Stop saying "ask better" questions (try this instead)

Hey there,

Most sales leaders are coaching discovery wrong.

We tell our reps "ask better questions" and "improve your discovery" but never give them a roadmap for what good actually looks like. Then we wonder why they keep having surface-level conversations that don't uncover real pain or create urgency.

Here's what we're covering today:

• The 12 specific areas to score on every discovery call

• How to move beyond surface-level pain to create urgency

• How to coach discovery calls like reviewing game tape

• Bonus: 3 featured sales openings

Stop Guessing What Good Discovery Looks Like (Use This Scorecard Instead)

In order to help your reps improve their discovery skills, you're going to need a systematic approach to measure and coach their performance.

Here's the scorecard framework that works:

Pre-Call Preparation (#1-2)

Research Evidence: Did they conduct research about the prospect before the call? Preparation separates professionals from order-takers.

Agenda Setting: Did they set and share an agenda explaining the call's purpose and desired outcomes? This shows they're running a meeting, not winging a conversation.

Current State Questions (#3)

Situation Assessment: Did they ask about current processes, tools, and context to understand the lay of the land?

This builds the foundation for everything that follows. You can't identify gaps without understanding their starting point.

Problem Identification (#4-6)

Challenge Questions: Did they dig into specific pain points and difficulties with the current state?

Consequence Questions: Did they help the prospect realize the seriousness of problems and consequences of inaction? This is where urgency gets created.

Conclusion Questions: Did they get the prospect to describe the value and benefits of a solution in their own words? When prospects sell themselves, deals close faster.

Decision Process (#7-9)

Compelling Events: Did they identify time-sensitive events driving urgency like renewals, budget cycles, or regulatory deadlines? Deals with compelling events close 10x faster than those that don’t.

Decision Process: Did they understand who's involved and how decisions get made?

Stakeholder Mapping: Did they identify all key decision makers and influencers?

Call Execution (#10-12)

Active Listening: How well did they listen and respond to answers?

Objection Handling: How effectively did they address resistance during the call?

Next Steps: Did they establish clear next steps and book the next meeting? Momentum is perishable.

That's it.

Here's what you learned today:

• The 12-point scorecard covers everything from pre-call research to booking next steps

• Setting clear expectations gives reps a roadmap for what good discovery actually looks like

• Structured feedback helps reps build on strengths while fixing specific gaps

The key is making expectations explicit so reps can incrementally improve over time instead of guessing what "better" looks like.

If you don’t have a scorecard built out in your Sales Engagement Platform, like Gong or Salesloft - here’s a version you can use.

Use this scorecard on your next call review and identify the top 2 areas for improvement before the next call.

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PS...If you're enjoying The Systematic Sales Leader, please consider recommending this edition to a friend.