Improving Sales Discovery Processes in Recruiting Technology

I hired a sales coach last month. First session, he asked to observe my discovery call. I was confident: - I had my 27 discovery questions ready - My demo was perfectly polished - My objection-handling guide was open The call started well. But 10 minutes in, the coach passed me a note: "STOP TALKING." I was confused, but I paused. The prospect filled the silence: "Actually, what I'm really struggling with is getting various stakeholders aligned. We keep having the same conversations over and over." This wasn't on my script. After the call, the coach explained: "Your discovery process is all about YOU getting information. Not about helping THEM discover their own problems." This hit me hard. I had been: - Asking questions to fill MY knowledge gaps - Taking notes to build MY sales strategy - Following MY playbook regardless of their responses The next discovery call, I tried something different: Instead of firing questions, I created a collaborative digital space where the prospect could: - Map out their own buying committee - Prioritize their challenges visually - Document their questions in real-time - Outline what success would look like to each stakeholder The call took half the time. The prospect did most of the talking. And they left with clarity they didn't have before. They signed 3 weeks later. What changed? Old discovery: Interrogation disguised as conversation New discovery: Collaborative problem-solving Your prospects don't need your questions. They need clarity. And often, they'll sell themselves if you just create the right space. Agree?

A rep just told me: "Marcus, I had a perfect discovery call. They loved everything. Then they vanished." I listened to the recording and within 3 minutes I knew exactly why. She asked 47 questions in 45 minutes. The prospect answered every single one. But she never once made them feel the cost of doing nothing. That's when I realized their discovery process was fundamentally broken. Here's the brutal truth about discovery calls that nobody wants to admit: Most reps are trained to extract information, not create buying momentum. "Tell me about your challenges. What's your budget? Who makes decisions?" Those questions make prospects feel interrogated, not understood. They're seller-centric activities disguised as buyer discovery. That's why your prospects ghost you after discovery. That's why deals stall in "interested but not moving forward." That's why your pipeline is full of hope disguised as opportunity. After carrying a bag and leading sales orgs for 14 years and managing $195 million in annual revenue, I discovered something game-changing about discovery calls. The best reps don't ask better questions. They create better experiences. This methodology increased our discovery-to-demo conversion from 23% to 67%. It shortened our sales cycles by 31%. It eliminated 80% of the tire-kickers before they wasted months of our time. Instead of extracting their pain, we started amplifying their vision. Most discovery processes assume prospects know what they want. They don't. They know what's broken, but they can't see what's possible. But there are specific conversation patterns that transform interested prospects into committed buyers. Observable moments that separate real opportunities from casual conversations. When you master these patterns, something magical happens. Prospects start selling themselves. They begin building internal business cases. They volunteer information you never asked for. The 5 discovery mistakes I'm about to show you in the carousel aren't just common problems. They're revenue killers that 73% of sales teams make systematically. Most importantly, I'll give you the exact frameworks to fix them so your next discovery call creates unstoppable buying momentum instead of polite interest. If your prospects aren't eagerly booking next steps at the end of discovery, you're making these mistakes. And hope is not a sales strategy. — Here’s what I’ve learned from running 10,000+ discovery calls: https://lnkd.in/ghJy_9b6

