Preparing for Client Meetings

If you are still asking "what are your biggest challenges?" on discovery calls, you are asking prospects to lie to you. I cringed watching a rep ask this on a recorded call. The prospect's body language changed instantly. Shoulders tensed. Tone shifted. Classic defense mode. His response? Generic corporate speak about "optimizing processes" and "driving efficiency." Translation: I don't trust you enough to tell you our real problems. This rep spent the next 30 minutes trying to extract pain points while the prospect gave him absolutely nothing useful. Deal died two weeks later. Here's the brutal truth about discovery. Prospects don't want to admit their problems to strangers trying to sell them something. It makes them feel vulnerable. Incompetent. Like they're painting a target on their back. So they lie. Not maliciously. Defensively. They give you sanitized, politically correct answers that reveal nothing about their actual pain. Meanwhile, their real challenges are keeping them up at night. Budget constraints. Team turnover. Missed deadlines. Political landmines. Systems that break constantly. But you'll never hear about those if you ask direct problem questions. So what actually works? Ask about situations, not problems. Ask about initiatives, not challenges. Ask about their boss's priorities, not their own frustrations. Here's my favorite discovery question that opens everything up. "Walk me through how you currently handle [specific process]." They'll describe their workflow step by step. And naturally... they'll mention what's broken. What takes too long. Who gets frustrated. Where things fall apart. But now they're not admitting problems. They're just explaining their world. Completely different psychology. The follow up that seals it? "How does your team feel about that process?" Suddenly they're telling you everything. Who complains. What breaks. Why leadership is frustrated. Internal politics. Resource constraints. All the real pain that drives buying decisions. Because you didn't ask them to admit problems. You asked them to explain situations. The best AEs don't interrogate prospects about pain points. They guide prospects to discover their own pain through natural conversation. And natural conversation reveals everything interrogation never will. P.S. If your reps are struggling with discovery, there's usually a deeper system problem underneath it. The free Revenue Leak Diagnostic Playbook shows you exactly where deals are dying on your team, how much it's costing you, and what to fix in the next 90 days. Built for CROs and sales leaders with 5-25 person teams. Grab it here:https://lnkd.in/gDexefD5

A buyer stopped me cold in the middle of a discovery call: "I'm not really following these questions. Can you just show me the demo?" Most reps face this fork every week. Cave and demo blind, or dig in and annoy the buyer. There's a third option. Here's the exact exchange: Me: "I sure can. Here's my guess though. I can't imagine you showed up today wanting to see a random piece of software. If you already want a demo, you've probably got a well-defined solution in mind to an even better defined problem. Is that the case?" Him: "Sort of. What I'm hoping to get out of this call is ideas that expand our thinking. We're on our way, but we're still in the research phase." That answer is gold. Now I know why he wants the demo. Me: "Fair enough. I'll make you a deal. Let's play tug of war. I'll share a couple pieces of what we do at a time to expand your ideas of what's possible. In return, I'd like to ask you a couple questions. I'll share a few things, I'll ask a few things. Is that fair?" Him: "Even better. That's exactly what I want." We had a 30-minute call booked. It ran 45, and he did most of the talking. Every time something landed, I stopped and pulled the thread: "It feels like you're drawn to this. What challenge in the business is making it resonate?" Three things to steal from this: First, buyers who "just want to see the product" fall into two buckets. They're either in research mode, trying to sharpen their thinking, or they're deep in a cycle with your competitor and shopping you for price leverage. Engage the first. Qualify the second hard. Second, discovery and demo don't have to be enemies. A couple of teaser capabilities, shown at the right moment, open buyers up more than another question would. Third, end your proposals with "is that fair?" Nobody wants to be unfair. Compliance jumps. How do you handle it when a buyer asks to skip straight to the demo? P.S. Knowing when to demo and when to dig is one of the 11 skills that decide enterprise deals. We mapped all 11 in our research report → https://lnkd.in/g63fcp2D

