Discovery Framework
Structure your discovery around these five areas:
- Current State - Where are they now?
- Desired State - Where do they want to be?
- Gap - What’s preventing them from getting there?
- Impact - What happens if they don’t solve this?
- Process - How will they make a decision?
Current State Questions
Understanding Their World
“Walk me through how you currently handle [process]. What does that look like day-to-day?”
“What tools are you using for [function] right now?”
“How long have you been doing it this way?”
“Who’s involved in [process] on your team?”
Quantifying Current Performance
“What metrics do you track for [function]? How are those trending?”
“Roughly how much time does your team spend on [activity] each week?”
“What’s your current [conversion rate / cost per lead / etc.]?”
Desired State Questions
Vision and Goals
“If we fast-forward 12 months and this problem is solved, what does that look like?”
“What are your targets for [specific metric] this year?”
“If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about [process], what would it be?”
“What would success look like for you personally in this role?”
Timeline
“When do you need to have this solved by? What’s driving that timeline?”
“What happens if this isn’t resolved by [date]?”
Gap Questions
Identifying Obstacles
“What’s stopping you from achieving [desired state] today?”
“What have you tried before? What worked and what didn’t?”
“If you had to rank the biggest barriers, what would be #1?”
Understanding Constraints
“What resources do you have available to tackle this?”
“Are there any constraints I should know about—budget, headcount, technology?”
Impact Questions
Business Impact
“What is this problem costing the business? In dollars, time, or opportunities?”
“If this continues for another year, what happens?”
“How does this affect your team’s ability to hit their targets?”
Personal Impact
“How is this affecting you personally? Your day-to-day?”
“What would solving this mean for you and your team?”
Process Questions
Decision Making
“Walk me through how you’ve made similar decisions in the past.”
“Who else would need to be involved in evaluating something like this?”
“What criteria will you use to make this decision?”
“Is there a budget allocated for solving this, or would that need to be created?”
Timeline
“What’s your ideal timeline for making a decision?”
“Are there any key dates or deadlines I should know about?”
“What would cause this to get delayed or deprioritized?”
MEDDIC Qualification
Use discovery to qualify with MEDDIC:
| Element | Key Question |
|---|---|
| Metrics | ”What numbers will you use to measure success?” |
| Economic Buyer | ”Who has final sign-off on budget decisions like this?” |
| Decision Criteria | ”What’s most important to you when evaluating options?” |
| Decision Process | ”What steps will you go through to make this decision?” |
| Identify Pain | ”What happens if you don’t solve this?” |
| Champion | ”Who internally is most motivated to see this happen?” |
Tips for Better Discovery
Listen More Than You Talk
Aim for 70% prospect talking, 30% you asking questions.
Go Deep, Not Wide
Follow up on interesting answers. “Tell me more about that.”
Take Notes
Write down exact phrases they use—use their language later.
Summarize
“So if I understand correctly, [summary]. Did I get that right?”
Don’t Pitch During Discovery
Your job is to understand, not to sell. Save the pitch for later.
Red Flags to Watch For
- Can’t articulate the problem clearly
- No specific timeline or urgency
- Won’t discuss budget or process
- Only one person involved in decision
- “Just exploring” with no defined next steps
Sample Discovery Flow
- Opener (2 min): Set agenda, confirm time
- Current State (5 min): How things work today
- Desired State (3 min): Where they want to be
- Gap & Impact (5 min): What’s in the way and why it matters
- Process (3 min): How they’ll decide
- Next Steps (2 min): Agree on path forward