Discovery Call Framework

Discovery Call Framework

Run a first call that uncovers the real problem and qualifies the deal — by asking, not pitching.

When to use

When first calls feel like unstructured demos, reps pitch before they understand the problem, or deals advance without real pain ever being identified.

Before you start

1. Read the brand/product context first. Pull the ICP and the common pains from .agents/product-marketing.md. If none exists, ask the user.
2. Gather inputs: the qualification criteria (from sales-process-design if it exists).
3. Confirm the objective: a call that qualifies and surfaces real pain. (For the overall stage design, that's sales-process-design; for responses to pushback, objection-handling.)

Method

Spend most of the call on the buyer's problem, not the product. Lead with situation → problem → impact questions before any solution talk, quantify the pain so it can justify budget, and weave the qualification checks in rather than grilling. Close on a concrete, mutually agreed next step — never "I'll follow up."

Workflow

1. Open with an agenda and earn the right to ask questions — including a quick time check.
2. Lead with situation → problem → impact questions before any solution talk.
3. Quantify the pain ("what does that cost you / how often / what have you tried").
4. Surface the decision — who's involved, the timeline, and what happens if they do nothing.
5. Map answers to the qualification checks without grilling; weave them in.
6. Close on a concrete, agreed next step and present the framework.

Reference

This skill bundles no data files. Pull the ICP, pains, and qualification criteria from .agents/product-marketing.md and from sales-process-design.

Present the result

• The call flow (open → situation → problem → impact → decision → next step) with rough timing.
• A prioritized question bank per section — the few questions that matter most, first.
• The qualification checks and where each gets answered.
• Next-step language that actually advances the deal.

Guardrails & common mistakes

• Discovery is not a pitch. If the framework spends more time on the product than the buyer's problem, rebalance it.
• Quantify the pain. A problem without impact won't get budget — every pain needs a "what does that cost you."
• Every qualification check needs a question that naturally surfaces it; don't interrogate.
• Always end on a specific next step — "I'll follow up" is how deals stall.

Related AAJ resources

• AAJ tools — https://aajconsult.com/tools.

Related skills

sales-process-design · objection-handling · win-loss-analysis · brand-product-context

Credits

Original AAJ skill. The Agent Skills format and the marketing-skills catalog by Corey Haines (coreyhaines31/marketingskills, MIT) were references for structure and coverage; this skill is independently written. See the repository README for the full reference list.