Definition
A discovery call is the first in-depth conversation between a sales rep and a prospective customer. The goal is not to pitch, but to learn — about the buyer’s needs, pain points, decision-making process, and whether there’s a real fit.
Think of it as the foundation of the sales process: get discovery wrong, and the rest of the deal suffers.
Why a discovery call matters in SaaS
- Fit assessment: Quickly determines if the prospect matches your ICP (ideal customer profile).
- Pipeline quality: Prevents reps from wasting cycles on deals that won’t convert.
- Trust building: Sets the tone for a consultative relationship rather than a pushy sales pitch.
- Deal strategy: Insights from discovery inform how to position the product, handle objections, and forecast accurately.
How a discovery call fits into different sales motions
- In PLG motion, discovery often happens after a user has already tried the product. The rep’s role is to connect usage signals to business value.
- In enterprise SaaS, discovery calls can stretch across multiple stakeholders — sometimes requiring multiple sessions to cover technical, financial, and operational perspectives.
- SaaS reps need to dig into not just pain points, but also adjacent systems (integrations, compliance, workflows) since switching costs are high.
What makes a good discovery call
- Asking open-ended questions (“How are you currently handling X?” vs. “Do you use Y?”).
- Surfacing real pain instead of just confirming surface needs.
- Mapping stakeholders- users, champions, and economic buyers.
- Establishing success criteria (“What would make this project a win internally?”).
- Listening > talking (classic guideline: 70% listen, 30% talk).
Common pitfalls of discovery calls
- Treating discovery like a qualification checklist (budget, timeline) instead of a genuine conversation.
- Talking too much about the product instead of listening.
- Missing the chance to identify a champion inside the account.
- Failing to uncover the real impact (e.g., wasted employee time → cost savings).
Discovery vs. demo
- Discovery call: About the prospect. You ask questions, uncover pain points, map stakeholders, and define success criteria. The focus is listening.
- Demo call: About the product. You show how your solution solves the pains uncovered in discovery. The focus is tailoring, not feature-dumping.
A common mistake in SaaS is collapsing the two — pitching features before understanding the customer. The best reps treat discovery and demo as separate but connected conversations.
AI prompt
What to provide the AI beforehand
- Prospect’s role and company size
- Industry and known challenges
- Any product usage signals (if PLG)
- Notes from SDR handoff or inbound form
- Desired call length and format (phone, video)
Act as a sales rep at a [seed-stage / Series A / growth-stage] SaaS company. Create a discovery call script for a prospect in [insert industry] with [insert job title]. Include 6–8 open-ended questions that uncover pain points, success metrics, and decision-making dynamics. Keep it consultative, not pitchy.
