Sales Discovery Tips

This is the winning B2B Marketing playbook for 2026. Let me break it down for you with 5 pillars: 1. Create content for passive buyers Some businesses are not ready to buy (for various reasons) and don't want to be in your linear sales sequence. The best scenario is to build top of mind awareness for these types of buyers through content marketing. - Develop clear content pillars - Publish consistently across time - Vary formats and channels 2. Build a solid intent signals gathering system For long we thought attribution was the key, but with the new B2B marketing playbook, intent signals are more important. You need to constantly identify a list of prospects that have higher intent than average. - Track content engagement across channels - Score prospects based on signals and frequency - Centralize signals in one CRM or system 3. Use ads to amplify what already works Ads will not create demand out of the blue but it will expand your reach and reinforce awareness with repetition. - Promote top-performing content - Retarget engaged and high-intent audiences - Focus on repetition, not aggressive messages 4. Get ready to capture demand from active buyers When they're ready, businesses want a fast response across channels. If you take 48 hours to reply to an inquiry, you'll lose (especially in red ocean markets). Build an efficient inbound sales system to capture and manage demand. - Optimized social media profiles - Dynamic forms to segment leads - Soft captures like webinars or guides 5. Run warm outreach for potentially active buyers Some ready-to-buy prospects who like your brand may not contact you. They may be busy, forget, or assume you’ll reach out. Acknowledge this reality and contact them directly. - Build a social selling routine - Create warm email sequences - ABM for larger accounts And AI is an enabler across the playbook. *** We are looking to help 3 more B2B businesses to install and run this playbook in Q1 2026, tell me if you're interested.

There’s an AE on my team that hits 200% of quota. Consistently. 🤯 Here’s her secret:  She asks the hard questions. 1. “You mentioned [date] as a goal. What’s driving that timeline, and is that date firm?” Verifies whether the timeline is real or aspirational. 2. "Based on what you’ve seen so far, is there anything that’s giving you pause about moving forward with us?” Invites honest feedback to surface objections early. One of my favorites. 3. “How does our solution compare to others you’re evaluating?” Tests competitive positioning and whether you're the frontrunner. 4.“Who else on your team needs to feel good about this before a decision is made?” Instead of just jotting down names and objections, she builds pages in Aligned to address concerns. That way, when new stakeholders join later, all the context is already waiting for them. 5. “If [insert key stakeholder] were here, what concerns would they raise?” Forces your champion to think on behalf of other decision makers. Great way to learn real objections. 6. “Have you ever purchased something like this before? What did that process look like internally?” Surfaces potential red tape or hidden decision criteria. 7. “What needs to happen between now and [target close date] for this to actually happen?” Pushes them to co create the buying journey and surface risk. 8. “When you picture this going live, what’s the ideal outcome for your team in the first 90 days?” Surfaces their definition of success. These questions do 3 things: – Build trust. – Surface the real decision process. – Give you everything to close/won the deal. 🎯 Bonus Tip: She doesn’t just ask the hard questions, she operationalizes them in Aligned. Here’s how… https://lnkd.in/gs7Gt5Rd That’s how you turn discovery into closed/won deals. - Mike G

10 Steps that made our clients quadruple their booked meetings via LinkedIn. Most sellers are looking for leads in all the wrong places.   And the ones who know where to look? They’re not telling you.  I've worked with over 1,000 companies and helped clients generate over €200M in B2B leads. And let me tell you—most sales teams are wasting LinkedIn’s potential because they’re too obvious in their prospecting.  The best LinkedIn sellers?   They find high-value leads without anyone ever knowing.  Here’s how:  1. Stop going after the obvious   Your competitors are all chasing the same decision-makers. Instead, look at who is engaging with them—their network is full of hidden leads.  2. Go beyond job titles   Most people search for “Head of X” or “VP of Y.” Smart sellers dig deeper—looking at previous roles, project involvement, and mutual connections.  3. Engagement = Buying Signals   Liking and commenting isn’t just noise—it’s a map. If someone is engaging with your ideal client’s content, they likely share the same pain points. That makes them a prime prospect.  4. Slide 9 – The Power Move Nobody Talks About   Instead of directly messaging prospects, engage with their top commenters. Why? These are people who are already involved in the conversation, who trust your prospect, and who might be easier to approach.  This approach is how top LinkedIn sellers build pipeline in stealth mode—without looking desperate, pushy, or spammy.  Are you hunting for leads—or are you making them come to you?  A simple road map?  1. Click in the "Search Bar" and hit "Enter" without typing anything  2. Select the "People" button for People Search  3. Click on "All Filters"  4. Scroll down to "Followers Of"  5. Write down the name of a Peer, Thought Leader, Client etc  6. Now Add preferred "Locations"  7. Scroll down to "Title" and insert a powerful Boolean that covers all your ICP's  8. Hit "Show Results"  9. Now add important Keywords in the "Search Bar" and hit "Enter" 10. Start working on the list Amazing, isn't it? What's your biggest prospecting challenge? PS: I hit the 30,000 connection limit so I can't accept new connections without kicking somebody else out. Therefore I will not accept default ones, only personalised ones that make me smile. 📥 save for later 💬 comment with a LinkedIn myth ♻️ repost for more visibility

