How to Survive Sales Discovery Calls: Proven Templates + Scripts

Grasping the art of leading a sales discovery call is not just a skill; it’s the key to growing the pipeline and closing it. This extremely important conversation sets the foundation for your entire sales process. These calls are where you first connect with potential customers, uncover their business challenges, and determine if your solution can genuinely help them succeed.

According to Nextiva’s 2025 CX Trends report, 85% of business leaders believe their organization needs more shared responsibility for the customer experience, and more than one-third say sales teams contribute significantly to a great CX. 

Customer expectations are established in the discovery stage. Whether you live up to your brand promise hinges on a successful sales call experience and how that intel is shared through customer onboarding. 

Our guide highlights the importance of discovery calls in closing deals and establishing relationships that deliver lasting value.

What Is a Discovery Call?

A discovery call is an initial conversation between a sales representative and a potential buyer designed to uncover the prospect’s needs, challenges, and goals. Unlike a sales pitch, the primary focus isn’t on promoting your product or service but on listening and gathering valuable information to determine if there’s a good match between what the prospect needs and what your company offers.

These conversations typically last 15-30 minutes and serve as the foundation of the sales discovery process. During this time, skilled sales professionals ask thoughtful questions to identify pain points, understand business goals and objectives, and establish whether a mutually beneficial partnership is possible.

Why Are Discovery Calls Important?

Effective discovery calls are the cornerstone of a successful sales strategy. When executed properly, they set the stage for meaningful sales conversations that move them down the sales pipeline, leading to more closed deals and satisfied customers.

• Qualify leads: A thorough discovery process helps you determine if a prospect is a good fit for your product or service. Understanding their needs, budget, timeline, and decision-making process enables you to focus your energy on opportunities that are most likely to convert, so you don’t waste time on leads that aren’t a good fit.
• Identify pain points: Great discovery call questions help uncover the specific challenges and frustrations your potential client is experiencing. Identifying these pain points early allows you to tailor your approach to address their unique concerns and position your solution as the answer they’ve been searching for.
• Personalize solutions: When you truly understand a prospect’s business and their specific challenges, you can customize your offering to meet their exact needs. This personalized approach demonstrates that you’re invested in their success rather than just trying to make a sale, which builds credibility and trust.
• Build trust and rapport: A successful discovery call establishes you as a trusted advisor rather than just another salesperson. When you show genuine interest in their situation and ask thoughtful questions, you demonstrate that you’re committed to finding the right solution for their needs.

How To Have a Successful Discovery Call 

Creating a high-impact discovery call session requires preparation, active listening, and a genuine desire to help solve your prospect’s problems. Here are some key elements to help you conduct successful sales discovery calls and move the deal forward.

Pre-call prep 

• Before picking up the phone, research your prospect’s company, industry, and key stakeholders. Look for recent news, social media activity, or industry reports that could share relevant insights into their current priorities and challenges. This research demonstrates your professionalism and helps you ask more informed questions.

• Draft a clear but flexible discovery call agenda that outlines the key topics you want to cover. This structure ensures you gather all the necessary information while allowing the conversation to flow naturally. Your agenda should include time for introductions, key discovery questions, and next steps.

• Anticipate initial questions your prospect might have about your company, products, or solutions and prepare concise, value-focused responses. This preparation will help you respond confidently and keep the conversation flowing smoothly.

During the call 

Your first conversation with the prospect should begin with a professional and engaging introduction that establishes credibility while building rapport. A warm greeting followed by a brief explanation of your role and company sets the right tone. Avoid launching into a sales pitch—remember, this call is about discovery, not selling.

• Share the meeting’s goals and agenda early in the conversation. For example: “I’d like to learn more about your current situation, understand any challenges you’re facing, and see if our solution might be a good fit. Does that sound good to you?” This creates transparency and helps manage expectations.

• Structure your questions with purpose, moving from broader topics to more specific concerns. Begin with questions about their business objectives before diving into specific challenges. This approach helps you understand the bigger picture before exploring detailed pain points.

• Emphasize open-ended questions that encourage the prospect to elaborate on their situation. Questions that start with “what,” “how,” or “why” typically generate more insightful responses than those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. 

For example, instead of asking “Do you have challenges with your current system?” try “What aspects of your current system are causing the most frustration?”

• After gathering sufficient information, briefly explain how your solution might address their specific needs. Focus on the key benefits most relevant to the pain points they’ve shared. Keep this explanation concise—you’ll have time to elaborate in future conversations if they move forward in the sales cycle.

• End the call by providing clear, actionable next steps. Whether it’s scheduling a product demonstration, arranging a meeting with technical experts, or sending additional information, be specific about what will happen next and when.

Post-call 

Immediately after the call, provide a comprehensive recap that summarizes the key points discussed and reiterates the agreed-upon next steps. This documentation ensures both parties are on the same page and helps prevent misunderstandings.

• Follow up promptly with any promised resources, case studies, or additional information that might help the prospect evaluate your solution. This timely response demonstrates your reliability and commitment to their success.