Ever been thrilled to kick off a new coaching or facilitation project, only to have things unravel before your eyes? You’ve got the green light, your client’s excited, you’re excited... and then: 😬 Deliverables turn into moving targets. 🫨 Tasks start sneaking into the scope. 🙄 Communication becomes reactive. 🙄 And somehow, you're doing more than you signed up for. Sound familiar? These issues can lead to frustrated clients, strained relationships, and results that don’t reflect your expertise. Worse, you’re left questioning your own abilities. The root cause? Poorly initiated projects. The fix? A rock-solid kickoff meeting. Here’s how I run mine to set the stage for smooth sailing: 1️⃣ Set the agenda and introduce the team. Share the agenda in advance so everyone’s prepared. A quick intro sets a collaborative tone. 2️⃣ Review the project overview. Revisit the high-level goals and objectives. Frame it as a partnership—you’re in this together. 3️⃣ Explore hopes and fears. Ask what success looks like for the client, but also what could go wrong. Addressing fears early helps build trust. 4️⃣ Create a risk and opportunity register. Most people track risks, but don’t stop there. Highlight opportunities to amplify success—maybe another internal initiative aligns with your work. 5️⃣ Revisit the timeline. Pull the timeline from your proposal and check if it still works. Revise as needed and confirm key milestones. 6️⃣ Discuss team culture and expectations. How do you want to work together? Align on communication styles and ways of working to avoid surprises later. 7️⃣ Define next steps. End with clarity: What happens next, and who’s responsible for what? 💡 Pro tip: Send pre-work in advance, like a draft risk/opportunity register. The meeting should refine, not start from scratch. The result? ✅ Clarity ✅ Alignment ✅ stronger relationships. A well-run kickoff leads to happy clients, repeat business, and—you guessed it—referrals. Start strong, finish stronger. ~~ ✍️ What’s one thing you always include in your project kickoff? Let me know in the comments! 👇

I hired a sales coach last month. First session, he asked to observe my discovery call. I was confident: - I had my 27 discovery questions ready - My demo was perfectly polished - My objection-handling guide was open The call started well. But 10 minutes in, the coach passed me a note: "STOP TALKING." I was confused, but I paused. The prospect filled the silence: "Actually, what I'm really struggling with is getting various stakeholders aligned. We keep having the same conversations over and over." This wasn't on my script. After the call, the coach explained: "Your discovery process is all about YOU getting information. Not about helping THEM discover their own problems." This hit me hard. I had been: - Asking questions to fill MY knowledge gaps - Taking notes to build MY sales strategy - Following MY playbook regardless of their responses The next discovery call, I tried something different: Instead of firing questions, I created a collaborative digital space where the prospect could: - Map out their own buying committee - Prioritize their challenges visually - Document their questions in real-time - Outline what success would look like to each stakeholder The call took half the time. The prospect did most of the talking. And they left with clarity they didn't have before. They signed 3 weeks later. What changed? Old discovery: Interrogation disguised as conversation New discovery: Collaborative problem-solving Your prospects don't need your questions. They need clarity. And often, they'll sell themselves if you just create the right space. Agree?

Most discovery calls feel like an interrogations. Question. After question. After question. “What are you measuring?” “What is it today?” “Where do you want it to be?” “What happens if you do nothing?” “What’s the value of the difference?” Prospects leave lighter, but none the wiser. Want to disrupt the status quo? Bring a point of view that rattles the tray. Look at Enzo Avigo, CEO at June.so. He doesn’t just ask founders about churn. He says, “Your activation metric is lying to you.” Then drops a new lens that reframes the whole dashboard. Suddenly SaaS leaders see a problem they didn’t even have a name for. And June is the only company talking about the cure. You can do the same in discovery calls. Step one: expose an assumption. “Most teams treat last touch attribution like gospel.” Step two: swap in a sharper frame. “The problem is data shows that first‑encounter moments predict revenue far better.” Step three: invite them into the story. “Would you be open to hearing a different perspective on how teams capturing those moments and CAC by up to 30%?” Now you’re not probing; you’re teaching. You’re the guide who names the monster hiding under their bed and flips on the light so they can finally see it. Questions still matter. But when they ride shotgun with a clear point of view, you stop sounding like every other rep and start sounding like the partner who rewrote the playbook. That’s how you win. Not by gathering answers, but by giving people a new question they can’t stop asking themselves

