What are Sales Discovery Questions?
Sales discovery questions are targeted questions that help you better understand your prospect, their challenges, and whether they’re a good fit for your solution.
Your discovery questions should be open-ended to get your prospects talking. There’s little to discover about your prospect if they’re only answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.
Matching sales discovery questions to the appropriate stage of the buyer’s journey helps build rapport and confidence in you and your solution, so you can move steadily toward closing a deal.
By understanding your prospect and their pain points by asking the right questions, you’re building trust and forging a lasting relationship.
Pro tip: Don’t ask all the questions at once. Never just read from a script. Use a balanced, flexible approach to discovery. Prepare and rehearse your questions, but leave enough room for the natural ebb and flow of the call.
Sales Discovery Questions by Category
Situational Context Questions
1. Why did you decide to take this call?
2. Walk me through your current setup.
3. What do your current tools/products/solutions help you achieve?
Dormant Pain Questions
4. How much time do you spend doing {company-specific action} per day?
5. How effectively do you think that time is spent?
6. What would you change about your current solution?
7. What is the user feedback you get regarding your current solution?
8. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your current system? What would make it a 10?
Active Pain Questions
9. What kind of pain are you experiencing with your current solution or process?
10. How long has it been a problem?
11. What does it involve?
12. What does it look like/feel like for you?
13. What have you tried to do about that? How did it work?
14. How has this affected your ability to reach your goals?
15. What would happen if you do not make a change?
16. How would that impact your team/org and their ability to achieve goals?
Pain Implications Questions
17. What are your pain points costing you?
18. What business outcomes (or KPIs) are you looking to drive this quarter/year?
19. How do your pain points deter them?
20. What potential roadblocks may keep you from achieving your top priorities, goals, and business outcomes?
Buying Process Questions
21. What is your current adoption? (if low adoption) why does low adoption matter to the company?
22. What do you think would change if the entire team fully adopted the solution?
23. Tell me about the process you went through when you bought _______?
24. What has slowed other products down?
25. How do you feel about the cost-to-value you currently perceive from your existing solution?
26. What do you pay your current provider?
27. Walk me through a situation when there’s been a tool you wanted but didn’t have the budget for—what did that look like?
28. How do we create budget? What needs to be seen/done?
Evaluation Stage Questions
29. How often does your team start using new technology?
30. Is this an active project internally? Where does it stand on your priority list?
31. Are you open to making a change if we show you something compelling?
32. What are your key evaluation criteria?
33. Who else are you evaluating? What do you like/dislike about the other solutions you have seen?
34. Who will implement this solution and what would they need to see?
Decision Stage Questions
35. Who else would need to sign off on this?
36. What part of {your solution} do you think they will be most impressed with?
37. What part of {your solution} do you think they will be most hesitant about?
Wrap-Up Questions
38. Assuming we finalize the pricing and financials—are you ready to move forward?
39. [If hesitation] what have we missed? What part aren’t you bought into?
40. Do you foresee anything that could mess this up?
41. What is the risk of saying yes?
42. How do we get from where we are today to a signed contract?
43. Do we need to talk to other departments?
44. Is this person aware you are bringing this contract to them?
45. What has this signer said to other products you have brought to them?
46. Have they ever shut down a product you wanted to buy? If yes, why?
Why BANT-Style Questions Don’t Work Anymore
BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) has long been a traditional framework in sales discovery, but it has significant drawbacks when used in isolation or too early in the conversation.
Problems with BANT:
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Too transactional, too soon: Jumping into questions about budget, authority, and timeline right off the bat can make the interaction feel transactional rather than consultative. It can give the impression that you’re more interested in qualifying the prospect as a lead rather than genuinely understanding their needs.
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Overlooks the relationship-building aspect: BANT focuses heavily on qualifying criteria but neglects the importance of building rapport and trust. Modern buyers are looking for value and insight, not just a checklist approach.
