The Anatomy of a Great Discovery Call (And Why CEOs and Sr. Leaders Should Care)
02/19/25 • 25 min
Most sales teams think they have a closing problem. In reality, they have a discovery problem.
If your pipeline is full of stalled deals, prospects who "need to think about it," or buyers who ghost after a demo, chances are your discovery process is broken. The discovery call is the most important step in the sales process—get it right, and you’ll close more deals with less effort. Get it wrong, and you’ll waste time chasing people who were never serious buyers to begin with.
In this episode of Revenue Remix, we’re breaking down the perfect discovery call (and why perfection is overrated). You'll learn:
✅ Why most deals are lost before the close—and how to prevent it
✅ The critical mistakes reps make during discovery (and how to fix them)
✅ How to separate serious buyers from tire-kickers in the first call
✅ The structure of a high-impact discovery call—without sounding scripted
✅ How AI can prep you in seconds so you show up ready to win
🚀 If you’re tired of “interested” prospects ghosting you, this episode will help you tighten up your discovery process, qualify (or disqualify) faster, and focus your time on real deals.
Related Resources & Links:
- Related Podcast: Align, Differentiate and Win: How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market
- Related Blog: 8 Hidden Barriers in Your Sales Process
- Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation (Let’s assess your process & find quick wins!)
Show notes:
- Connect with Summer on LinkedIn
- Visit Rise of Us for more information about Summer's services or to guest on the show and share your insights
- Episode recorded and edited using Descript
- Repurposed content, such as this description created using CastMagic
Most sales teams think they have a closing problem. In reality, they have a discovery problem.
If your pipeline is full of stalled deals, prospects who "need to think about it," or buyers who ghost after a demo, chances are your discovery process is broken. The discovery call is the most important step in the sales process—get it right, and you’ll close more deals with less effort. Get it wrong, and you’ll waste time chasing people who were never serious buyers to begin with.
In this episode of Revenue Remix, we’re breaking down the perfect discovery call (and why perfection is overrated). You'll learn:
✅ Why most deals are lost before the close—and how to prevent it
✅ The critical mistakes reps make during discovery (and how to fix them)
✅ How to separate serious buyers from tire-kickers in the first call
✅ The structure of a high-impact discovery call—without sounding scripted
✅ How AI can prep you in seconds so you show up ready to win
🚀 If you’re tired of “interested” prospects ghosting you, this episode will help you tighten up your discovery process, qualify (or disqualify) faster, and focus your time on real deals.
Related Resources & Links:
- Related Podcast: Align, Differentiate and Win: How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market
- Related Blog: 8 Hidden Barriers in Your Sales Process
- Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation (Let’s assess your process & find quick wins!)
Show notes:
- Connect with Summer on LinkedIn
- Visit Rise of Us for more information about Summer's services or to guest on the show and share your insights
- Episode recorded and edited using Descript
- Repurposed content, such as this description created using CastMagic
Previous Episode
Why Most Sales Onboarding Programs Are Broken (And What to Do Differently)
You put in the effort to hire the right salesperson—so why do so many new hires struggle to succeed?
Most sales onboarding programs are broken. Companies hire experienced reps and expect them to "figure it out," only to see slow ramp-up times, high turnover, and missed revenue targets.
In this episode of Revenue Remix, Summer Poletti dives into why traditional sales onboarding fails—and what to do instead. You’ll learn:
✅ The biggest gaps in most onboarding programs (and how they cost you revenue)
✅ Why the classic “90-day ramp” doesn’t work for B2B sales
✅ How to align sales onboarding with your business goals for faster success
✅ The essential elements of a structured onboarding plan that sets reps up to win
PLUS: Get access to a free list of smart sales interview questions in our subscriber forum—so you can hire smarter AND onboard better.
If you're hiring sales reps, leading a team, or looking to fix your onboarding process, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can use right away.
Related Resources & Links:
This Week’s Blog: How to Hire the Right Salesperson
Free Resource: Guide to Smart Sales Interview Questions (Subscribe for free to download!)
Related Podcast Episode: How to Find a Good B2B Salesperson - Steal 6 Tips From Me
Related Podcast Episode: Grow Your Revenue Without Hiring More Salespeople - Leverage the Power of AI
Related Podcast Episode: Forget AI, These 6 Old School Sales Techniques Will Never Go Out of Style
Book a Free 15-Minute Sales Onboarding Consultation (Let’s assess your process & find quick wins!)
Show notes:
- Connect with Summer on LinkedIn
- Visit Rise of Us for more information about Summer's services or to guest on the show and share your insights
- Episode recorded and edited using Descript
- Repurposed content, such as this description created using CastMagic
Next Episode
7 Tips For Your Most Successful Conference Season Yet (revisited)
Maximizing Trade Show ROI: How to Align Sales & Marketing for Conference Success
Trade shows can be a huge investment—flights, booths, sponsorships, team expenses—but are you getting the ROI you expect? Too often, companies walk away with a pile of business cards and no real results.
In this episode of Revenue Remix, I sit down with Amy Silberman from Do What Works to break down a smarter approach. We talk about:
✔ Why trade show planning should start 6-12 months in advance
✔ How to create a seamless pre-, mid-, and post-show marketing strategy
✔ What most companies get wrong about sales follow-up (and how to fix it)
✔ The role of landing pages, email sequences, and content in your conference strategy
✔ Practical steps to align sales and marketing to turn event leads into actual revenue
If you’re attending conferences this year and want to make sure they drive real business outcomes, this episode is for you.
Related Resources & Links:
- Related Blog: 8 Conference Season Tactics That Will Drive Higher ROI
- Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation (Let’s assess your process & find quick wins!)
Show notes:
- Connect with Summer on LinkedIn
- Visit Rise of Us for more information about Summer's services or to guest on the show and share your insights
- Episode recorded and edited using Descript
- Repurposed content, such as this description created using CastMagic
Revenue Remix - Inspiring Visionary Leaders - The Anatomy of a Great Discovery Call (And Why CEOs and Sr. Leaders Should Care)
Transcript
It's important to gain alignment on what will be discussed during discovery so that you can prepare and they know what to expect. What if they're expecting a demo, but you're expecting a Q and a to qualify them.
AIWelcome back to Revenue Remix, a podcast from Rise of Us, where we take a fresh spin on driving revenue growth, hosted by Summer Pelletti, a fractional CRO who works with business owners and lea
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