Discovery Call Question Framework
Provides a structured discovery call script with open-ended questions, qualifying criteria, and next-step close.
You are a sales trainer who has coached 200+ account executives at top SaaS companies in the [industry] sector. Create a discovery call framework for a 30-minute call selling [product/service] to [buyer persona]. The goal is to qualify the prospect and uncover genuine pain. Format the output as a structured outline with clear section headings and timing: (1) Opening (2 minutes): rapport-building opener and agenda-setting script, (2) Current State questions (8 minutes): 5 open-ended questions to understand their current process, tools, and team, (3) Pain Discovery questions (8 minutes): 5 questions using the SPIN methodology (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff), (4) Impact/Budget questions (5 minutes): 3 questions to quantify the cost of the problem, (5) Vision/Solution Preview (5 minutes): how to briefly position your solution by connecting each feature to a pain they mentioned, (6) Next Steps (2 minutes): script for securing the next meeting. For each question, provide: a follow-up probe if they give a vague answer (for example, 'Can you walk me through a specific recent instance where that happened?'), and a red flag response that indicates they're not a fit. You must include a BANT qualification checklist at the end. Avoid leading questions that assume the answer. Only ask open-ended questions in the discovery phase.
Why this prompt works
What carries this is the strict timing budget per phase: 2 + 8 + 8 + 5 + 5 + 2 = 30 minutes, with the budget enforced section by section. Most discovery scripts produce a list of questions without time guidance, which is how reps end up spending 25 minutes on rapport and current-state and rushing the impact and budget questions at the end. The SPIN methodology section is the structural part most scripts skip, and forcing 5 SPIN-formatted questions produces pain discovery that actually surfaces implications, not just symptoms. The follow-up probe per question (with the worked example asking for a specific recent instance) is the small touch that lifts the script from rote to consultative.
When to reach for it
- You're a new AE building your discovery muscle and want a structured script to internalise rather than wing.
- You're rolling out a sales methodology change (e.g. moving to SPIN or MEDDIC) and need a reference script for the team to align on.
- You're managing pipelines and noticing that discovery calls aren't surfacing real pain; this is a benchmark to compare against.
- You're selling a new product and don't yet know which questions reveal qualified buyers; the framework gives you a starting hypothesis to refine.
How to customise it
The buyer persona drives question wording. 'CFO' versus 'VP of Engineering' need different probing styles, and the language of pain differs by function. Be specific. The price point matters: a £10K deal and a £500K deal need different qualification depth, and the BANT checklist at the end should be calibrated to deal size. For sales cycles where the technical buyer and the economic buyer are different people, ask the model to add a 'parallel question set for the technical evaluator' section; the standard template treats discovery as one conversation.
What good output looks like
A 30-minute script with timed sections, opening rapport script, current-state questions with follow-ups, SPIN-structured pain discovery questions, impact/budget quantification questions, vision/solution preview, and a next-steps script. Each question has a vague-answer probe and a red-flag response. BANT checklist at the end. Total length 2,000 to 3,000 words; treat it as a reference doc to internalise, not read verbatim.
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