Here\u2019s a simple method to assess yourself or your team, based on seven levels of increasing proficiency:<\/p>\n
Before reading on, take a moment and decide where you (or your team) stand on these Levels\u2026<\/p>\n
Now, let\u2019s explore each briefly.<\/p>\n
When doing discovery, if you or your colleagues simply uncover \u201cPain\u201d and go no further, then you and they are novices!<\/p>\n
For example, your prospect offers, \u201cOur current process is manual\u2026\u201d Many vendors leap to propose a solution at this point. Sadly, that\u2019s what happens in far too many \u201cdiscovery calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Operating at Level 1 can barely be called \u201cdoing discovery\u201d! It is clearly insufficient and results in losses to more competent vendors and No Decision<\/a> outcomes.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s go a bit deeper\u2026<\/p>\n Vendor reps with slightly better discovery skills ask follow-up questions to explore the prospect\u2019s pain more deeply. For example:<\/p>\n The prospect says, \u201cOur current process is manual\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Vendor replies, \u201cSorry to hear this \u2013 why is this an issue?\u201d<\/p>\n Prospect responds, \u201cWell, it takes too long to get the reports we need and there are often errors in the reports\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n This represents a step up in skills attainment to Level 2. The pain is a bit deeper and broader, but we can go much further!<\/p>\n Practitioners at Level 3 seek to understand more about the impact of the pain on the prospect\u2019s immediate and extended organization. Let\u2019s continue the conversation:<\/p>\n The prospect says, \u201cOur current process is manual\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Vendor replies, \u201cSorry to hear this \u2013 why is this an issue?\u201d<\/p>\n Prospect responds, \u201cWell, it takes too long to get the reports we need and there are often errors in the reports, because of the manual process\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Vendor asks, \u201cWhat\u2019s in these reports and how are they used?\u201d<\/p>\n Prospect answers, \u201cWell, the reports give us visibility into where we have problems to address. When the reports are late \u2013 which is nearly always \u2013 the delay results in unhappy internal customers\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n This conversation continues, exploring the content of the reports, how they are consumed, the nature of the problems, how the user population is impacted, and how addressing the process impacts the prospect\u2019s goals and objectives.<\/p>\n This discussion broadens and deepens the exploration of the pain and seeks to look beyond the workflow. Who else is impacted and in which departments? Is this a local pain or something that affects the organization more extensively?<\/p>\n Level 3 is all about understanding impact<\/em>.<\/p>\n Where can we go from here? To uncover value!<\/p>\n At Level 4, customer-facing vendor reps quantify<\/em> the pain, using the prospect\u2019s own numbers. For example:<\/p>\n Vendor says, \u201cYou noted that it takes too long to get these reports done \u2013 how long is it taking today?\u201d<\/p>\n Prospect responds, \u201cOh, it takes about a week \u2013 5 working days\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Vendor asks, \u201cHow long would you like it to take \u2013 or need it to take \u2013 to feel you\u2019ve really addressed this problem?\u201d<\/p>\n Prospect answers, \u201cWell, if we could get these done accurately in a half a day, that would be terrific\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n Now we have a tangible Delta<\/a> of value: The difference between the prospect\u2019s current state and their desired future state of 4.5 days. Our vendor should further explore this by asking how often the reports are generated, how often errors occur (and what happens when they do) and how much time is consumed by the team creating these reports.<\/p>\n The answers to these questions might result in the following exchange:<\/p>\n Vendor summarizes, \u201cSo, if I understand correctly, generating these reports is currently consuming nearly 1.5 FTEs annually, and taking 4\u00bd days longer than you want. In addition you said it is causing low internal NPS numbers for you and your team.\u201d<\/p>\n Prospect responds, \u201cThat\u2019s correct \u2013 and I hadn\u2019t really internalized the full cost of this problem until now\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n Level 4 skills are all about uncovering value.<\/em><\/p>\n Can we do better than this? Absolutely\u2026!<\/p>\n Practitioners at Level 5 reengineer<\/em> the prospect\u2019s vision of a solution.<\/p>\n Frequently, prospects are unaware<\/a> of what is possible<\/em> with your offerings. Their understanding is limited to the information that you have made publicly available, which is almost certainly a subset of what your product(s) can do!<\/p>\n Continuing the conversation from above, our vendor asks the prospect to describe or share an example of the report currently used. After viewing the report, the vendor realizes that it is lacking certain capabilities or possibilities, and explores these with the prospect:<\/p>\n Vendor notes, \u201cIt looks like you have a good basic view of the what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not in these reports, but they are static, if I understand correctly\u2026\u00a0 Would it be useful or interesting to be able to drill down to find the root causes, right from the report?\u201d<\/p>\n Prospect responds, \u201cWow, yes that would be terrific \u2013 that would save a lot of time\u2026!