The best discovery move you’re (probably) not using: The Red Pen Exercise. I’ve watched this technique transform skeptical prospects into vocal champions. And the best part? It’s not about pitching harder. It’s about getting corrected. THE WHAT: Before a discovery call, you put together a 1-slide POV with 3 simple sections: 1) Current State: What you think they’re dealing with 2) Business Impact: The consequences of that problem 3) Future State: Where you believe they want to go Then you say something like: “This is what I gathered based on my research. Can you take a red pen to this and tell me where I’m off?” Frame it softly: “This may be off—but I’d love your feedback on what I got right vs. where I missed.” And then... magic happens. Why it works (7 reasons) 1) People love correcting others Behavioral psychology 101: we’re wired to spot errors. By inviting correction, you lower defenses and trigger engagement. 2) Prep = Respect 82% of B2B buyers say sellers are unprepared for meetings (Forrester). Showing a POV proves you’ve done your homework. That earns trust and elevates you above 82% of sellers who ask lazy, generic questions. 3) Co-Creation Now the prospect is helping build the case for change with you. This makes your solution feel more like a joint decision, not a pitch. 4) Gets Them Talking Average sellers ask weak questions like “What’s keeping you up at night?” and get 1 word answers. Red pen sellers do not. 5) You Learn More You get validation or correction instantly. You take the guesswork out. 6. It accelerates urgency Once you build a shared understanding of the current problem and ideal outcome, it’s easier to bridge the gap and create urgency. Read Gap Selling if you don't know what I'm talking about. 7.Sales Process Discovery is not a stage, it's a process. This info is CRITICAL in running a proper sales cycle with qualified buyers and will help you disqualify non-ICP fits. TAKEAWAY: The Red Pen Exercise isn’t about being “right.” It’s about being useful. Show up with a hypothesis. Let them sharpen it. Now you’re solving problems together. Give it a try this week.

If I could give one piece of advice to a seller trying to engage me, a VP of Talent Acquisition, it would be this: Stop leading with your technology features…and start by showing a deep, nuanced understanding of my single biggest challenge: attracting and retaining top-tier talent at scale. Here’s the common misconception: Sellers often assume I’m driven by cutting costs or chasing the latest shiny tech. In reality, my 20+ years leading and scaling global HR functions have taught me that my ultimate responsibility is to secure the talent that fuels company growth…whether that means building a small, high-performing team or hiring 3,000+ people in a single year. What makes me tune out: Boilerplate emails about “improving efficiency” or “streamlining processes” with no connection to real talent outcomes. I’ve built and launched global TA functions. I’ve implemented countless TA platforms and tools. A generic pitch tells me you haven’t researched my business priorities. What makes me lean in: A seller who connects their solution directly to my strategic goals: > How will your solution help us manage massive volume and maintain quality, matching the success of my former team, which hired over 3,000 people in a single year, all without lowering the quality bar? > Targeted Engagement: How does your technology dramatically improve our ability to strategically identify and engage passive, high-demand talent and convert them into active candidates? > Driving Diversity & Quality: At a prior employer, I achieved a 63% diversity hire rate. Can you show me how your product will enhance that kind of D&I strategy? > Data integrity & Analytics: Reliiability of data is paramount. The ability to then analyze that data is mission critical. Does your solution solve this historical shortcoming of the TA tech stack? > Elevating Experience: How does your technology materially improve the hiring manager and candidate experience, turning a high-volume process into a high-touch strategic engagement? Frankly, in a high-growth environment, I’m already leveraging AI tools for competitive advantage. The best sellers use those same tools (like Salesloft’s Buyer Identification Agents and Person Research Agents) to understand my background before they ever reach out. My advice is simple: Great selling means understanding that my strategic goals aren't about the tool. They’re about talent. Show me how you help me win the talent war, and you’ll have my full attention. #talentacquisition #leadership #sales #AI #salesloft

