Why Sales Discovery Calls Fail
- Matthew Earle
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Why Sales Discovery Calls Fail: Shallow Discovery Questions
I've been in tech sales in one capacity or other, for over 20 years. I've seen (and made) many mistakes in my career, which I regularly document so that you can avoid them.
During that time I must have sat in thousands of initial sales calls, many of which ended in a discovery call fail. Sound familiar? Read on and find out more about how to avoid sales qualification issues.
Only last week I sat in on a discovery call that looked textbook… on paper.
The sales person asked 14 questions. Took three pages of notes. The buyer was polite, even helpful. It felt like a textbook execution of a B2B discovery framework.
But after 45 minutes I began to detect sales discovery problems, so I asked the sales person:
“So, what problem are we actually solving?”
And I got the dreaded reply:
“Good question — I’ll need to go back and check the notes.”
Not all discovery calls fail, but this one had. Through sales discovery problems accentuated by the lack of a true B2B discovery framework, the seller had failed to uncover the simplest of questions.
Sales Qualification Issues
The problem? The wrong type of discovery, caused by a lack of a true B2B discovery framework, leading to sales discovery problems.
This wasn’t a bad seller. They followed the script. The structure.
But the call was missing something you can’t script: intent.
They were collecting facts, not digging for friction.
They were qualifying a lead, not unearthing a challenge.
And most of all — they were focused on what the buyer did, not what the buyer struggled with, and this is why most discovery calls fail.
No Commercial Impact Uncovered
You’ve probably sat in on one of these too.
The buyer starts off warm…
But by question eight, they’re wondering when the value will show up.
When discovery is just a checklist, you have sales discovery problems, and this is where the buyer maybe lost.
“What tools are you using?”
“How big’s your team?”
“What’s the budget?”
…you lose the chance to connect, challenge, and influence.
What Real Discovery Sounds Like
Real discovery shifts the energy in the room. It makes buyers pause. Think. Reconsider.
It sounds like:
“When that problem shows up — what’s the actual cost to the business?”
“Have you tried solving this before? What got in the way?”
“What happens if this doesn’t get fixed?”
“Who else cares about this — and why now?”
It’s not about asking more questions. It’s about asking braver ones. Its about using a true B2B discovery framework, to avoid sales qualification issues which will undermine all of your activity from this point forward.
Missed Organisational Risk
Here’s the simple truth:
If your discovery call fails, it will end with a happy buyer but a vague outcome. You’ve probably missed your chance.
Buyers don’t need another note-taker.
They need someone who can spot what matters, challenge gently, and guide with clarity.
Want to Sell Smarter?
Forget scripts.
Start with a clear purpose: What problem are we here to uncover, and why does it matter to them? Leverage a B2B discovery framework to ensure that your preparation covers all of your key components.
And if you’re not sure where to start — drop me a line.
I’ve sat in on more lifeless discovery calls than I care to admit.
But I’ve also seen what happens when one good question changes everything.
Let’s make every call count. Why sales discovery calls fail.
Comments