A discovery call is an initial meeting whose aim is not to sell, but to understand the customer's situation and jointly establish whether working together makes sense. The most common mistake is turning it into a company presentation in which the salesperson does most of the talking. A good call has the opposite ratio: the customer talks for most of the time. Find out what problem they are solving and since when, what they have already tried and why it didn't work, what situation they would consider a success and what they will base their decision on, who else is involved in the decision, and what their timeframe is. At the end, summarise what you have understood so the customer can correct it, and agree on a specific next step with a deadline. The notes from the call form the basis for the proposal as well as for the whole team.
See also: Lead qualification, Price quote, Objection handling.
