, I suggest that you do because we start with in fact why sales careers stall and how to stay ahead, and then we go through confidence, seven skills that can predict sales success, and that's long. Before you get results, five buying signals that most salespeople miss, how high performance structure their weak, which is really important because a lot of certainly poor salespeople tend not to structure their weak, and that's a massive mistake. Um, why really good salespeople rarely get objections? And again, in the course, there's a whole process that I take you through that all but eliminates objections. And if you should get one, you actually already have the answer to it, and you don't you that's provided by the um client. And then why most deals are one after the meeting? So we're I'm kind of concluding this with pretty much going back to the beginning of at least the sales cycle where you're having that initial call. But as I've said, this is really important, and if you do this right, it doesn't mean that every call you're going to have will result in the sale, but it does mean that the people you spend time with are the ones you're most likely to get a sale from, and that's really, really important. Okay, so remember that discovery isn't a stage, it's the foundation of the entire sales process. So if you get this right, you're in a really strong position that with the the um conversations, the clients you go forward with, that's much more likely to result in an order. And things like your conversion rates. So hopefully you are made, you do know your conversion rates and you're measuring them. I'm sure a lot of people aren't, but this is another thing that's really important. Uh, but you'll notice your conversion rates get much, much better. So um I'm gonna go through in the next podcast. So that'll be out on Monday, and I'm gonna dive a bit deeper into this particular subject. So I've given you a fair bit of information you can apply anyway, but the next podcast just gonna build on this, and um the reason for this is quite simple. That discovery chords, I think, are vital, and I've already said it, they're but they're really important for making sure that you identify uh very quickly what the problems are for the for any particular client. Once you've identified that, you know whether or not you're a good fit. If you're not a good fit, my suggestion is always to say it up front, and then the ball's in their court. They may decide that they want to go with you anyway, and again, document things. So I always conf I like to send an email once I've had a conversation with someone just to uh confirm what was discussed, then I've got a record of it that I can you know show that they've had it too. Occasionally, I'll look very rarely I've had issues where somebody has ended up with the wrong thing, and I've been able to go back and say, Well, you know, I told you that. And um, here's the you know, the conversation and the email um uh sequence that we had where we went through all of that. So um all these kind of things, I'm I'm I I have to stress, I think I've had this once in like decades of sales work, so it's it's really rare. Um, but if you can really clearly identify who the people are you that are a really good fit, they're the ones you want to spend time with, you also look at the time frames they're working to, so and again have a conversation with them about how you move things forward, that means you can prioritize them in not only in terms of the size of the deal, which is likely to obviously a big factor, but how quickly it's likely to move forward, and you can identify the steps very quickly that you have to take to bring this deal to a close and when they need to happen. So, all of this helps with planning so that you are spending the majority of your time with people who are most likely to buy from you. So you're gonna spend time in discovery where they may or may not um be good clients, good prospects for you, but you as I said, you need to uh get rid of them, qualify them out, and then it's a case of prioritizing so that you are really focused on the most important um uh deals that are going through. Right, that is it from me. So um thanks for your time. Please remember to uh give me a like, subscribe, uh give me a comment um if you've got any thoughts, suggestions, anything you'd like me to cover, please let me know. And um good luck with your selling. So I'll speak to you next time. Have a great uh great week. Bye for now.