Fill this out before every call. Print it. Keep it in front of you. It takes five minutes and it's the difference between a call that goes somewhere and a call that just happens.
Before your first real call
The reps who crash discovery calls are the ones who walk in unprepared and hope the conversation takes care of itself. It doesn't.
I know because I was that rep early on. I'd jump on a call having skimmed the prospect's name and nothing else — and then I'd spend the first five minutes playing catch-up while they wondered if I'd even done my homework. Fill this out every time. Make it a ritual. The prep is half the call.
Do this the day before or morning of. 10–15 minutes max.
Open → Discover → Connect → Next Step. Never skip the last one.
"Thanks for taking the time today. I have us down for about [X] minutes. My goal is to learn a bit more about what's going on on your end — and figure out if what we do might be relevant. Does that work?"
Sets the agenda. Frames it as a conversation, not a pitch. Puts them at ease.
Questions to rotate through:
→ "Can you walk me through how you're currently handling [problem area]?"
→ "What's the biggest frustration with the way things work right now?"
→ "How long has this been an issue?"
→ "What does success look like if we get this right for you?"
→ "What happens if nothing changes in the next six months?"
→ "Who else on your team is affected by this?"
"Based on what you just shared about [specific thing they said] — that actually comes up a lot with our clients in [similar situation]. What's helped them is [your solution connection]. That might be worth exploring for your team."
Not a pitch. A bridge. Connects what they said to what you offer. Only works if you were actually listening in the Discover step.
"Based on our conversation, it sounds like [X] could genuinely help with [Y]. Would it make sense to schedule a [demo / follow-up call / introduction to our solutions team] next week?"
Every call ends with a specific next action or a specific close. "I'll send you some info" is not a next step — it's a delay. Pin down a date, a call, a decision.
Write the exact words they use. Their language beats yours every time.
Memory fades fast. Lock it in while it's fresh.
What to write for yourself (not for them)
What went well on this call? What would I do differently? What did I learn about the product from their questions? Add any new language, objections, or insights to your product notes doc right now.
Print one of these before every call.
Not every call needs a full research session. But every call needs a next step and a structure. That's what this card keeps you honest about.