--- name: discovery-call-prep description: "Use this skill when you have a discovery or first sales call coming up and want to run it well: \"prep me for this discovery call\", \"what questions should I ask\", \"build a discovery call agenda\", \"call plan for tomorrow\". Combines account and person research with a call plan: hypothesis of their problem, agenda, discovery questions ordered from situation to impact to decision, qualification checks, likely objections and the next step to ask for. Produces a one-page call plan and a post-call notes template." license: MIT metadata: title: Discovery call prep category: replies-meetings tags: "Sales, Founders, SDR" author: prosyo version: "1.0.0" keywords: "discovery call questions, discovery call template, sales call preparation, claude discovery call skill, first sales meeting agenda" inputs: "Prospect and account, How the meeting was booked, Product and ideal outcome" outputs: "One-page call plan, Question list, Next-step ask, Notes template" --- Use this before every first call. Good discovery is the cheapest way to win deals and the fastest way to disqualify bad ones. ## Inputs - Prospect, company and anyone else attending. - How the meeting was booked and what they said they want. - Product, ideal customer and what a good next step looks like (demo, technical call, trial, proposal). ## The play ### 1. Form a hypothesis From research, write: "I think struggles with because , which costs them ." The call tests the hypothesis; it does not pitch it. ### 2. Set the agenda up front > "I'd like to spend most of the time on how runs today and what you'd want to change. If it looks like a fit, I'll show you the relevant part. And if it doesn't, I'll tell you. Sound good? Anything to add?" ### 3. Ask in layers 1. **Situation**: how it works today, who is involved, what tools. 2. **Problem**: where it breaks, how often, what they have tried. 3. **Impact**: what it costs in time, money, risk, missed targets; who feels it. 4. **Priority**: why now, what happens if nothing changes, other priorities competing. 5. **Decision**: who decides, how they buy, budget timing, what they need to see. Read [references/discovery-questions.md](references/discovery-questions.md) for the full bank with follow-ups and the qualification checklist. ### 4. Prepare for the likely objections Pick the two most likely given their situation and have one question and one proof ready for each. ### 5. Plan the close of the call The next step is concrete, dated and agreed before hanging up: "Let's book the technical review with your RevOps lead for Thursday; I'll send the invite now." ## Call plan format ``` Who: Booked via: Goal of call: Hypothesis: Agenda: <3 lines> Top questions: <8-10, by layer> Qualification to confirm: problem, impact, priority, decision process, budget timing Likely objections → question + proof Next step to ask for: ``` ## What good looks like - The prospect talks 60-70% of the time. - Impact is quantified in their words before any demo. - The call ends with a dated next step or a clear disqualification. - The common mistake is turning discovery into a demo in minute five because the prospect said "so what do you do?". ## Rules - MUST end the call with a specific next step or an honest no. - MUST capture the buyer's words for problem and impact. - NEVER demo before understanding the problem, unless they insist; then demo only the relevant part. - NEVER assume budget or authority without asking. ## Example prompts - "Prep me for a discovery call tomorrow with the Head of Ops at Northwind. Research below." - "Give me 15 discovery questions for selling to CFOs." - "Make a post-call notes template that maps to our qualification checklist." --- # Discovery questions ## Situation - Walk me through how works today, from start to finish. - Who is involved, and who owns it? - What tools or spreadsheets does it run on? - How many are we talking about? ## Problem - Where does it break or slow down? - How often does that happen? - What have you tried to fix it? What happened? - If you could change one thing about it tomorrow, what would it be? ## Impact - What does that cost you, in hours a week or month? - What happens downstream when it goes wrong? Who notices? - Is it affecting a target you or your team are measured on? - Roughly what is that worth per year? ## Priority - Why is this on your list now rather than last year? - What happens if nothing changes in the next six months? - Where does this rank against your other priorities this quarter? ## Decision - If you decided to fix this, how would that decision get made? - Who else would need to be involved or comfortable with it? - Is there a budget cycle or timing we should know about? - What would you need to see to be confident? - Have you bought something like this before? How did that go? ## Follow-up prompts (use often) - "Tell me more about that." - "What do you mean by ?" - "Can you give me an example from last month?" - "How do you know?" - "And what happened then?" ## Qualification checklist | Item | Confirmed when | | --- | --- | | Problem | They described it in their own words with an example | | Impact | A number (time, money, risk) or a target it threatens | | Priority | A reason it matters now, and what happens if nothing changes | | Decision process | Names and steps to a signature | | Budget timing | When money can be spent, even if not the amount | | Champion | Someone who will push it internally | Three or fewer confirmed: early-stage, nurture or a smaller next step. Five or six: progress to evaluation. ## Post-call notes template ``` Attendees: Problem (their words): Impact (number): Priority / why now: Decision process + people: Budget timing: Objections raised: Next step (date, owner): My read: progress / nurture / disqualify, and why ```