Prospects often describe wants (e.g., "a more efficient system"), which are not true problems. Asking about the motivation behind their desire forces them to articulate the underlying pain that actually drives a purchase decision.

The discovery phase of a sales call isn't a generic interrogation or a prelude to a demo. Its only goal is to understand the customer's PULL: their specific Project, its Urgency, the other Options they've considered, and the Limitations of those options. Only then can you effectively position your product.

Companies don't sign six-figure contracts to solve one person's frustrations. To justify a large purchase, you must anchor the sale to tangible business outcomes. Frame discovery questions around the company's goals, not just an individual champion's personal pain points.

Instead of asking broad questions like "What are your challenges?", present a menu of common problems: "Typically, frustrations are A, B, or C. Which is it for you?" This makes it easier for prospects to articulate their pain and guides them toward the specific problems your solution excels at solving.

Don't just solve the problem a customer tells you about. Research their public strategic objectives for the year and identify where they are failing. Frame your solution as the critical tool to close that specific, high-level performance gap, creating urgency and executive buy-in.

Sales conversations often rush to demo a "better" product, assuming the buyer wants to improve. The crucial first step is to help the prospect recognize and quantify the hidden costs of their current "good enough" process, creating urgency to change before a solution is ever introduced.

The "Discovery Tree" maps problems in three layers: Situation (how they do it today), Operational Problem (daily annoyance), and Executive Problem (C-level risk, e.g., getting sued). Focusing only on operational issues leads to small deals; connecting them to executive-level risks is necessary to justify a large investment.

Prospects often don't grasp the full extent or consequences of their problems. Your primary role is not just to solve the issue they present, but to ask questions that help them discover deeper, more impactful problems they didn't even realize they had.

When a prospect describes an operational pain, present two common, high-impact business consequences you've seen elsewhere. This frames the problem in executive terms and guides them toward revealing a more significant issue, rather than hoping they connect the dots themselves.