A discovery call script is not a monologue with pauses in it. It is a sequence of questions with a small amount of talking around them. If you find yourself speaking for more than about a third of the call, the script is wrong. This one is built so the prospect does most of the work.
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Opens the free teleprompter with the script already loaded. Nothing is uploaded, and your camera never leaves your device.
OPENING, FIFTEEN SECONDS
Hi [NAME], thanks for making the time. Can you still do [NUMBER] minutes?Here is what I thought we would do. I will ask you a few questions about how [THE RELEVANT AREA] works for you at the moment. If it sounds like we can help, I will tell you how. If not, I will tell you that too and give you [WHATEVER IS USEFUL].Does that work?Before I say anything about us, can I ask you some questions?
SITUATION
How are you handling [THE AREA] at the moment?Who else is involved in that?How long have you been doing it that way?
PROBLEM
What made you take this call?What happens when [THE THING THAT GOES WRONG] happens?How often is that?
COST
Roughly what does that cost you, in [HOURS OR MONEY], in a typical [MONTH OR QUARTER]?[STAY QUIET AND LET THEM WORK IT OUT.]And if nothing changes over the next [TIMEFRAME], what does that look like?
THE SHORT PITCH
So what I am hearing is [SAY THEIR SITUATION BACK IN THEIR OWN WORDS].The part of what we do that matters for that is [ONE THING, NOT THREE].[NAME OF A SIMILAR CUSTOMER] had [THE SAME SITUATION]. After [TIMEFRAME] they [THE OUTCOME, WITH A NUMBER].Does that sound like it would help, or have I misread it?
OBJECTIONS
If they say it is too expensive:Compared to what? [THEN BE QUIET.]If they say they need to think about it:Of course. What is the part you want to think about most?If they say they need to speak to someone:That makes sense. What will they want to know that I have not covered?If they say the timing is wrong:When would be the right time, and what has to be true by then?
CLOSE
Here is what I suggest. [THE SPECIFIC NEXT STEP].I can do [DAY] at [TIME] or [DAY] at [TIME]. Which is easier?I will send a summary of what you told me today so you can check I understood it. If I have got any of it wrong, tell me and I will fix it before we speak again.
Why it is built this way
1
Set the agenda in fifteen seconds
Telling them how long it will take and what happens at the end removes the low-level suspicion that runs under every unfamiliar sales call.
2
Ask permission to ask questions
A tiny move that changes the frame from being pitched at to being consulted, and it takes one sentence.
3
Situation before problem
People will not tell you what hurts until they have told you where they are. Skipping to the pain question makes it sound like a script, which it is.
4
Quantify the cost
Until the problem has a number on it, no budget exists. Getting them to say that number out loud does more than any pitch.
5
Pitch only what they described
Say back their words, then name only the part of what you do that answers them. Every extra feature you list dilutes the two that mattered.
6
Close on a next step with a date
A call that ends in "I will send some information" is a call that ended. Name the action, name the day.
Delivering it
·Aim to talk for a third of the call at most. If you are talking more, you are pitching, and pitching before you understand is how calls get lost.
·After you ask about cost, say nothing. The silence is uncomfortable for about four seconds and then they answer, and their answer is the most valuable thing in the call.
·Never answer an objection with a paragraph. "Compared to what?" outperforms every prepared rebuttal ever written.
·Send the summary you promised on the same day. It is the cheapest trust you will ever buy.
·Keep this on a second screen or a teleprompter rather than on paper. Shuffling notes is audible.
Frequently asked questions
Should a sales call be scripted?
The questions should be, and the order should be. The answers cannot be. A discovery script is a sequence you follow, not a monologue you perform.
How long should a discovery call be?
Twenty to thirty minutes is enough for most. Say the length at the start and then finish on time, which is a small promise kept and it is noticed.
What is the most important question on a discovery call?
What the problem costs, in hours or money, over a defined period. Until that number exists out loud, there is no budget and no urgency.