Yesterday I had a call with a VP of Enablement And what she shared, blew my mind. "We fed Ai our top rep's calls," she said. "What we discovered changed everything." I had to know more. Her company: 400+ rep SaaS org The problem: Only 3 reps consistently hit 150%+ of quota The question: What makes them different? So they ran an experiment. Fed 6 months of call recordings into Ai. Top 3 performers vs everyone else. "Find the patterns," they told it. 45 minutes later, her entire enablement strategy was in the trash. Here's what they discovered: Discovery #1: Top reps talk 28% LESS Average rep: 64% talk time Top performers: 36% talk time But when they do speak? Surgical precision. Discovery #2: They "lose" more deals Top reps disqualify 41% of opportunities in discovery. Average reps disqualify 12%. Her reaction: "We've been teaching reps to save every deal. Our best reps are doing the opposite." Close rates tell the story: Top reps: 68% Everyone else: 24% Discovery #3: The 17-minute rule No top performer mentions product features before minute 17. Not once in 6 months of calls. Instead, they talk about: - The prospect's competition (38% of discovery) - Industry disruptions (29%) - Personal career goals (21%) - Team dynamics (12%) "We train feature-benefit from day one," she told me. "Our best reps ignore it completely." Discovery #4: They use one phrase repeatedly "The best companies in your space are..." Appears 4.2 times per call for top reps. 0.3 times for everyone else. Always followed by strategic silence. Prospect fills the gap every time. Discovery #5: Their follow-up is backwards Average rep: "Here's what we discussed" Top rep: "Here's what your competitor just announced" Top reps lead with market intelligence. Never with meeting recaps. She showed me what happened next: They rebuilt everything. Scrapped their 40-slide onboarding deck. Threw out their talk tracks. Redesigned training from scratch. New approach: Week 1: Master strategic silence Week 2: Practice disqualification Week 3: Industry intelligence training Week 4: Competitive positioning No product training until week 5. But here's what really got me— "The hardest part wasn't changing the training," she said. "It was convincing leadership that everything we believed was wrong." Her parting words: "If you're not using AI to audit your top performers, you're training your team to be average." She's right. We assume we know what works. We document what we think happens. We scale the wrong behaviors. Meanwhile, top performers are breaking every rule. And crushing quota doing it. CSOs, here's your assignment: Pick your top rep. Feed their calls to AI. Prepare to be shocked. What "best practice" would AI prove wrong in your org?

Stop asking discovery questions like - What's your budget? - What's your timeline? - Who's the decision maker? - What are your decision criteria? - Are you looking at other solutions? They make prospects feel interrogated. ↳ And add zero value throughout the sales process. Start asking discovery questions like • If we solved (insert problem), what would be the impact for you & your team? • What's an ambitious but attainable timeline for go-live? • Are we okay missing that date - and what would be the consequences if we do? • Who else needs to be involved to get this on the radar of the executive team? • What are must-haves vs. nice-to-haves for you when it comes to choosing a new solution? • Have you taken a look at what else is out there? 2 key takeaways: 1. Discovery is not an interview. ↳ It's a process of guiding the buyer in their decision process. 2. Buyer experience is a differentiator. ↳The more value you add during the sales cycle, the more deals you will close. What else would you add?👇