• Include relevant insights or materials tailored to the specific challenges they mentioned during your conversation. This personalized approach shows that you were actively listening and reinforces that you’re focused on addressing their unique needs.

Use your company’s CRM to set reminders for follow-up actions and to store detailed notes about the prospect’s situation. This ensures nothing falls through the cracks and helps maintain continuity if multiple team members become involved in the sales process.

10 Discovery Questions That Work With Every Prospect

The best discovery call questions provide valuable insights about your lead. These carefully crafted questions will help you uncover important information about your prospect’s challenges, goals, and decision-making process, setting the stage for a successful partnership.

1. What goals are you trying to reach?

This foundational question gives you a comprehensive understanding of what success looks like for your prospect. Their answer will reveal their priorities and provide you with insight into how your solution might help them achieve their objectives. Focusing on goals rather than problems is the key to creating a positive, forward-looking conversation that positions your product or service as a pathway to success.

💡 Industry Example: Retail A retail prospect might share goals like increasing in-store foot traffic, improving online conversion rates, or boosting customer loyalty program signups.

2. What are the biggest challenges or frustrations your team is experiencing that is keeping you from achieving those goals?

This discovery meeting question gets to the heart of your prospect’s pain points in a natural and conversational way. Connecting challenges directly to their previously stated goals establishes relevance and urgency. Their response will reveal not just what problems exist, but which ones matter most, allowing you to prioritize your solution’s benefits accordingly.

💡 Industry Example: SaaS A SaaS prospect might describe challenges like high churn rates, low user adoption, or inefficiencies in onboarding new customers.

3. What would a successful outcome look like for you in terms of [quantifiable metric]?

This question encourages your prospect to define how they measure success. Whether it’s reducing response times, increasing customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), or improving operational efficiency, understanding their success metrics helps you demonstrate the value of your solution with precision. It also gives you clear benchmarks to reference when following up after implementation.

💡 Industry Example: Customer Support A customer support leader might define success as reducing average resolution time, improving CSAT scores, or increasing the number of tickets handled per rep.

4. What’s the impact on your business if these challenges aren’t addressed?

This question helps quantify the cost of inaction and creates a sense of urgency. When prospects articulate their current situation’s financial, operational, or strategic consequences, they’re simultaneously building the business case for your solution. Their answer helps you understand how critical the problem is and how quickly they need to solve it.

💡 Industry Example: Manufacturing A manufacturing company might say that unresolved equipment issues delay production schedules or lead to increased downtime, directly impacting revenue and efficiency.

5. What tools or systems are you currently using for [customer support, call handling, etc]?

Understanding their existing technology stack gives you insight into their current processes and potential integration requirements. This question reveals potential compatibility issues or opportunities to streamline their operations. It also helps you tailor your explanation of how your solution would fit into their existing environment during the sales engagement.

💡 Industry Example: Call Centers A call center prospect might list legacy phone systems or disconnected communication tools as blockers to delivering fast, seamless support.

6. Do you have a general timeframe in mind for implementing a solution in this area?

This question helps you gauge the prospect’s urgency and align your sales cycle with their decision-making timeline. Their response reveals whether they’re actively searching for a solution or simply exploring options for the future. This information helps prioritize opportunities and set realistic expectations for both parties.

💡 Industry Example: Professional Services A consulting firm might share that they want to roll out a new service in Q3 and need a solution in place at least a month before the launch to train staff and test processes.

7. Do you have an approximate budget set aside for this project?

While budget discussions can be sensitive, understanding financial parameters early helps determine if there’s a realistic opportunity. Framing this as a project investment rather than a product cost allows you to shift the conversation toward value creation. Their answer helps you assess whether they’re serious about making a change and if your solution fits their financial expectations.

💡 Industry Example: Mid-Market Technology A mid-sized tech company might mention a flexible budget range allocated for operational improvements this quarter, especially if results can be demonstrated within 6–9 months.

8. Who else within your organization will be involved in evaluating potential solutions?

This question helps you identify all the decision makers in the buying process. For example, a sales director might be brought in to assess how a new tool supports their team’s performance and aligns with revenue goals. 

Understanding the stakeholder landscape allows you to address the concerns of everyone involved and provide resources tailored to different roles. It also prevents surprises later in the process when new decision-makers appear with unaddressed sales objections.

💡 Industry Example: Enterprise IT An enterprise IT buyer might mention that procurement, legal, and cybersecurity teams are all involved in evaluating and approving new platforms.

9. Do you have any questions or concerns about our product/solution that I can answer?

This open invitation encourages prospects to voice any hesitations or misconceptions. Addressing these concerns early builds trust and demonstrates your commitment to transparency. Their questions also reveal what aspects of your solution they find most interesting or confusing, guiding your follow-up communication plan.

💡 Industry Example: Fintech A fintech buyer might ask about integration capabilities, regulatory compliance, or security certifications — key concerns they need resolved before moving forward.

10. When is a good time to schedule a follow-up with our expert sales rep?

This forward-looking question helps maintain momentum and moves the conversation toward a concrete next step. Positioning the follow-up as a valuable opportunity rather than an obligation makes it easier for prospects to commit. Their willingness to schedule another meeting also strongly indicates their interest level.

