The most awkward moments are over: You made the cold call. You stirred some interest. You earned the privilege to have a discovery call.

That single call could be the most important step in the sales process. You established some rapport through the cold call or successful marketing effort, but the discovery call will set the tone for the relationship with prospects (or soon-to-be-customers).

Now’s the time to learn and understand the prospects’ needs, pain points and goals. Then build the bridge between those and your solution.

The anatomy of a successful discovery call

Here’s a breakdown of the most successful discovery calls:

1. Rapport building (25%)
2. Questions and answers to uncover three to four business problems (50%)
3. Wrap-up logistics and next steps (25%)

Let’s look at each component more closely:

Rapport building

Salespeople can’t depend solely on the strength of rapport built during cold calls to…