On Tuesday, some of the closers I was coaching came to me with a problem.
A problem that ruined my early discovery calls too.
Here’s the juggle:
Listen properly. Keep the prospect on track. Cover every phase of discovery. Catch what matters in their answers. All at once, live, with a stranger.
Most reps drop one of those balls. Usually the listening.
I’ll be honest about what helped me most. It was a ridiculous amount of reps and roleplays. There’s no shortcut for experience
But one question accelerated my progress more than anything else.
It took me from empty discoveries full of meaningless information to conversations that uncover pain, desire, trust, and urgency.
The question isn’t for the prospect. It’s for you:
“What is the purpose of the question you’re about to ask?”
I call it the question behind every question.
This week I taught it in our session and demonstrated it live.
Here’s what knowing the purpose does:
- You hold it in mind while they answer, so you never forget why you asked.
- You notice when the answer didn’t actually match your question
- You catch deflections: answers that sound useful but aren’t.
- You ask better questions knowing that the quality of the answers you get rests on the quality of questions you ask.
- You know the moment you’ve got what you came for, and you move the call forward.
- You start hearing what’s being said, as well as what isn’t said.
A few days later, some of them are already telling me how much more in control of their discovery calls they feel
Anyone can ask questions.
The best in any room know what they’re listening for.