Do you know when most discovery calls go off the rails?

Within the first 5 minutes of starting.

Why?

Nerves. Not knowing when to transition from small talk or just having no clue what to ask to begin.

It often starts with "Tell me about your business," or the founder rambles on for 3 minutes about what they do, and then it's a tug of war for the rest of the call.

It's always easy to see when I roast a sales call, but it may not be as easy for you if you never review your recorded calls.

So today, I want to give you an easy way to start off the conversation on the right foot.

When you ask "Tell me about yourself" or "Tell me about your business," what response do you usually get?

Often it's nothing to do with why you're actually talking today and could take your buyer down a long-winding road to nowheresville.

To make it easier at the beginning, here’s a new approach you can try. (It also might help you shake off some of those early call nerves!)

Provide 3 paths, or doors, for the buyer and let them open one of them.

It might sound like this (this is a random web business example)

"Tom, what brought you to the call today? I don't want to assume, as clients come to me with a myriad of needs like struggling with web traffic conversion or needing a full website overhaul. Are those the same for you, or is it something else?"

Put yourself in your buyer's shoes. They aren't on sales calls often and may not know where to take things if you open with something broad like "Tell me about your business."

This is just a jumping-off point for what we hope becomes a great conversation, and it does a few things:

1. It makes it easier to choose a path instead of getting stuck with a broad question. People work better when they have fewer options to choose from and ultimately helps you get to the problem quicker.

2. It positions you as an expert. You're making an assumption, but if you know your buyers well, you should know the main reasons they need your help. Trust goes up instantly that you understand their business.

3. It allows you to go deeper. Whichever option they pick, you now have something to start with and can ask deeper questions around that topic.

Always go back to the objective of the call.

By giving them three options, you let them choose their own adventure while guiding the call toward uncovering their main problems more quickly and clearly.

Here's how mine might sound

"Tom, what brought you to the call today? I don't want to assume, as clients come to me with a myriad of needs like confusion around why deals drop off after discovery or how to create predictable monthly revenue. Are those the same for you, or is it something else?"

Make your opening clear and direct and it’ll help open the right door to start the conversation.

Once a door is opened, resist the urge to race to a solution.

Your response to "here's my problem" should never immediately be "here's my answer."

Slow the train down and be thorough. Learn more. Dig. Find out the why behind it. It's only going to help you build more value for what you offer.

If you are one to pitch too quickly, this past issue of the newsletter is exactly for you.

What are the two biggest reasons most people come to you for help?

Now, fill in your blanks. You can use this template below to help.

"[Name], what brought you to the call today? I don't want to assume, as clients come to me with a myriad of needs like [adjective] with [action] or [adjective] with [outcome]. Are those the same for you, or is it something else?"

Guide your buyer upfront and it'll make the conversation run a lot smoother on the back end.