Propitious Initial Sales Meeting

A discovery call is a first step in the sales process. an initial conversation, to help you assess if that company's problem and your solution are a good match.

by Monica Di Santi

May 12, 2025

What's a Sales Discovery Call?

When a prospect shows interest in your product or service, the most reasonable next step is to schedule a sales discovery call.

In short, an initial sales meeting is an assessment of the convenience of going ahead with a presentation of your solution to this particular company.

This kind of meeting is an opportunity to explore the specific problems the company is dealing with, their challenges and the plan they have developed to overcome this challenge.

You would like to learn details of the steps they would follow to overcome their current challenge and how long this plan would take to achieve those goals.

With this information at hand, you can evaluate if your product or service is a good fit for this client.

“Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” Chris Grosser

What are the Benefits of a Discovery Meeting?

A discovery gathering helps avoid wasting time and money on unsuitable leads, so the most important benefits are:

• Gather valuable information. Together with your previous research, your new insight gives you all the necessary information to qualify your prospect effectively.

• Develop positive business relationships Creating rapport and talking about common ground sets the tone for beneficial conversation which can bring not only a solution to a problem but also a long term relationship that will provide you with regular sales.

• Build credibility Assessing prospects need, and displaying your expertise to present an effective and economical solution helps boot your credibility

• Adapt your selling strategy With a company insight you may, if possible adapt your strategy to present your solution in a way that seems more convenient to your prospect.

According Demostack, companies' conversion rate from discovery calls to sales is 10% to 30%.

How to Conduct a Discovery Call?

Research

Before the meeting you need to research the prospect,check their website, social media actions, press release and any other piece of information that can be useful.

Take into account what the competition is doing and whats currently successful

Take a look at the industry latest development and trends.

Create a list of Topics

Create a list of items to be discussed, so it's clear from the very beginning what's the goal of the meeting.

Typically, you are eager to talk about company current situation, their pain points, expected outcomes, decision-making processes in that company.

Include open-ended questions to lead the conversation and uncover the hidden information you need so much to lead you to success.

Start the Meeting

Have a neat appearance and be empathic from the beginning to create a human bond between you two. Introduce yourself and your company . Deal with expectations, clarifying what the meeting will be about.

Ask Questions

Use your well-thought questions to lead the conversation, discover needs, paint points and listen actively. This means to paraphrase some of the statements made to be sure you have understood correctly and also ask additional questions to clarify some unclear points. Get a comprehensive understanding of the company current situation.

Offer your Solution

Present your solution as an advisor, providing details of the quick transformation your product and service will bring to the company and how his decision will be considered wise by his boss or board of directors.

Highlight benefits and present a case study to show and in-depth analysis of another company that has solved their problem using your product or service.

Research conducted by Zoominfo has concluded that 72% of closed deals are preceded by a demo during a propitious initial sales meeting.

Address objections

Address concerns before even prospects speak about it. This way you’ll be seen as a down-to-earth person and trustworthy.

Generally, the most common objections are budget, lack of need and trust.

Close the meeting

Provide a summary of what you have spoken about and establish what to do next. Send a summary of the meeting topics and express your desire to make follow-up call in the near future.

Keep in touch

After the meeting send a follow-up with a summary of the conversation and confirming the agreed step to follow. Keep in touch regularly nurturing your relationship with the prospect during the whole process.

Conclusion

An initial sales conversation is a great opportunity to qualify your prospects, save time, resources, have an insight about your prospect's needs and pain points, to later adapt your sales strategy presentation to this particular client.

No doubt a well-thought and effectively conducted initial sales meeting brings you and your company great benefits and regular sales in the near future.