The Art of Accelerating Sales with Precision Discovery Calls

Written by Patrick Rhatigan | Nov 27, 2024

This post recaps Patrick Rhatigan’s keynote at SaaStock 2024, where he took the stage alongside Europe’s top B2B SaaS leaders. In “The Art of Accelerating Sales with Precision Discovery Calls,” Patrick shared essential insights on building deeper connections and achieving breakthrough results in B2B sales.

The Challenge Sales Leaders Face Today

According to Gong’s State of Revenue Leadership 2024, 57% of sales teams missed their targets in 2023, with an alarming 64% failing to hit quota in Q1 of this year. Sales teams are now grappling with a rapidly shifting landscape where efficiency and connection are paramount. In this environment, discovery calls are vital to pave the way for quality relationships that drive revenue.

Few aspects in sales can match the impact of a well-executed discovery call. These discovery calls are far more than just ‘getting to know your prospect’, they’re the critical first step in building a meaningful, lucrative partnership. Here’s how to approach them with a strategy that not only adds value but also sets you up for success.

What Sales teams Can Learn from Netflix?

Imagine you’re browsing Netflix, and the movie Good Will Hunting comes up. Depending on your viewing history, Netflix might market it to you as a story about an unconventional love affair between two people from different worlds. Or, if you’re more interested in academic themes, it may appear as a story of a brilliant but misunderstood professor and his genius student.

Netflix’s secret? It understands its audience so well that it curates that same movie to resonate with the end user's unique interests and preferences. As Patrick put it, “As salespeople, we need to be like Netflix.” Each discovery call should be tailored to the prospect’s needs, interests, and personality, just as Netflix frames Good Will Hunting based on what each viewer values most. You need to do the prep and take the time to learn your audience and pitch the story at the angle that will most appeal to them.

How to Nail a Discovery Call

A discovery call, when done right, should engage a prospect in a way that resonates with their unique perspective, challenges, and goals. It’s not just about presenting a solution, it’s how can I pique this person’s interest enough to start building that path to partnership? A good discovery call starts with three foundational questions. What? Why? How?

What? Define your call goals clearly. What do you want to get out of this conversation? Do you aim to learn about their pain points or determine if your product is the right fit?
Why? Identify your reason for speaking to this person. Understanding their role, goals and the challenges they face is essential for a productive call.
How? Think about how you’ll position your solution as the natural answer to their needs, just as Netflix knows how to show Good Will Hunting as either a love story or an academic journey.

Getting to know your prospect

To truly personalise the experience, work at identifying personality types early in the conversation. There are many variations of personality analysis, such as DISC, but for simplicity, Patrick recommends breaking them into four key groups, with labels as birds for easy recall:

Personality	Speech	Focus
Driver (Eagle)	Loud, clear Monotone Direct statements	Focus on tasks, outcomes
Analytical (Owl)	Slow, soft Monotone Fewer statements	Focus on details, processes
Amiable (Dove)	Warm, friendly Varied tone “We” statements	Focus on people, stories
Expressive (Peacock)	Loud, lively Varied tone Bold statements	Focus on ideas, big picture

Just as Netflix tailors recommendations, salespeople should adapt their approach based on personality.

Understanding these traits can be as simple as listening closely to a prospect’s tone, language and conversational style within the first few moments of the call.

When you get on that call, really listen to them in the first few seconds.

One of the easiest ways to establish what personality type a person is to ask a question like “How’s your day going?” and the type of answer you get will tell you a lot.

The Driver Eagles are going to keep it very short , replies like “fine” They don’t want to chit-chat, they want to get down to business and don’t have time for small talk and don’t want to be your friend.

Analytical Owls are going to give you more detail and likely facts e.g. “good but tired, I’m a bit jet lagged from a business trip”.

The Amiable Doves are going to tell you about them and then ask about you and then try to build a relationship e.g. I’m good, how are you? I saw on your email you were OOO last week, did you go anywhere nice?”

The Expressive Peacocks are going to tell you about them and make you want to hear more! E.g. “I’m great!! Woke up before my alarm, got the first coffee from the pot and had an awesome workout while I came up with this incredible new product offering I want to launch!!”.

Now you have a gauge on their personality, you’re ready to tailor your approach for maximum impact.

Adapting to Their Personality Type

Each type responds to different styles of communication, so understanding these nuances can transform your interaction from a standard sales pitch into a genuine, effective connection.

Personality	Do	Don't
Driver (Eagle)	✅ Be concise ✅ Present facts ✅ Offer options	❌ Try to build relationship
Analytical (Owl)	✅ Provide facts, data ✅ Follow logical format ✅ Give time to evaluate	❌ Get too personal, waste time
Amiable (Dove)	✅ Ask “how” questions ✅ Find common interests ✅ Provide assurances	❌ Be domineering or demanding
Expressive (Peacock)	✅ Ask their opinion ✅ Talk about people ✅ Focus on objectives	❌ Be curt, dismiss their opinions

Drivers are outcome-focused and appreciate efficiency. Get straight to the point with a Driver, emphasising key outcomes and avoiding unnecessary small talk. If they agree with your solution quickly, don’t feel obligated to use all your time—giving them time back is often appreciated.

Analyticals value structure and evidence. When speaking to an Analytical, have your data ready and organised in a logical format. Allow pauses for questions; they prefer to consider details before making a decision. Avoid personal anecdotes or filling silences; they process best when given time to think independently.

