The discovery process has changed a lot over the years. Most days, you’d be lucky to have the proper discovery you need to perform a tailored demo for your client. Our Sales Discovery blogs are designed to shift the way we view discovery and will help you create relevant demos and shorten the sales cycle.
Are you listening to nonverbal communication during discovery calls? Really listening? During your discovery calls and demos your customers and prospects are giving you nonverbalRead More »Are you listening to nonverbal communication during discovery calls? Really listening?
Congratulations! Your navigation through countless virtual demos and presentations is now 2020 hindsight as you’ve grown comfortable with whatever online tool your company utilizes (Teams, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Webex, etc.). You’ve probably set your achievement goals for 2021, but with all of the focus on how to best execute your demo and present in a virtual setting, do remember how to best CONNECT your demo to your audience using Discovery techniques in a virtual world. I’ve noticed a lack of blog attention to this crucial skill, so I’ve dedicated this article to describe some of the best tips and techniques for Discovery in today’s reality.
Ever Have a Runaway Demo?Your salesperson, Emma, has a “hot lead.” Kristian, the prospect and a company executive, wants to make a decision quickly and needs a demo “right away.” Emma presses Kristian to provide time to perform a formal discovery so she can get input from other stakeholders. Kristian asserts, “You don’t need to do that. I have a list of requirements from them, and we don’t have time for a bunch of interviews. That would take weeks. Why don’t you get your demo expert to provide us with an overview and we will guide him or her from there?” Emma accepts Kristian’s request, convinces her to send the list of requirements, and sets up the demo for the next business day.
We all know the importance of Discovery, there is an entire chapter in “Demonstrating to Win!” dedicated to the subject. In Bob Riefstahl’s and Dan Conway’s new book Rule of 24: The Future of B2B Client Engagement, I searched the term “Discovery” and there were 155 instances. Why? Because a good discovery sets up your team to be able to align your solution to your client needs and deliver a targeted demo or sales presentation. Most tech sellers will agree it’s an important step in the sales process. Here’s the problem: prospects, customers, sales reps, technical reps, client success, everyone… are getting discovery fatigue. Read More »Does Your Team Have “Discovery” Fatigue?
We blame Alec Baldwin for this one. While he delivers a compelling scene in Glengarry Glen Ross, his advice to “always be closing” has ruined several generations of salespeople. Now, they may want to skip over one of the most important parts of the sales process: discovering the needs and traits of each prospect to help you sell better.
Read More »Is Sales Discovery Passé?