Discovery calls used to feel like awkward sales pitches. Now they feel like coffee chats. The difference? Two simple words. Instead of explaining all the benefits... Instead of launching into my services... Instead of trying to convince someone to buy... I started asking: "Tell me..." Tell me about what you're working on... Tell me about your challenges... Tell me about your goals... The transformation was immediate: - Conversations flowed naturally - Real problems surfaced - Trust built rapidly Because when someone feels heard, they're more likely to listen. When they feel understood, they're more likely to trust. When they trust you, they're more likely to buy. Your best sales tool isn't your pitch. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. ___ PS. People are tired of being pitched to on LinkedIn—it’s everywhere. Asking real questions? But leading with curiosity? Offering value with no strings attached? That stands out. That builds trust. And trust leads to opportunities you never saw coming. This keeps it conversational, sharp, and leaves the reader with a sense of possibility. What do you think?

The fastest way to sound like every other rep and lose connection with the buyer? Describe your prospect's problem in your words instead of theirs. You say "data silos." They say "I can't find anything, it's all over the place." You say "lack of visibility." They say "I have no idea what my team is actually doing all day." You say "inefficient workflows." They say "I'm drowning and I'm doing everything twice." Same problem. Completely different language. And the second you use your words instead of theirs...you sound like every other vendor who doesn't get it. In order to truly connect, you have to change the way you talk about the problem. You don't describe the problem. You describe THEIR problem, in THEIR words. And you know where you find those words? They're on your calls. They're on CS calls. You just have to actually listen for them. When I sit down to review a call, I'm not listening to the rep. I'm listening to the prospect. Here's exactly how to mine it: - Pull 30 recent discovery calls. - Ignore what your rep said. Listen only to the prospect. - Write down the exact words they use for the pain — verbatim, not cleaned up. - Highlight the emotional words: "drowning," "frustrated," "no clue," "all over the place." - Build a swipe file of their language, sorted by problem. - Feed those exact words back into your discovery, your demo, your follow-up. A prospect once told me, "Every Monday I open the CRM and I want to throw my laptop." I never said "reporting inefficiencies" again. I said, "So... no more Monday laptop-throwing, right?" They laughed. Then they bought. This week: listen to 10 of your own calls. Not to grade the rep. To steal the customer's words. Write down 10 phrases exactly as they said them. Then go use them. Sell in their language, they feel understood. Sell in yours, they feel sold to. BONUS TIP: I've set up research agents that comb reddit, google, LI, etc to listen for how prospects speak about the problem and day to day and it updates weekly on a spreadsheet. Capturing the voice of the customer in real time!

We’ve all been there. You’re in a meeting. You open your mouth, ideas spill out like octopus tentacles, and by the end no one knows what you meant. And you feel like you’ve blown it. Nothing is worse than knowing what you want to say, but not knowing how to say it. Here’s how to tame that octopus and speak with confidence (even under pressure): Imagine your boss asks: “What are your team’s biggest challenges this quarter?” First, pause. Take a moment to clarify your thoughts – the reason we can get tongue-tied is we try to come up with the answer after we already started speaking. Untamed Octopus Answer: “Well, we’re a new team, so there are priorities, and then tools, and also global alignment across regions, and that reminds me of…” (you get the idea) Tamed Octopus Answer: You pause. Jot notes. Circle 3. Then respond: “Our biggest Q2 challenges are: • Priorities - separating the important from the unimportant. • Tools - deciding between in-house vs. third-party. • Global alignment - teams across US, Europe, and Asia.” You expand briefly on each. Then you summarize again: “So, priorities, tools, and global alignment. Same content. Radically different impact. Here’s how to tame your own octopus in any meeting, interview, or pitch: 1. Pause before speaking (it makes you look thoughtful before you’ve even said a word) 2. Jot down your ideas (you probably have 10) and circle your top 3 3. Organize into buckets: “First… Second… Third…” 4. Add gestures: Say “First… Second… Third…” (and even count on your fingers). Research shows gestures improve comprehension by 60% 5. Summarize again: Repetition cements your message and makes it easy for others to pass along your points accurately It’s simple, but it changes how others perceive you: more confident, more credible, more clear.

