Discovery is the most popular yet least understood topic in sales. 80% of salespeople think they do it right. 80% of their bosses disagree. Here's the 5 BIGGEST LIES about discovery today.
1. "The point of discovery is to use what you learn in a demo"
Wrong. Discovery is not just a tool to craft a great presentation. It's more than that. This line of thinking is why buyers HATE discovery. The best discovery calls CREATE VALUE in their own right. They change how buyers think. They crystallize their thinking. They walk out better than how they walked in.
2. "Discovery is about finding a need, and filling it."
Wrong. This leads to a few surface-level questions followed by a feature-dump. The best salespeople don't uncover a need. They uncover the 'NEED BEHIND THE NEED.' I can't tell you how big of a difference that makes.
They ask things like "Stop me if this is overstepping, but what's going on in the business that's driving all of this to be a priority to begin with?"
With questions like that, they hit pay dirt more often.
3. "Don't show the demo on the first call."
Wrong. I'm not saying you have to show product on the first call (I rarely do). But forcing buyers through a rigid sales process is a great way to send them to your competitors.
SECRET: You can craft "teaser demos" on the first call that actually OPEN UP discovery even more. They get your buyer thinking. And therefore, talking.
4. "You HAVE to find personal impact."
I'm not opposed to this. But I'll say two things:
First, it's easy to misuse. Most salespeople ask questions like "sO hoW dOeS tHaT iMpAct YOU... pErsOnAlLy?!"
It's not that buyers hate that. It's that PEOPLE hate that. It's a thinly veiled attempt at manipulation.
Second, I've personally closed over 50 pclub.io for business deals in the last 12 months. Exactly zero of them involved me asking about personal impact. Not to say it wasn't there. But business impact sufficed, and I just never asked about personal impact.
And yet, the money is in the bank.
5. "Discovery is the first and most important stage in the sales process."
Wrong. Discovery is not a stage in the sales process. That leads to checklist thinking. That leads to interrogation-style discovery calls.
Discovery is a process, not an event. Give yourself permission to NOT cram everything into the first call. Come back to a few key questions on your second (or third call).
Trust me you'll be ok.
TAKEAWAY:
Most salespeople underestimate what GREAT discovery looks like. They know what GOOD discovery looks like. But not yet great.
Let me lay it out for you...
Most salespeople are good but not great. Good salespeople have a good month followed by a bad month. Great salespeople have consistent, repeatable success.
The separator? Great discovery
20 июл 2024
