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30 Top-Performing Discovery Questions For Sales

Any rep can memorize a list of qualifying discovery questions or sales. Top reps know exactly which questions to ask, and how many, to spot choice buyers and improve win rates. The good news for you is that we’ve gone to the lab and scrutinized the data to bring you 30 unstoppable sales discovery questions, all broken down by the prospect’s stage in the buyer journey.

In this guide, you’ll learn about top discovery questions for sales such as:

  • The right questions for every type of prospect
    Some buyers have problems but they’re still not ready to fix them. Others are already building a case to present to their managers. We’ve got the right sales discovery questions to ask for whatever pain your prospect is feeling.
  • The optimal number of sales discovery questions
    The data doesn’t lie. In this guide, we don’t just give you the right questions to ask; we show you exactly how the number of questions asked per discovery call influences success rate (hint: 20 discovery questions is too many).
  • Our secret to unscripted and expert questions
    There’s an art to listening to prospects and adapting questions to what they’re saying in real time. Then there are the questions that only an expert would ask—the thoughtful, layered questions that get reps talking. We show you how to command both.

How to use the sales discovery questions

  • Go beyond the script:
    Sometimes, reps who stay on script ask all the wrong questions. We show you how to intentionally ask sales discovery questions that pinpoint the buyer’s actual pain.
  • Map questions to buyer stages:
    A prospect in the decision stage has different needs than the prospect with active pain. And solutions development is a lot different than the evaluation stage. Use our discovery questions for sales to ask the right question for all of the principal stages.
  • Get the prospect talking
    One-word answers don’t lead to closed deals. Period. Learn the subtle skill of signaling to prospects that you want to hear their long form answers, including any and all details they wish to share.

Get the discovery questions for sales and learn:

Optimal number of questions

It’s not just about what questions reps ask during sales discovery, but how many. We’ll give you a breakdown of the optimal range per call.

Stages in the buying journey

We show you the right questions to ask for all the stages of a prospect’s journey, from latent pain to decision-ready.

Asking it in their own words

A spin on the mirroring technique in which reps repeat words in a way that elicits a response from the prospect.

Asking what the experts ask

A lame question can destroy all credibility, especially when talking to executives. Learn how pro reps ask thoughtful and layered discovery questions for sales.

Moving on to the next steps

Did you know that close rates jump above 20% in conversations when next steps are discussed? We show you the questions that lead to the next steps.

Riffing off what they said

Only robots and under performers stick exactly to the script. Learn techniques for keeping discovery questions for sales natural and seemingly spontaneous.


Sound good? There’s more.

Much more, making this a must-have asset for perfecting sales discovery questions.


FAQ: Discovery questions for sales

What’s included the 30 Top Sales Discovery Questions for Top Reps?

When you download our discovery questions for sales, you’ll quickly learn:

  • Which questions to ask depending on where the prospect is at in the journey
  • The data behind discovery questions for sales and their tie to success rate
  • Why it’s so important to keep the prospect talking
  • How a rep can use discovery questions for sales to secure the next step
Okay, discovery questions for sales—who are they really for?

The group that benefits most directly from our top sales discovery questions is the reps themselves. More specifically, any rep involved in qualifying prospects. Are your scripts for discovery calls falling flat, with prospects constantly answering with one or two words? These sales discovery questions will help. 

Of course, sales leaders who oversee prospecting and qualifying activities will want a look at these discovery questions for sales, too. Some of the concepts might be brand new; others you might have learned long ago. Either way, we’ve brought the key concepts for sales discoveries together in a way that’s easy to coach and understand.

What format are the discovery questions for sales sent in?

Once you click download, you’ll receive a clean, crisp PDF with all 30 discovery questions for sales. What’s more, we’ve categorized questions based on their corresponding stage in the buyer’s journey, so reps know exactly when and what to ask.

What are the common mistakes that reps make when asking discovery questions for sales?

Look, we make software that records and analyzes sales interactions. Gazillions of them. Here are some of the common questions we see with regard to discovery questions for sales:

  • Too many questions (20+), especially when talking with executives
  • Following the script, instead of matching initial questions to the prospect’s stage in the buying journey
  • Introducing solutions at the latent-pain stage of the buyer’s journey
  • Focusing on features and benefits instead of outcomes during the active-pain stage
  • Failing to paint a picture of the world with (or without) your product during the solutions-development phase
  • Failing to sustain momentum during the evaluation phase
  • Not asking questions that lead to the right decision makers during the decision stage
What else is included in 30 Top Sales Discovery Questions for Top Reps?

If nothing else, you’ll walk away with a clear understanding of which discovery questions for sales to ask based on the prospect’s stage in the buyer’s journey. But you’ll also learn proven strategies for triggering those long, info-rich responses from prospects that reps live for. We’ll also introduce you to strategies for tailoring follow-up questions in real time, based on what a particular prospect is sharing. And throughout this asset, we’ll introduce supporting data points that back up each and every sales discovery strategy.

Do you have any more resources about discovery questions for sales and prospecting?

First of all, we recommend checking out our Revenue Intelligence Content Hub. It’s packed to the brim with all kinds of research, webinars, blog posts, and more. With regard to discovery questions for sales, here are a few more resources to consider: 

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