Regardless of how great your ideas are in your virtual sales pitch, webinar, or team meeting… People are most likely checking their email, browsing social media, or working on other things while you present. How can you prevent that and actually get your audience to pay attention? Here are 4 of the most powerful techniques we use for our own virtual training courses: 1. Win the first five seconds According to research from the University of Toronto, people need only five seconds to gauge your charisma and leadership as a speaker. In virtual environments, this first impression is even more critical. To establish instant rapport: - Keep your posture open and inviting (avoid fidgeting, crossed arms, and closed-off postures) - Use open gestures that welcome the audience into your space - Gesture with your palms showing at a 45-degree angle - Speak with clear articulation and energy from the very first word The quickest way to lose your audience? Starting with tentative body language that signals you’re unsure or unprepared. 2. Design your presentation for virtual viewing When designing slides, assume varied viewing conditions. Design for the smallest likely device and the slowest likely Internet speed. Make your slides accessible by: - Using larger fonts (24-32pt) - Applying higher contrast colors - Limiting each slide to ONE clear idea - Adding more space between lines when using smaller text - Stripping excess content (you can provide additional information in a separate document) 3. Vary your delivery Our research shows the optimal length for linear presentations is just 16-30 minutes, while interactive ones can maintain engagement for 30-45 minutes. People’s attention will go through peaks and valleys during that time, so try these techniques to keep their attention: - Vary your speaking pace (faster to convey urgency, slower to express gravity) - Use intentional pauses to let key points land - Adjust your vocal tone (lower pitch for authority, higher for approachability) - Shift between slides, stories, and data at regular intervals Each change helps reset your audience’s attention and signals importance. 4. Build in structured interaction Don’t make your audience wait until the end of your presentation to interact. According to our research, presentations that incorporate audience engagement through polls, chat responses, or breakout discussions maintain attention longer. For the highest engagement: - Use a variety of interaction types throughout your presentation - Incorporate breakout rooms for small-group discussions - Switch modalities regularly to keep it interesting Remember: In virtual environments, you need to recreate the natural engagement that happens in person. Your virtual presentation success isn’t measured by perfection…it’s measured by action. Master these techniques and your audience won’t just pay attention, they’ll respond. #VirtualPresentations #CorporateTraining #WorkplaceLearning

Founder-Led Sales Bootcamp #4: Discovery calls that change everything Demoing first feels safe, but it’s like prescribing before you diagnose. The real win is a discovery call that pulls out the problem behind the problem and shows the buyer you’re the first vendor who actually listened. What a great discovery call looks like? 1️⃣ Permission and purpose You open with why you’re here and ask if that works. It relaxes the prospect and sets clear edges for the chat. 2️⃣ A single trigger question “What made you look for a solution now?” Then you mute yourself. Let them talk. The first answer is never the full story. 3️⃣ Follow-up depth You keep digging with “Tell me more” until you hit numbers or emotion. That’s the moment value is clear. 4️⃣ Active mirroring You reflect what you heard in their own words so they feel understood and you know you got it right. 5️⃣Pain-to-impact summary You translate problems into costs, risks, or lost growth, then confirm: “Did I miss anything?” Agreement here powers your pricing 6️⃣ Next step on the calendar If the pain is urgent and you can solve it, you book the demo before hanging up or if you do a quick demo you book in the deep-dive Action plan: 💡Swap your first question. Use the trigger line above on your very next call. 💡Commit to three layers deep. Don’t move on until you’ve asked “why” or “tell me more” three times. 💡End with the summary statement. Close every call with “I heard X, Y, Z costing about £__, is that accurate?” What discovery question uncovers the biggest insight for you? Drop it below so we can all tighten our scripts. Make sure to follow me if you want to get all the Founder-Led Sales Bootcamp posts in your feed