Surface-Level Sales Discovery Is Killing The Close Rate on Your B2B Tech Deals
- Matthew Earle
- Sep 19
- 2 min read
Most B2B sales teams think they’re doing discovery.
But in reality, they’re just ticking boxes.
They ask about budgets, timelines, head-counts, and leave real urgency untouched.The result? Stalled deals. Deals that do not close. Endless follow-ups. Forecasts built on hope.
If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’re not asking the questions that matter. Read on to understand how good sales discovery will close deals.
Why Shallow Sales Discovery Feels Safe (But Fails to Close Deals)
Reps are often trained to gather data, not insight.
They ask questions buyers are used to answering and not questions that make them think.
Shallow discovery leads to shallow answers. Leading to low urgency, lengthening sales cycles and inviting late stage pricing objections.
❝ You can't create urgency if you haven't uncovered impact. ❞
The Real Cost of Poor Discovery
Lost deals to “no decision”
Long sales cycles
Poor qualification and forecasting
Low trust between buyer and seller
Buyers won’t give you the truth unless they feel you’ve earned it.
Better Discovery Starts With Better Questions
Examples:
Shallow Question | Problem-Centred Alternative |
What's your timeline? | What happens if this isn't solved this quarter? |
What tool do you use now? | What's currently frustrating you about that setup? |
Who else is involved? | Who pushes back the hardest when you try to solve this internally? |
From Interview to Insight
Your goal isn’t to interrogate. It’s to understand.
Use layered questions (“Tell me more…”)
Validate emotion (“That sounds frustrating…”)
Reflect back urgency (“So this is slowing down X?…”)
This is how you shift from rep to advisor.
You Don’t Need More Questions. You Need Better Ones.
Problem-Centred Selling is about helping buyers see the cost of staying still and surfacing urgency that was buried under politeness and process.
Want to test how your team handles discovery?
...no BS, just focus.
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