In 27 months, we grew Retention.com from $1M-$13M ARR with only 1 salesperson (me) doing 1,000's of sales calls. Here are my 10 biggest pieces of advice for any startup who wants to book and close more sales calls: 1. Ask for 15 mins, but book 30 When booking a meeting outbound, you have a better shot at getting a meeting by asking for 15 mins than 30. You may have piqued their interest but with a busy schedule, they are going to weigh learning about your business vs their time. Ask for 15 but send a meeting invite for 30.  If they can’t do the full 30, they will let you know, but from my experience, this rarely happens. 2. Tell your story People remember a story more than a product  Figure out your short story that you can tell prior to getting into the product pitch. How does your story connect to your business / product? 3. 5X5 Pitch Keep your product deck for your initial call to 5 slides / 5 minutes and make sure you answer any of the common questions you get from prospects. You can always book a follow up call to share more detail once you hook their interest. 4. Always Be Pitching Take control of the call and the sales cycle. You will only learn what does and doesn’t work by actually pitching.  5. Tell a customer story Again, people remember stories more than they do stats. Tell a story of a customer before implementing your product and the business outcome after implementing it. Don’t just talk numbers. Talk about how people felt, what they said, etc. 6. Create Urgency Attach an incentive if the deal is done by the end of the week or month.  (Example: 20% more credits or a 15% discount)  This also sets you up well for follow up as it now makes them feel like you are on their team to try and help them get the deal in for their benefit. 7. Land and expand We all want to close the big ACV deals, but the truth is most buyers don’t want to make a big commitment without seeing how your product works. Find a way to get them on for a small $ amount, with the plan to expand if the product meets their expectations. 8. Opt-Out Period Reduce buyer friction by offering a 90 day opt out period if you are trying to close 12 month agreements. It shows confidence that your product will drive the results you say it will. 9. Deck Recap Create a 1-2 pager highlighting the most important parts of your sales deck that you can send via email after every call (even if they don’t ask for it). The prospect won’t remember all details from the call, so this gives them something to look back on and will help sell internally if other stakeholders are involved. 10. Video for FAQs Create short form talking head video answering all FAQs. This will add value in your follow up, show you listened to the questions they had and that you care about making sure they understand the answers. It also helps internally as others will likely have the same questions as the person on the phone. Have questions about how to book/close more calls? AMA anything 👇

When I removed targets from my team, the first question every sales leader asked was... “How did you stop everything turning into chaos?” The answer was simple but not easy. We replaced top down targets with something far more powerful… A personal success blueprint for every rep. If you’ve never used one, here’s exactly what it is and how it works. It's a structured, data informed plan the rep co creates with their manager. It defines the inputs, activity levels & funnel metrics they need to achieve THEIR definition of success. It becomes the foundation for coaching, accountability & weekly 1:1s. Here’s how we built it. Step 1️⃣: Start with what top performers actually do... We pulled the data from our best reps. Things like... Discovery calls per week Discovery to qualified Opps created per month Opps to close Average deal size Sales cycle Etc....you get my point. This became our baseline blueprint. Not a rule, more like a map of effective execution inside our reality. Step 2️⃣: Understand the rep's intrinsic motivators... Because a blueprint only works if the rep is building toward something they care about. But first we needed to model the openness we sought from them. I shared my personal manual for working with me; a meaty guide that included lots of personal info, including my drivers & motivations. Then we found out what drove them... Some wanted a promotion. Some had a clear earning goal. Some wanted to rebuild confidence. Some wanted to be at the top of the leaderboard. Once you uncover the driver, you can build a plan that actually means something. Step 3️⃣: Build their personalised blueprint grounded in data... This is the coaching conversation where real change happens. It sounds like… “If your goal is £X and your deal size is £Y you will need around Z deals…” “Your win rate is X%, top performers sit at Y% percent…where could you realistically get it to?” “With your discovery to qualified at X%, how many discovery calls per week do you need?” The manager questions. The rep thinks. Together they build something ambitious but believable. And everything is rooted in their personal motivator...e.g. a clear path to promotion. The rep signs off. The manager commits to coaching to it. Step 4️⃣: Contract for accountability... This is where most leaders fall. We asked every rep… “When you fall behind, how do you want me to respond?” Some wanted a Slack nudge. Some wanted a short problem solving session. Some wanted it raised in weekly 1:1s Different reps need different triggers. Agreeing this upfront turns accountability into partnership. Step 5️⃣: Use the blueprint every week... Every 1:1 followed the GROW model. Goal, Reality, Options, Will. What’s working, what's not, what options do you see and what will you commit to this week? It keeps the conversation grounded in reality and solution focussed. 5 simple steps but success is driven by the quality of the coaching. That'll be my next post...

