What is a discovery call?
A discovery call is an early sales conversation used to understand a prospect’s problem and assess whether you can help. For a seller preparing one, the task is to clarify the need, ask about the buying decision and agree what happens next. Use the questions, script and notes template below to prepare.
Vidyard’s discovery call guide describes this as a step for uncovering needs and qualifying fit. For the broader decision framework, see our lead qualification guide. Sources and product documentation checked on 1 October 2026.
Choose a call length that leaves room for questions
Salesforce recommends 20 to 30 minutes for a simple transactional sale, with longer discovery for complex deals and individual calls kept under an hour. Treat that as planning guidance, not a promise that every buying question will be answered in one meeting.
Before sending the invitation, write down the decision this call should support. If you need a technical answer from someone who will not attend, note it as a follow-up rather than extending the agenda.
Ask about the problem, the decision and the next step
Use these example questions as a starting point. They are prompts to adapt, not a questionnaire every prospect must complete:
- What are you trying to solve, in your own words?
- What have you already tried, and what happened?
- What would change for your team if this were solved?
- Who else needs to weigh in before you decide?
- What budget or approval process would a purchase need?
- Is there a date or event we should plan around?
- What would you need to see before agreeing to a next step?
For a longer list grouped by purpose, see our sales discovery questions.
If a prospect says “we need this soon,” ask what soon means before writing down a deadline. If they cannot give one, keep timing open. These are suggested ways to clarify an answer, not measured conversion tactics.
Use a discovery call script to agree the agenda
Here is an illustrative opening you can adapt. The 25-minute slot is part of the example; replace it with the time you agreed:
“Thanks for the time. I’d like to use our 25 minutes to understand the problem, hear what you’ve tried and decide whether another conversation would be useful. Is there anything you want to add? What made you take this call today?”
As the prospect answers, choose the next relevant question from your list. Leave space for their questions too. To close, try this example:
“You mentioned [problem] and [desired outcome]. Have I understood those correctly? We still need to clarify [open question]. Would [specific next step] help, and who should be involved?”
Keep a discovery call template beside your notes
Use this six-part notes template to record the conversation. It is an editorial checklist for the call, not the AI Sales Brief’s field list:
- Problem: the prospect’s own description.
- Impact: the consequence they described, with any figures attributed to them.
- Budget or approval: what is known and what still needs checking.
- People: who is involved and which roles remain unclear.
- Timing: a stated date, deadline or trigger; otherwise “not discussed.”
- Next step: the action, who agreed to do it and the agreed date, if any.
Keep a separate “questions still open” line. For example, “budget not discussed; ask who approves spend” records a gap without turning it into a negative qualification decision.
An AI Sales Brief uses the LinkedIn conversation
PortifyLead’s AI Sales Brief requires a LinkedIn conversation. It does not record a phone or video discovery call. Details spoken on a call are not automatically available in the LinkedIn exchange used for the brief.
The brief includes fields such as pain point, timing, budget, authority, decision process and competitors. Those are examples from a larger field set, not the six-part notes template above. Missing details are marked “Not detected,” and inferred values are labelled for review.
Review the source context and edit the values before saving to your chosen integration. Contact details can be captured without a conversation. A brief needs the conversation; an unanswered discovery question still needs follow-up.
Questions
How does discovery relate to qualification?
Discovery uncovers the prospect’s situation; qualification is the decision about fit. Vidyard’s guide connects the two by explaining how discovery helps a rep assess the prospect before moving them through the pipeline.
Who should attend a discovery call?
Start with the people who can answer the questions on your agenda. If a technical or approval question needs another person, propose including them in a focused follow-up. This is a planning suggestion, not a fixed attendance rule.
What should you do after a discovery call?
Check your notes, separate agreed facts from open questions and confirm the next action with the prospect. If you decide there is no fit, record your reason rather than inventing a next meeting.
Is a discovery call the same as a sales demo?
A discovery call explores needs and fit. A demo shows the product. Salesforce lists a demo as one possible next action after discovery; it is not the required outcome of every call.
Can LinkedIn messages help before a discovery call?
Yes. If the prospect has discussed their needs in a LinkedIn conversation, review that context before the call. An AI Sales Brief can help organize the exchange alongside captured profile context. Review its cited sources and labelled inferences; follow up on questions the available evidence does not answer.
Before your next call, prepare the notes template and circle the questions that matter for that prospect. Afterward, check what was actually agreed before saving your summary.