I’m a senior technical recruiter who’s been building agents to optimize my recruiting strategy end-to-end. My goal: Turn recruiting into a data-driven, automated system with reusable components. What I built: Multi-agent system where each agent owns a funnel stage: - Sourcing agent: Generates optimized Boolean strings, searches LinkedIn/GitHub, outputs structured candidate lists - Research agent: Extracts skills, projects, stack depth, and career signals; builds candidate summaries and hook points - Outreach agent: Creates personalized messages using candidate signals, A/B tests variants, tracks response rates - Calibration agent: Analyzes funnel metrics and adjusts targeting, messaging, and timing - Market agent: Monitors talent supply, comp trends, and competitor hiring; feeds insights back into strategy How I built it: - Used Claude Code to rapidly prototype agents, orchestrate workflows, and iterate on the data model - Integrated Arcade.dev for technical assessments and skill validation - Feeds coding challenge results into research and outreach agents for precise targeting - Python + LLM APIs + automation (LinkedIn API, ATS :Ashby) - Structured data model for candidates and interactions - Simple workflow engine: each stage triggers the next agent based on rules and signals - Fully logged and instrumented to measure time-to-fill, quality-of-hire, and conversion What changed: - Less time on repetitive sourcing, research, and admin - More precise outreach with real technical signals - Faster iteration on targeting, messaging, and sourcing - Better signal vs. noise; less gut feel This isn’t about replacing judgment. It’s offloading heavy lifting so I can focus on: - Deep discovery conversations - Understanding motivation and fit - Negotiating comp and startup equity - Building long-term relationships with engineers If you’re in recruiting, talent ops, or building dev tools (Arcade.dev, Claude Code, AI agents), I’d love to hear how you’re thinking about automation in hiring. Thank you Anthropic & Arcade.dev for changing our lives for the better.

Most sales teams treat discovery as an interrogation. They arrive with a checklist of qualifying questions. They ask about budget, timeline, decision-makers, pain points. They listen just long enough to find an opening for their pitch. Buyers recognise this pattern immediately. And they respond accordingly — with guarded answers, vague timelines, and polite disengagement. The problem is not the questions. The problem is the premise. Discovery calls should not be where you learn about the prospect. They should be where you demonstrate that you already understand their world better than they expected. Arrive with a hypothesis, not a blank slate. Before the call, you should know their organization's strategic priorities (usually public), their recent leadership changes (usually findable), their competitive pressures (usually obvious), and their likely internal constraints (usually predictable by segment). Your opening should not be "tell me about your challenges." It should be "based on what I've seen with similar organisations, I'd expect you're navigating X, Y, and Z — how close is that to your reality?" This accomplishes three things simultaneously: 1. First, it signals competence. You are not a vendor fishing for problems. You are a practitioner who understands their context. 2. Second, it invites correction. Buyers will tell you where your hypothesis is wrong — and those corrections are more valuable than answers to generic questions. 3. Third, it earns the right to go deeper. When you demonstrate understanding, buyers become more willing to share the political realities, the hidden objections, the actual decision dynamics that generic discovery never surfaces. The preparation required is not trivial. It demands research, pattern recognition, and genuine curiosity about the prospect's situation. Most salespeople skip this work because it is harder than running a script. That is precisely why it differentiates. The best discovery calls feel like consultations, not interrogations. They leave the buyer thinking "this person understands our situation" rather than "this person wants our budget."

I send a client-specific capabilities brief after every single discovery call. Here is why the recruiting partner you work with should too. Most follow-ups I see in this industry are either a thin recap email or a generic overview that could be sent to any company. It usually sounds good, but it is not actually useful. After every discovery call, I send a brief that is specific to your company. It reflects: • The exact roles you are hiring for • Your tech stack or operating environment • The hiring risks you already carry • Where your current process is slowing you down • How I would fix it if we worked together If your recruiting partner cannot put your hiring problem into a one-pager that reflects your tech stack, risks, and process gaps, they do not understand your business yet. This matters for companies because it lets you see how they think before you commit. You are not buying resumes. You are buying judgment, pattern recognition, and execution. The brief is not a sales tool. It is a working document. It protects both sides from misalignment, bad expectations, and wasted time.