I've spent 10 years perfecting the art of discovery calls: - reviewed over 2,500 discovery recordings - analyzed millions of discovery calls with AI - personally run (estimated) 3,000 disco calls Here's 5 of my best discovery call tips for 2023: 1. Discovery is a process. Not an event. It’s not a STAGE during the sales cycle. It’s a process. Your buyer’s situation is in flux. If you do “set it and forget it” discovery, you lose. Bad salespeople treat discovery as “check the box." They "front load" discovery. Great salespeople do continuous discovery. Don't set it and forget it. 2. The best discovery CREATES value. It makes buyers THINK. "Most" discovery CONSUMES value. It merely gathers info. Yes, you need to uncover things. But if that's ALL you do? You build a transactional relationship. Don't settle for transactional. Settle for transformative. - challenge your buyer - diagnose the cause of issues - make them consider new angles $500k+ earners do that. 3. Uncover the 'need behind the need.' For whatever reason: Most buyers share surface-level info. I'm not sure why. I suspect it's just how humans crystallize thoughts. Try asking this: "Thanks for sharing that. Do you mind if I ask what's going on in your business that's driving that to be a priority to begin with?" Or, ask them to take you back in time. Your buyer once had a meeting with colleagues to discuss the issue they're trying to solve. That triggered them to reach out to you (among other actions). Ask them about that: "I have to assume you had a meeting with colleagues where you discussed the issue, and agreed to act on it. What did that meeting sound like?" There's gold behind that question. 4. Re-validate everything. Never assume that what you uncovered remains true. Priorities change. Buyers’ needs are transient. When things change, you’d better know. If you followed the last tip, you’ll uncover priorities. But if you treat discovery as “set it and forget it," you’ll miss. Here’s how to re-validate: Start every follow up sales meeting with this: "What’s changed since the last time we talked?" 5. Phrase questions to get LONG answers Hate it when buyers answer with one-word responses? It sucks. According to data, successful salespeople get LONG answers to questions. Here’s how: SIGNAL to your buyer that you want a long response. Do that by phrasing your questions the right way. Start your question with one of these phrases: - help me understand... - walk me through... - talk to me about... This phrasing signals that you want your buyer to answer in depth. You’ll get richer answers. I'm out of space. If you want more, let me know? Until then, know this: Questions are the most powerful tool you have to sell. I spent 10 years collecting the best sales questions in a Google Doc. I tested them. I refined them. Now you can use them. Here's the mega list sales questions: https://lnkd.in/g-VRcCsq

When we dissect discovery calls, we hear this same motion almost every time - the buyer opens up about what they need, which prompts the seller to meet them with exactly how they can help. Perfect, right? Nope. We are SO eager to hear something that we can solve that we don't pause to ask the critical question - why? ***We know what you need, we don't know why you need it.*** What's the business pain? What's the cost of inaction? How much does this one issue impact dozens of people, dozens of times/day? How does this impact your goals for the year ahead? Is this enough of pain point that it's worth the trouble of changing? What's the monetization associated with the pain? Why is it important to change now? Have you tried to tackle this change before? And so on... Toss a sticky on your laptop and simply pause when you hear what they want. This is your moment to... differentiate significantly better qualify this opp get a host of details that will help you figure out how to best solve their challenges understand if you're talking to the right team ...and up your odds of advancing this opportunity #samsales

After 214 closed deals, here are my top 6 disco questions (no 4 saved my last deal) If you don’t go deep on pain, you don’t close. You just build pipeline that looks good- and goes nowhere. This happened to me in one of my 1x1s with my manager. He asked me, what is their pain? I answered, they are "chasing receipts". My manager: “this is no pain, this is process description. Dig Deeper." Of course, this deal went nowhere. So I stopped settling for surface-level answers. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 6 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹: 1. “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 3 - 6 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀?” → Why it works: It surfaces urgency or kills the deal early. What to listen for: Real impact, deadlines, strategic goals. Use it when: The prospect says “it’s annoying” or “not ideal.” 2. “𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆?” → Why it works: Pain spreads across teams. Use it to multithread. Follow-up: “If this stays broken, how does that affect their targets?” 3. “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?” → Why it works: Shows how painful the workaround is. If they say: “Spreadsheets,” “Manual work,” “Email chains” → Dig in: “How much time does that take weekly?” 4. “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲?” → Why it works: Forces them to quantify pain. Prompt with: - Lost time - Delayed reporting - Missed revenue - Frustrated teams 5. “𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?” → Why it works: Helps you understand if this is just interesting or a priority. If unclear: “What changed recently that made this worth looking into?” 6. “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?” → Why it works: Emotional pain matters - especially with CFOs and decision-makers. Follow-up: “What would change for you if this were off your plate?” The result? - More urgency - Fewer slow deals - Better qualification = More real business cases that close My take: Most reps hear one pain point and jump to the demo. But the best AEs slow down - and dig deeper. If there’s no pain, there’s no deal. And if there’s no urgency, it’s your job to find it—or walk. What's your best follow-up question when someone says “Yeah, it’s a bit annoying”? Let’s build a stronger discovery toolkit below. Happy Monday y'all. JBTHE(backonstockholm)AE PS. Want my demo prep sheet? Comment DEMO below.