\u201d\u00a0 [How much<\/em> time savings might also be explored here\u2026]<\/p>\n Our vendor has now proposed an improved version of the report and the prospect has agreed this would be better. This is one example of Vision Reengineering: Going beyond<\/em> your prospect\u2019s initial vision of a solution.<\/p>\n The ability to execute this kind of Vision Reengineering is a Level 5 skill.<\/p>\n Vision Reengineering is also<\/em> an opportunity to outflank competition<\/a>.<\/p>\n In our example conversation, our vendor realizes that they have a relevant capability that is not matched by the competition and introduces it using a Biased Question:<\/p>\n Vendor notes, \u201cMany of our other customers, in similar situations to what you\u2019ve described so far, found it very useful to have these reports sent automatically to the consumers via an email link \u2013 but only<\/em> when there was a problem to be addressed. Our customers report that they didn\u2019t waste time accessing reports where there were no issues \u2013 in some cases, they reported saving several hours every week. Is this a capability you\u2019d also<\/em> like to have?\u201d<\/p>\n Prospect answers, \u201cWow \u2013 yes, that would be really helpful for us as well\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n Vendor offers, \u201cGreat \u2013 let\u2019s plan to include it in the demo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Here, our vendor rep has introduced the alert-based capability \u2013 a key differentiator \u2013 and turned it into a Specific Capability that the prospect wants and expects in their solution.<\/p>\n Folks operating at Level 5 not only reengineer vision but also outflank their competition.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve outlined a representative subset<\/em> of discovery skills to enable an easy assessment of discovery skill levels. There are many other skills not addressed in this simple ranking system, including managing timing and flow, probing methods, workflow analysis, going beyond the workflow, starting discovery, individuals vs. groups, \u201cWhy\u201d questions, culture and uniqueness, and more.<\/p>\n The take-away is simple: There\u2019s much more to be learned than what is represented in the 5 skills levels defined so far! Which takes us to\u2026<\/p>\n The skills and levels outlined above are terrific for \u201cstandard\u201d prospects, but sadly there is no such thing as a \u201cstandard\u201d prospect! While many prospects fit within a reasonable range of situations and experiences, there are numerous types that extend well beyond the norm.<\/p>\n These include \u201cburn victims\u201d, prospects on different portions of the Technology Adoption Curve, prospects for disruptive and new product categories, repeat vs first-time buyers, working with the C-Suite<\/a>, transactional sales cycles, and other scenarios.<\/p>\n Burn victims offer a good example to explore\u2026<\/p>\n Burn Victims \u2013 Fear and Loathing of Risk Unrewarded<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHave you tried to fix this before?\u201d Answers to this question can yield interesting and sometimes surprising information.<\/p>\n Customers who tried to address problems previously and failed are known as \u201cburn victims\u201d and they tend to be very careful about subsequent solution proposals!<\/p>\n A \u201cYes\u201d response requires careful follow-up questions. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d is a good starting point. You want to understand what actions were taken, what tools were purchased, what was implemented, when this all took place, and what were the outcomes for the individual, as well as the organization and others who were impacted.<\/p>\n There is great risk in change, often accompanied by fear and loathing.\u00a0And for good reason!<\/p>\n Have you ever seen an implementation effort fail?\u00a0Have you ever met a customer who was unable to gain the desired value from an offering?\u00a0Have you ever encountered someone who had to roll back to a previous solution?<\/p>\n In discovery conversations, you need to determine if your prospect was<\/em> a burn victim and then explore exactly<\/em> what happened. Only by hearing and understanding your prospect\u2019s sad story can you convince them that the same thing won\u2019t happen with you as the vendor!<\/p>\n Another example is inherent in the range of personalities associated with different positions on the Technology Adoption Curve<\/a>. Innovators tend to require very little discovery: They often synthesize use cases on their own! Early Adopters are similar, but typically want<\/em> a reasonable level of discovery to confirm their own opinions.<\/p>\n Early Majority prospects differ, sometimes greatly, from Late Majority players in the level of proof required and the amount of corresponding discovery they need. Whereas Early Majority individuals may be satisfied with a Technical Proof Demo, as you move to the right on the curve they\u2019ll start to require POCs.<\/p>\n Late Majority players are much more likely to pursue an RFP process (and even further to the right expect an RFI followed<\/em> by an RFP and a high probability that the entire effort will end in a \u201cNo Decision\u201d outcome!).<\/p>\n Laggards may never<\/em> make a change and no amount of discovery will satisfy!<\/p>\n For another Level 6 example, consider transactional<\/a> sales processes, where opportunity size is small and interactions with prospects are brief. These scenarios require yet another version of discovery (and demo) skills.<\/p>\n Level 6 practitioners are adept at both the questioning\/probing methods and<\/em> application of these skills to the special circumstances of the \u201cnon-standard\u201d population.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n The skills discussed so far are just that \u2013 a set of individual<\/em> skills \u2013 which leads to, \u201cwhen and how should these various skills be applied?