I’ve watched and listened to hundreds of discovery calls and a very large percent suffer from this serious malady! It seems to be a result of (less mature) salespeople’s desire to “take control” and “present something.” In many SAD (Stunningly Awful Discovery) cases, presenting a corporate or product overview is considered a critical part of the vendor’s sales process.
Hospital Analogy: Imagine arriving at a hospital after suffering a bicycling accident. You are bleeding moderately, you hurt in multiple places, and you are concerned that you may have a broken bone or two. A doctor sees you, notes that you’re bleeding, and asks, “Where does it hurt?” and then starts a twenty-minute presentation covering the hospital’s mission statement, founding history, growth and revenues over time, patient statistics, departments and services… All the while you’re still bleeding, and the pain has only been made worse by suffering through the presentation!
Solution? Do discovery, not a presentation! This is the time to ask, not to tell!
This is #6 from The Dirty Dozen of Discovery Don’ts – you can find all twelve here!
You can find the full set of DO’s and DON’Ts in Doing Discovery:
I’ve watched and listened to hundreds of discovery calls and a very large percent suffer from this serious malady! It seems to be a result of (less mature) salespeople’s desire to “take control” and “present something.” In many SAD (Stunningly Awful Discovery) cases, presenting a corporate or product overview is considered a critical part of the vendor’s sales process.
Hospital Analogy: Imagine arriving at a hospital after suffering a bicycling accident. You are bleeding moderately, you hurt in multiple places, and you are concerned that you may have a broken bone or two. A doctor sees you, notes that you’re bleeding, and asks, “Where does it hurt?” and then starts a twenty-minute presentation covering the hospital’s mission statement, founding history, growth and revenues over time, patient statistics, departments and services… All the while you’re still bleeding, and the pain has only been made worse by suffering through the presentation!
Solution? Do discovery, not a presentation! This is the time to ask, not to tell!
This is #6 from The Dirty Dozen of Discovery Don’ts – you can find all twelve here!
You can find the full set of DO’s and DON’Ts in Doing Discovery:
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