💡 Industry Example: B2B Services A B2B services prospect might appreciate scheduling a follow-up to loop in a technical stakeholder or to review a proposal with their leadership team.

Discovery Call Script Example

The following discovery call script provides a framework you can customize for your sales calls. Remember that the best discovery calls occur when conversations feel natural and respond to the prospect’s unique situation. That being said, this example is best used as a guide rather than a rigid script.

Introduction

Rep: “Hi Jamie! I’m Taylor from Nextiva. I really appreciate you taking the time to connect today. How’s your day going so far?” [Allow the prospect to respond.] Rep: “Glad to hear it. We had connected over email about how Nextiva might be able to support your team with improving your contact center operations, especially around call routing and agent productivity. I’ve set aside about 30 minutes — does that still work for you?” [Confirm timing.] Rep: “Perfect. Here’s what I’m thinking for our conversation. I’d love to:Learn more about your role and your team.Understand the challenges your team is facing.Talk through the goals you’re working toward.Discuss how we might be able to help.How does that sound?” [Get confirmation.]

Building Rapport and Understanding the Business

Rep: “So, Jamie, tell me about your role at CareFirst Insurance. What are your main responsibilities, and how long have you been with the company?” [Listen to response.] Rep: “That’s helpful context, thank you. I did some research on CareFirst, but I’d love to hear from you — how would you describe what makes your organization unique in the healthcare space?” [Listen and take notes.]

Uncovering Pain Points and Goals

Rep: “What goals are you and your team currently focused on achieving this year? Are you focused more on operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, or something else?” [Listen deeply to understand pain points.] Rep: “Those are great goals. May I ask what’s getting in the way of hitting them right now? For example, are there challenges around long hold times, missed SLAs, or managing multiple channels?” [Capture their success metrics.] Rep: “If we fast-forward six months and things are going well, what does success look like to you? Are there particular KPIs you’re looking to move — like reducing average handle time, improving CSAT, or increasing first call resolution?” [Learn success criteria.] Rep: “And just to understand the urgency, what happens if these challenges go unaddressed? Is it affecting customer retention, compliance, or agent morale?” [Listen to understand urgency and consequences.]

Current Situation Assessment

Rep: “I’d love to understand what your current contact center setup looks like. What platform are you using today for routing, reporting, and managing calls and digital channels?” [Take notes on current solutions.] Rep: “How’s that solution working for you? What do you like about it, and where are you running into friction — maybe around reporting, routing logic, or integration with your CRM?” [Listen to understand satisfaction with current solutions.]

Decision Process & Timeline

Rep: “Are you looking to make a change this quarter, or are you still early in the evaluation process?”[Note their timeline.] Rep: “Got it. Have you set aside a budget for a contact center solution, or is that still being discussed internally?”[Note budget information if shared.] Rep: “Are there any others on your side who would be involved in evaluating or signing off on a new platform?”[Document key stakeholders.]

Solution Connection

Rep: “From what you’ve shared, it sounds like our contact center solution could be a great fit. For example, we helped a healthcare provider reduce call wait times by 40% using intelligent IVR and skills-based routing. I think we could help you achieve something similar.” Rep: “Would you be open to a quick walkthrough of how Nextiva’s platform could solve some of the challenges you’re seeing around call distribution and visibility into agent performance?” [If yes, provide a brief, relevant explanation focused on their specific pain points.]

Addressing Questions and Next Steps

Rep: “What questions do you have about how Nextiva works or what the implementation process would look like? I want to make sure we cover anything that’s top of mind for you.” [Address questions thoroughly.] Rep: “Based on where you are in your process, I’d recommend setting up a tailored demo with one of our solutions engineers. Would Thursday at 11 AM work for you and anyone else you’d like to include?” [Confirm next steps and timing.]

Wrap-Up

Rep: “Jamie, thank you again for your time today. I feel like we surfaced some really valuable insights around where your contact center is headed. Just to recap — we’ll connect for a demo on Thursday at 11 AM. I’ll send over a calendar invite with a summary of what we discussed today. Is there anything else you’d like me to include?” [Address any final questions.] Rep: “Awesome — looking forward to it! Have a great rest of your day.”

Discovery Call Template and Checklist

A well-structured discovery call template helps ensure you cover all essential topics while allowing flexibility to adapt based on the conversation flow. Use this template as a foundation for your own discovery call script to boost your sales engagement and improve your chances of moving deals forward.

Equip your Sales Team to Close More Pipeline with Nextiva 

Being an expert in the discovery call process is essential for sales success, but having the right tools can make your conversations even more effective.

Nextiva’s unified communications platform helps sales teams connect with prospects seamlessly across multiple channels, record calls and analyze interactions for coaching opportunities, and track engagement throughout the sales cycle. 

Our integrated solutions also ensure sales leaders have visibility into prospect engagement, helping them coach reps to close deals faster. With Nextiva, you can provide the personalized attention that turns prospects into customers.

Discovery Call FAQs