Today we will take a step back from MEDDIC and talk about discovery; after all, to uncover MEDDIC, you must become an expert at conducting discovery. Let's begin with defining what discovery is. Discovery is the process of uncovering information. Discovery is critical for both the buyer and the seller as both need to uncover information to provide what each other is looking for. Here is where things start to go wrong with discovery.
What is your buyer's intention in discovery? The intention is clear, for them to find out all the information they need to make the best decision from a solution and economic perspective for their organization. Over the last 20 years, I have asked hundreds of sellers what the purpose of discovery is, and here are some of the common answers I have received:
To find out their problems so we can properly position our solution.
To uncover if they have the budget, who the actual decision maker is, and how I can price this deal.
Ask questions for us to tailor the demonstration to their needs.
All are good reasons why we need to perform discovery. However, we need a guiding light, a higher purpose aligned with our buyers. My challenge is that our intentions should be uncovering all the information we need to determine whether we are the right solution for our buyer. This is a scary proposition for most sellers because it implies that there is a possibility that the conclusion may be that they are NOT the right solution.
Intentions matter because no matter how hard you try, eventually, your intentions are exposed. When your intentions are aligned with your buyers' intentions, a couple of things happen:
You increase the genuineness of your interaction with your sellers.
You increase your intellectual curiosity leading to a better understanding of your customers' needs.
This sounds straightforward, and many salespeople will say they intend to understand the customer's challenges. One of the biggest mistakes sellers makes when they hear a challenge that their product "solves" they move right into a sales pitch. This result is a common symptom that your intent in listening is to sell, not to understand the challenge completely.
HOMEWORK - This week, before every first discovery call you have, tell yourself that you will listen and inquire for understanding, and you will avoid the urge to sell.
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