Great discovery calls follow a structured approach that uncovers genuine business pain. The best AEs use a combination of open-ended questions, active listening, and strategic probing to understand the prospect's world.
Start every call by setting expectations. Confirm the time available, explain what you'd like to cover, and ask what they hope to get from the conversation.
Understand their current state: What tools are they using? How is their team structured? What does their process look like today?
Dig into pain: Where are the bottlenecks? What's not working? What have they tried before?
Quantify the impact: What does this cost them? How does it affect their team? What happens if nothing changes?
Paint the future: What would success look like? How would solving this change their business?