Amiables prioritise relationships and inclusivity. These prospects respond well to open-ended questions and collaborative discussions. Avoid monopolising the conversation; instead, give them space to express themselves and ask questions. Including other team members when possible can build rapport and show that you value their collaborative approach.

Expressives enjoy energetic, big-picture conversations. They respond well to discussions around ideas and vision, so encourage them to share their thoughts and engage them with enthusiasm. Expressives appreciate when their opinions are sought and they respond positively to a conversational style that feels collaborative. Avoid cutting them off, as they like to feel heard and valued.

Understanding Your Prospect

By aligning your approach to each personality, you can create a call experience that feels customised and engaging, showing the prospect that you understand and respect their unique communication style.

To truly understand a prospect, start by identifying their key challenges. Asking them to list their top five problems gives you a clear picture of the landscape they’re navigating and allows you to uncover what matters most. Once you have their list, ask them to prioritise:

Which issue is number one? Ranking these challenges clarifies their top priority and sets the focus for how your solution can help.
Why is that their top concern? This follow-up question can reveal the real reasons driving their need, which helps you position your solution as essential.

This approach doesn’t just guide your discovery—it also minimises “fake objections.” By diving deep into their biggest pain point, you gain insight that makes it harder for them to backtrack or offer surface-level objections.

When objections do arise, they generally fall into one of three categories: Rational, Emotional or Environmental. Here’s how to recognise and respond to each:

1. Rational Objections

Rational objections are typically tied to concrete issues such as budget, timing, ROI, responsiveness or data requirements. These are often resolved by addressing practical concerns:

Timing: if timing is a concern, explore a better time for them to consider or budget for your solution and agree to reconnect when they’re ready.
Budget: If budget is the issue, dig deeper by asking questions like, “You mentioned this is a priority. What’s the cost of not solving it now?”. This frames your solution as an investment that addresses their top challenge.

2. Emotional Objections

Emotional objections stem from personal feelings such as fear, loyalty, ego or pride. These objections are often addressed by building trust and providing reassurance:

Ego: make the prospect feel valued. Offer to bring your CEO into the conversation or CC their manager on a follow-up email to recognise their insights and involvement.
Fear of Change or “Saving Face": show empathy, acknowledging the risks they may perceive. Provide testimonials or success stories from similar companies to help ease concerns.

3. Environmental Objections

Environmental objections are often rooted in the organisation’s culture or hierarchy, such as tradition, internal politics, mandates or hierarchy. These objections require a strategic approach:

Internal Politics or Tradition: if the objection stems from company culture, offer to meet with other teams or provide talking points to facilitate internal discussions. If possible, arrange a demo that includes key stakeholders to build broader support.
Hierarchy and Mandates: respect the structure by including other stakeholders where necessary. Position your prospect as the “internal champion” who can lead the team toward a solution.

By pinpointing the type of objection, you can adjust your approach and provide solutions that resonate with each category, showing the prospect you’re invested in helping them overcome their unique challenges.

Blueprint for Qualifying Prospects: Dating & Traffic Lights

Once you’ve done your research and are ready to qualify your prospect, think of it like dating. We’ve all probably ignored those red flags when dating and it normally ends in tears. Broken hearted, empty boxes of kleenex and Ben and Jerry’s as the one that looked so promising falls apart.

In sales, use this blueprint to avoid the heartache. Spot potential issues early, avoid wishful thinking and save yourself from wasted time.

Begin each call by setting the stage in the first couple of minutes. Outline what you’d like to discuss, the goal of the conversation, and the next steps if you’re aligned. Match their style: if they’re casual, keep things light; if they’re formal, mirror their tone. The goal here isn’t to convince yourself they’re a match—it’s to quickly assess if they’re genuinely the right fit.

If it becomes clear they’re not a fit, don’t hesitate to end the call: “It doesn’t seem like we have the right solution for you.” Disqualifying a prospect early frees you to focus on better opportunities.

In the next section of the call, you want to establish the path to partnership and make sure you and the prospect are aligned:

Why did they want to speak to you?
Who else is involved in making this decision?
When would they need your product service?
Is there a budget set aside for this and who controls it?

If any answers raise red flags, consider moving on. Ignoring red flags now will only make them harder to address later. One final piece: discuss pricing upfront. If pricing feels like a sensitive topic, that’s a sign it’s worth addressing right away. Be transparent about your pricing and payment terms and see if it aligns with their expectations.

Think of each response like a traffic light: Green—move forward; Amber—probe further; Red—end the call. If pricing is “expensive,” that’s an amber light, and you can dig deeper but be ready to walk. If pricing aligns, that’s a green light to continue. Lay out a timeline, agree on the next steps and follow up with a clear email confirming these.

Follow Up

Once you’ve had a successful discovery call, follow-up is key. Prepare the prospect and their team for the demo by sharing relevant materials, confirming next steps, or offering a small gesture, like a coffee voucher, to keep yourself top of mind.

Key Takeaways

Patrick left his audience with three important takeaways:

A well conducted Discovery call is like having a super power. It’s the cornerstone of any quality pipeline that exceeds revenue targets.
Sales is both a science and an art. Researching your prospect and creating a blueprint is a scientific process that needs experimentation but will yield positive results. Building rapport and being memorable is an art in and of itself, so enjoy it! Be creative with it and trust the process.
Lastly, if they’re not the one, fire back up that profile and keep swiping right!

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