Template preview · B2B services
Sales discovery guide
Run useful discovery conversations that surface fit, risk, and next steps.
A structured discovery guide for a fictional service.
Sample purpose
Run useful discovery conversations that surface fit, risk, and next steps.
Audience: Account executive, Sales engineer- Structure
- 4 sections
- Criteria
- 12
- Sources
- 7
- Watches
- 3
- Default approach
- Review first
Set the purpose first. Then change every section, criterion, and agent setting before anything runs.
Fictional sample
Structure and criteria
Sample content shows the shape of a useful document. Copying it is optional.
01 Review firstCall objective and context
For this sales discovery, states what the conversation must clarify.
Criteria
- Objective names the scheduling gap to be understood before a demo is worth giving.
- Names who attends and their role, such as scheduler or operations director.
- States time limit and what signal ends probing and moves to the next step.
Sources
- HubSpot discovery call questions blog.hubspot.comDiscovery call structure.
- Bridgewell discovery outcomes (fictional) api.bridgewell.exampleWhich objectives led to demos.
Sample content
Bridgewell needs to understand a care agency’s scheduling friction before a demo. Elena Ruiz has 30 minutes with agency scheduler Pat Green. Goal: understand how shift swaps are approved and whether a software change is worth evaluating; do not begin with a demo.
02 Review firstDiscovery questions
For this sales discovery, asks neutral questions about workflow and impact.
Criteria
- Questions are open, such as “walk me through the last swap”, never yes or no.
- Order runs from current workflow to failures, frequency and who approves.
- Probes ask what happened next and do not confirm the rep’s theory.
Sources
- Bridgewell question patterns (fictional) api.bridgewell.exampleQuestions from deals that advanced versus stalled.
- HubSpot discovery call questions blog.hubspot.comQuestion techniques.
Watches
- Follows Call objective and context
Sample content
Ask Neutral follow-up Decision use Walk me through the last shift swap. Who approved it and where was that recorded? Map actual workflow What happens when the supervisor is unavailable? How often did that occur last month? Understand failure frequency 03 ManualFit and risk signals
For this sales discovery, separates confirmed need from unresolved concern.
Criteria
- Each fit signal is a finding such as swap volume or approval owner, with what the prospect said.
- Each risk names the barrier, such as competing priority or staff resistance, with its evidence.
- Unknowns are listed apart from confirmed signals.
Sources
- Bridgewell won and lost signals (fictional) api.bridgewell.exampleSignals that predicted implementation success.
- O*NET personal care aides profile onetonline.orgStaffing context for care agencies.
Watches
- Follows Discovery questions
Sample content
Fit signal Evidence Unknown Manual approval queue Pat describes 3 pending swaps from last week How many agencies share this pattern? Decision authority Operations director funds schedule tools Budget timing 04 Review firstAgreed next step
For this sales discovery, records mutual action, owner, and date.
Criteria
- Names what the buyer does and what the seller does, each with owner and date.
- Success is observable, such as the agency confirming a workflow map is accurate.
- The ask matches the fit confirmed so far and does not over-commit the prospect.
Sources
- Bridgewell next-step outcomes (fictional) api.bridgewell.exampleWhich next steps led to demos.
Watches
- Follows Fit and risk signals
Sample content
- ☐ Elena sends a one-page workflow map by Oct 7
- ☐ Pat confirms map or corrects it before a demo
- ☐ Schedule demo only if approval bottleneck is verified