Discovery call playbook

What a discovery call is for

A discovery call is the first real conversation with a prospect. Its job is to find out whether they have a problem worth solving, what it costs them, who decides and by when, before you pitch anything. If those answers aren’t there, the right next step may be no next step.

The flow draws on three well-known sales methods. From Neil Rackham’s SPIN Selling, which came out of research into real sales calls, it takes the order of questions: how things work today, then the problem, then what the problem leads to. From Keenan’s Gap Selling, it takes the idea that you’re selling the gap between where they are and where they want to be, which is why the playbook asks for a number and a date. From the MEDDICC qualification checklist (metrics, economic buyer, decision criteria, decision process, identify pain, champion, competition), it takes the questions about who signs, how they buy and what else they’re weighing, including doing nothing.

It doesn’t use SPIN’s labels or the full MEDDICC list. It keeps the questions that fit a 30-minute call and puts the pitch last, after you’ve said their problem back to them in their own words.

The discovery call playbook

Words in [Capitalised brackets] are for you to fill in before the call. Words in [lowercase brackets] are filled from the call itself. Copy it to use anywhere, including in Aside.

Copy playbook

How to coach me

• Keep me asking, not pitching. If I talk for more than a minute straight or start describing features, tell me to ask a question.
• When they name a problem, push me one level deeper: a recent example, what it costs, who else it hurts.
• Note their pain in their own words so I can say it back in the recap.
• Tell me which of problem, cost, decision-maker, timing and next step I still haven’t got.
• Don’t cue while I’m on track.

The flow

1. Open (2 min)
   • “Thanks for the time. I’d like to spend most of this on you: how you handle this today and what’s getting in the way. If it looks like a fit, I’ll show you a little and we’ll decide on a next step together. Sound good?”
   • “Is there anything you want to make sure we cover?”
   • Move on once they agree the agenda.
2. How it works today (5 min). Two or three questions only, about what I couldn’t look up beforehand.
   • “Walk me through how you handle [the job your product does] today.”
   • “Who’s involved, and what do you use for it?”
   • Listen for: manual steps, workarounds, a tool they’ve outgrown.
3. The problem (8 min)
   • “What’s the hardest part of that?”
   • “Can you give me a recent example? When was the last time?”
   • “What have you tried to fix it? Why didn’t that work?”
   • “Why hasn’t it been solved yet?”
   • Listen for: one specific, recent example and the words they use for the pain. Move on once I have both.
4. What it costs (5 min)
   • “What does that cost you: time, money, deals, people?”
   • “Roughly how much a month?”
   • “What happens if nothing changes this year?”
   • “If it were fixed, what would be different? How would you measure it?”
   • Listen for a number. No number means no urgency yet: ask again a different way.
5. Who decides and when (5 min)
   • “Besides you, who’d be involved in deciding on something like this?”
   • “Last time you bought a tool like this, what did that look like, step by step?”
   • “Is there a date driving this: a renewal, a launch, a target?”
   • “Is there budget for this, or would it need to be found?”
   • “What else are you looking at, including doing nothing?”
   • Listen for: the person who signs, the steps to sign, the deadline, the competition.
6. Recap and next step (5 min)
   • Recap in their words: “So what I heard: [their problem], it’s costing you [their number], and you need it fixed by [their date]. Did I get that right? Anything I missed?”
   • Only now connect it: “That’s what we do. [How your product fixes that problem]. [A customer result with a number].”
   • Ask for the next step: “I’d suggest [next step, e.g. a tailored demo] with you and [the decision-maker they named]. How’s [day]?”
   • Get it in the calendar before hanging up.

What good looks like

• They talk more than I do, and I ask about a dozen questions, spread out, not fired in a row.

Objections

• “Can you just show me the product?” → “Happy to. So I show you the right part: what made you take this call?” Then show one thing and go back to questions.
• “Just send me some information.” → “Will do. So I send the right thing, what would it need to answer?” Then: “Shall we take 20 minutes on [day] to go through it?”
• “How much does it cost?” → “[Your price or range]. It depends on [what your pricing depends on], so a couple of questions and I can be exact.” Then ask the next question.
• “We’re happy with what we have.” → “Makes sense. If you could change one thing about it, what would it be?”
• “It’s not a priority right now.” → “Understood. What’s above it on the list? When does this come back up?”
• “We’re already talking to [a competitor].” → “Good. What made you look at them? What would they need to get right?”

Facts to have ready

• [Your product in one line]
• [Who it’s for and the problem it solves]
• [Price or price range]
• [One or two customer results with numbers]

Use it in Aside

Discovery call is one of the starter playbooks in the Aside app. Click New playbook, pick Discovery call, fill in your product, price and customer results, and change anything that isn’t how you run the call. Then name it in the plan for a call.

During the call, live guidance reads the whole playbook. The coach follows its How to coach me section, so the one line in the pill under your camera might tell you to ask for a recent example when they name a problem, or that you still don’t know who signs. Goals fill in as you cover them, and it stays quiet while you’re on track. Afterwards you get a summary, next steps and a follow-up email to copy into your CRM.

If you already have a discovery script, a connected AI app like Claude can turn it into a playbook in this shape, keeping your words. See Connect AI apps, and Aside for sales for the rest of the sales workflow.

Free guides 2 calls a week with a playbook; every call is on the paid plan, $48 a month or $456 a year. New accounts get 14 days of it free, no card needed.