10 Great Questions to Ask in a Discovery Meeting for a Successful Sale

To get the best results from a discovery meeting, you need to apply a mix of different types of questions. Focusing solely on questions about your solution can cause the client to lose interest or feel undervalued. Therefore, try to balance the questions you create.

Open-ended questions allow you to better understand your client's expectations. However, some closed-ended questions you ask in between can hint that you have a solution here. Sometimes they also help underline issues that the client may not yet see as a problem.

Here are 10 great questions you can ask in a discovery meeting:

1. What topics should we discuss today so that at the end of this meeting you can say, "I'm glad we had this meeting"? This question directly helps you learn the most important points from your client.

2. Our clients are experiencing problems with X, Y, Z (non-product specific issues), how do these issues affect you? This question shows that you are aware of and keep track of that area. Don't skip acquiring knowledge about these topics in your preliminary preparations.

3. Why is your current solution or supplier not meeting your expectations? It identifies shortcomings in the current service or product used by the client.

4. What improvements or changes would you hope to see with a new solution? It aims to understand the client's expectations and what they consider as an ideal solution. These are issues that should be included in the solution summary when preparing a proposal.

5. How would you define a successful outcome for this project? It helps you understand the client's success criteria and align your proposal accordingly. You can touch on these issues in the proposal summary at the beginning of your proposal.

6. What would be the impact on your business if these X, Y, Z challenges were resolved? It encourages the client to consider the benefits and value of solving their problems.

7. What methods have you tried to solve these problems before? It provides information about past trials and solutions, helping you avoid unnecessary repetitions and show how your approach could be different.

8. Do you currently have a budget allocated for this project? The budget issue is something many salespeople hesitate to ask directly. If it's not possible to ask about the size of the budget, generally asking whether a budget has been allocated can provide information about the seriousness and urgency of the project.

9. Is there a specific timeline for this project? It prioritizes the project's timeline and delivery according to the client's urgency.

10. Why/ How so/ Can you provide more information? Asking "Why" several times can help you understand the underlying reasons for an issue, gaining new insights. When you don't understand, need more information, or think there might be an opportunity, digging deeper provides the clarity you need.

If you need tailored questions for your company, please contact us to help you build!