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Ignores the nuance of buyer challenges: BANT questions often lack depth in understanding the prospect’s unique challenges, pain points, and goals. They can lead to surface-level conversations that don’t uncover the real needs or urgency behind a prospect’s situation.
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Not aligned with the buyer’s journey: Prospects are often at different stages of their journey, and rigidly applying BANT can push them away if they aren’t ready to discuss specifics like budget or decision-making authority.
Examples of BANT Questions to Avoid
1. “Do you have a budget allocated for this solution?”
Why it’s ineffective: Asking about budget too early can make prospects feel like they are being put on the spot. It also doesn’t consider if they see value in your solution yet.
Better alternative: “What are the challenges you’re currently facing, and how are they impacting your business?“
2. “Are you the decision-maker?”
Why it’s ineffective: This can come off as disrespectful or dismissive, especially if the prospect is not the sole decision-maker but still has influence in the process.
Better alternative: “Can you walk me through your decision-making process for selecting a solution like ours?“
3. “When are you planning to make a purchase decision?”
Why it’s ineffective: This question puts unnecessary pressure on the prospect and can make them feel rushed. It also doesn’t take into account where they are in their buyer’s journey or if they even see a need for a solution yet.
Better alternative: “What is your current timeline for addressing the challenges we’ve discussed?” This allows the prospect to share their priorities and timing without feeling pressured.
4. “How soon do you need to implement a solution?”
Why it’s ineffective: This question assumes urgency and may feel pushy, especially if the prospect is still in the early stages of exploring their options. It can also come off as more focused on your sales timeline rather than their needs.
Better alternative: “What impact would implementing a solution have on your current operations?” This invites the prospect to consider the benefits and creates a conversation around their needs without imposing a timeline.
5. “What’s your expected ROI from this investment?”
Why it’s ineffective: This question can feel too direct and make the prospect uncomfortable, especially if they haven’t yet fully explored or understood the value your solution can provide. It may also imply that the discussion is primarily about numbers, potentially detracting from building a relationship and understanding their needs.
Better alternative: “What goals or outcomes are you hoping to achieve with a solution like ours?” This alternative opens up a conversation about the prospect’s objectives and allows you to discuss how your solution can align with and support those goals, setting the stage for a more value-driven discussion.
Key Takeaways
Deals are won and lost in discovery.
You don’t want to lose another deal—or give your brand a bad rap—because of poor discovery.
Solid sales discovery questions can kick off a strong discovery process. But it’s not just about asking the right things: it’s about going outside your comfort zone to put the buyer at the center of all of your questions and concerns.
The best reps understand prospects’ problems and stay curious to find out how they can help. They know you can’t skip this crucial step: you can’t pitch until you understand a prospect’s pain and you can’t understand a prospect’s pain until you’ve asked them.
Pro tip: To build rapport with your prospects, listen more than you talk (an 80-20 ratio is suggested). And when you do talk, make sure it’s about them, not you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do sales discovery?
To do sales discovery, you need to ask targeted questions that help you dig deeper into the company and prospect, their challenges, key drivers, and how you might help them achieve their goals.
How do you ask a customer discovery questions?
To ask a customer discovery questions, follow these steps:
- Ask open-ended questions for in-depth insights
- Don’t read from a script
- Listen more than you talk
- Reiterate what your prospect says using their language
- Establish trust by understanding their pain
- Build a rapport and relationship with your prospect
What are discovery skills in sales?
Discovery skills in sales calls are skills that help salespeople understand their prospects better. Skills like active listening, attention to detail, time management, communication, and organizational skills are all important to put your prospect and their needs first.
How do you prepare for a discovery meeting?
To prepare for a discovery meeting, make sure to go over your questions and meeting agenda to help you feel more confident and make the most of the call. You’ll also need to become an expert in the common issues associated with your prospect’s role, what challenges their company might face, and their goals, so you can tailor your offering and demo accordingly.
