This is the first installment in a three-part series on managing discovery calls. Part one focuses on pre-call preparation — the research and groundwork that separates top performers from the rest. A discovery call is the first touchpoint you have with your prospect after they've expressed interest in your product or service, and thorough preparation is the foundation of every successful engagement.
Company Research
Start by understanding the prospect's business revenue model and how your solution supports their objectives. Analyze how the company operates financially, then identify where your offering creates value through revenue generation or cost reduction.
Research Tactics
- Public companies: Review 10-K filings to find strategic information. Search the "Risk Factors" sections to identify alignment opportunities between their challenges and your solution.
- Private companies: Use LinkedIn connections and targeted Google News searches for recent fundraising activity, strategic partnerships, and M&A activity.
Industry Research
Understanding sector-specific requirements and competitive positioning gives you credibility from the first minute of the call.
For regulated industries: Be prepared to discuss security certifications (SOC2 Type 2, GDPR, CCPA), data handling practices, and deployment preferences.
Action Items
- Identify existing customers in the prospect's industry
- Understand their specific pain points and adoption reasons
- Prepare relevant customer success stories as social proof
Persona Research
Tailor your approach based on the prospect's role and motivations. Different personas care about different outcomes:
- Product Managers: Engagement metrics, growth, user experience
- Sales Operations: Efficiency gains, revenue acceleration
Build champion relationships early, especially in complex sales with conflicting stakeholder motivations. Understanding what each persona values enables you to frame your solution in terms that resonate.
Conclusion
Thorough preparation creates credibility and enables value-focused conversations rather than generic feature pitches. When you walk into a discovery call armed with company, industry, and persona research, you immediately differentiate yourself from competitors who show up with a one-size-fits-all deck.
This series continues with discovery and probing questioning techniques in Part 2. Ready to equip your team with real-time research during live calls? Book a demo to see how Aircover delivers pre-call intelligence automatically.