Discovery shouldn’t be an inquisition…!
I describe discovery as a conversation – and as such it needs to be a two-way street. If the entire exchange consists of you asking questions and your prospect providing answers, it is only one-way. You need to provide observations, comments, and value in return.
One of the simplest ways to do this is to offer observations like, “You are not alone…” in response to pain statements or problem descriptions. This shows empathy – and lends the impression that you have rich experience with the issue.
An expansion, from you, describing similar situations that you have seen with other customers provides comfort for your prospect and often enables your prospect to share more details – how they are similar or differ from what you described.
Quid pro quo translates (loosely) to “this for that”. Your discovery conversation will richer when you are able to provide real value, during the discussion.
An example? Your prospect describes a problem that is related to their main pain, but one that is outside of your offerings. However, you know of another vendor that provides an elegant solution. You say, “Hey, there’s another vendor you should check out – they have a tool that is a great fit for exactly that problem…” Your prospect makes a note of this and thanks you – you’ve now provided real value during the discovery call for your prospect.
A second approach is where you have collateral or similar material that you can share that addresses the problem. You comment, “You know, we have an article on that exact topic describing a number of ways to address that problem – would you like me to send you a copy” Your prospect responds, “Yes, please…!” Quid pro quo.