Discovery Calls That Feel Like Clarity, Not Pressure The New Game-Changing Strategy A discovery call should build trust and close deals But there is a right and a wrong way… The old way: → Jump straight to selling → Ignore client context → Push your solution → Talk about features → Rush to close The new way (Discovery Call Framework): → Map future vision → Establish next steps → Listen more than talk → Understand pain points → Identify real challenges → Build genuine rapport → Explore current situation → Define success metrics → Validate budget alignment → Uncover hidden objectives Why clients benefit: Discovery calls create clarity and value before any commitment. They help clients articulate challenges they couldn't see clearly before. This process ensures solutions actually match their needs. Unlike pushy sales calls, discovery conversations give clients space to explore. They get a taste of your expertise without pressure. The focus stays on their goals, not your offering. Clients gain insights even if they don't move forward. Key benefits for clients: → Clear understanding of their situation → No pressure decision-making → Value from the first interaction → Documented path forward 🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more content strategy insights ♻️ Share to help others clarify their messaging

Salespeople rush through discovery like they’re late for a demo. This is exactly the WRONG way to approach the most important part of your sale. Instead, do this on your next discovery call: 1. Prepare like a pro Research the company, the people, and what’s likely broken. Show up with a point of view and thoughtful questions—not a blank slate. Have at least one pocket story that you can pull into the conversation. 2. Slow down Spend at least 20 minutes on current challenges and desired outcomes. You’re not there to pitch—you’re there to diagnose. Do not allow yourself to move onto the demo until you have identified exactly the problem the customer needs to solve. 3. Ask better questions Skip the generic stuff. Try this instead: • What’s the cost of not solving this now? • What’s blocked past attempts to fix this? • What would success look like? 4. Be human People open up when they trust you. Build that trust by being curious, present, and helpful. You do not want to come off as scripted or transactional. Storytelling helps with this. Too many reps treat discovery like a quick hurdle to clear. The best reps treat it like the close depends on it, because it does. _____ I put together a 4-page discovery playbook that includes some of my favorite discovery questions. Want a copy? Comment “discovery” and I’ll send it over.

$700K ARR in 31 days. Here's the 3-step workflow that closed 29 deals: Our sales team have been relentlessly iterating on this sales flow for 18 months. Here's how to replicate it: 1/ Pre-Call Qualification Most agencies waste time with prospects they can't actually help. We fixed that. We qualify prospects before they ever get on a call using: Default - Auto-enriches and qualifies based on budget, revenue, and TAM size. No manual research needed. lemlist - Auto-connects with prospects who then see our content everywhere (whether they close or not). You can also use @Outreach @Playbook Talks for this. Wistia - Hosts our VSLs that breaks down our offering in 10+ minutes, plus video testimonials showing client results across different industries. The correlation became obvious - better qualification = higher close rates. 2/ Discovery Call Prep prior to the call is essential. We automated most of the research using Clay to aggregate: → ICP alignment (prospect fit) → Funding stage, headcount, revenue (budget) → Strategic initiatives, recent hires, news (urgency) → Job titles and tenures of key stakeholders (economic buyer) Then during the call: We use @Winning by Design's SPICED Framework to structure discovery: (S)ituation (P)ain (I)mpact (C)ritical (E)vent (D)ecision process Attention handles real-time transcripts, recording, note-taking, and automatically sends insights to our CRM (Attio). If you're on Salesforce, Momentum.io does something similar. After the call… Qwilr sends proposals that prospects can accept in one click. Stripe creates recurring subscriptions that automatically bill new clients. 3/ Nurturing & Follow-up Here's what's crazy - most prospects don't close immediately when you're selling $5K+/month offerings. To win them back: 1. Customer.io sends high-value educational follow-ups 2. YouTube videos we recorded to stand out from boring follow-ups 3. Our LinkedIn profiles for multi-threading with decision-makers 4. Attio monitors changes in their situation (new hires, budget unlocks, product launches) Why this system works: Proper qualification means no time wasted with bad-fit leads. Education means prospects are informed, which means less "selling." Automation lets the team focus on high-value tasks instead of repetitive manual work. Nurturing means our content works like 24/7 sellers spreading our value proposition everywhere. But here's the thing nobody tells you about sales systems - the best system in the world means nothing without amazing sellers. In retrospect, building systematic sales processes put us on the right path to predictable revenue growth. The agencies that are thriving? They stopped hoping for good months and started building systems that consistently close deals. I'm curious - what would you add to this workflow? What's working for your sales process? 👇