\u201d<\/p>\n Should a discovery conversation begin<\/em> with an exploration of \u201cpain\u201d or address prospect pain and solution vision later on? Are there best practices for timing and flow? How do you change topics; when do you employ Expansion Questions<\/a> to dig deeper; what are good quid pro quo to offer along the way; how do you know you\u2019ve covered enough?<\/p>\n And how do you, as an organization<\/em>, ensure that the output of your discovery conversations is consistent within your team? How do you avoid CRM \u201cDiscovery\u201d notes from untrained reps that consist of, \u201cIt\u2019s a huge<\/em> opportunity\u201d?<\/p>\n The answer is that discovery must be perceived as an integrated, cohesive methodology<\/em> \u2013 where the individual skills are applied in a structured, repeatable process.<\/p>\n An Analogy \u2013 Let\u2019s Build a House!<\/strong><\/p>\n Contemplate a range of construction skills: The ability to hammer nails, drill holes, saw wood, pour cement, connect wiring, plumb sinks and drains, install drywall, paint, etc. Each of these skills takes time to learn and master.<\/p>\n Building a complete house requires these skills and <\/em>coordinated timing and flow.<\/p>\n In order to know what to build, an architect generates plans and a full set may include separate pages for the foundation, framing, plumbing plan, electrical and lighting, heating and cooling, roof and exterior, interior finish, cabinetry and fittings, and more.<\/p>\n The contractor takes the plans and coordinates the timing and flow of each step: That\u2019s the methodology<\/em> of construction! You can\u2019t install light fixtures and electric wiring until the framing is in place, but you also need to do the electrical before<\/em> internal drywall and finish.<\/p>\n And imagine the disaster if a concrete foundation is poured and then<\/em> the contractor realizes that plumbing and electrical conduits should have been installed first\u2026!<\/p>\n Methodology is what coordinates the individual skills with the correct timing and flow.<\/p>\n Our construction contractor works from a set of architect plans to know what needs to be built. Over a period of years, they have acquired the knowledge to lay out the timing, assemble the appropriate skilled workers as needed and direct them. (And there are numerous books that lay out the process \u2013 a quick search on Amazon shows dozens.)<\/p>\n Similarly, seasoned sales and presales practitioners with many years of experience may have synthesized their own, personal discovery methodologies, but each will have strengths, weaknesses, gaps and additions based on their personal experiences. What is needed is an organizational<\/em> discovery methodology: that\u2019s Level 7!<\/p>\n At the simplest, this means that vendor teams need discovery outlines or templates predefined with recommended flow and timing. A completed discovery document for a prospect is the output of the process and such completed discovery documents should look similar from sales rep to rep, presales practitioner to practitioner, and customer success manager to manager.<\/p>\n A successful discovery methodology works comfortably for both prospect and vendor. At the end of the conversation(s), the prospect feels fully \u201cheard\u201d and the vendor feels fully enabled to propose a precise solution.<\/p>\n An assessment for Level 7 includes two \u201cfigures of merit\u201d:<\/p>\n (Hint: If your customer success team is confused or unclear about your new customers\u2019 goals, use cases, and success criteria<\/a>, based on your internal documentation, you definitely aren\u2019t at Level 7!)<\/p>\n These seven levels represent a simple method of assessing the state of your discovery skills.<\/p>\n Now, that you\u2019ve consumed these definitions and examples, reassess where you (or your team) are. How does your new assessment compare with what you thought at the beginning of this article? Most people, when they are honest with themselves, are operating at Level 2 or 3!<\/p>\n And in the spirit of \u201cNever Stop Learning,\u201d where can you (or your team) improve?<\/p>\n (Contact us<\/a> if you\u2019d like to explore implementing Doing Discovery skills and methodology at your organization\u2026!)<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9\u00a0The Second Derivative \u2013 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n To learn the methods introduced above, consider enrolling in a Great Demo! Doing Discovery<\/a> or Great Demo<\/a> Workshop. For more demo and discovery tips, best practices, tools and techniques, explore our books<\/a>, blog and articles on the Resources pages of our website at https:\/\/GreatDemo.com<\/a> and join the Great Demo! & Doing Discovery LinkedIn Group<\/a> to learn from others and share your experiences.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many sales and presales practitioners say they are skilled at doing discovery \u2013 but are they? Here\u2019s a simple method to assess yourself or<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-43578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-great-demo-blog","tag-articles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43578"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46116,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43578\/revisions\/46116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Level 2<\/h5>\n
Level 3<\/h5>\n
Level 4<\/h5>\n
Level 5<\/h5>\n
Level 5 \u2013 With a Differentiating Twist<\/h5>\n
Brief Digression<\/h5>\n
Level 6<\/h5>\n
Level 6 Revisited<\/h5>\n
Level 7<\/h5>\n
Back to Level 7 \u2013 Discovery as a Methodology<\/h5>\n
\n
Seven Skills Levels for Doing Discovery<\/h5>\n
Recapping:<\/h5>\n
\n
Reassess<\/h5>\n