Prepare for a Discovery Call

Sales Representative, SDR and BDR, Sales Leader.

• Before any first or second call where the problem is not yet confirmed.
• When a deal is stalling and you realize discovery was skipped.

• Account name and what you know so far
• How the meeting was booked and who is attending
• The problem your product solves

Best for one task. Copy it, add your information, and run it in your AI assistant.

You are a sales coach helping me prepare a 30-minute discovery call with [ROLE] at [COMPANY]. Here is what I know: [paste notes]. Build a call plan: three hypotheses about their problem, two open questions that would confirm or kill each hypothesis, one question about how they buy (who else decides, how the last similar purchase went), and the single most important thing I must learn before the call ends. Do not script a pitch. Do not ask questions their website already answers.

Best for repeatable work. The file includes the process, required inputs, decision rules, quality checks, and output format.

---
name: prepare-discovery-call
description: A call plan with hypotheses, questions that test them, and the one thing you must learn before you leave.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: The Revenue AI Report
  version: 1.0.0
  last-reviewed: 2026-09-04
  source: https://www.therevenueaireport.com/skills/prepare-discovery-call
---

# Prepare for a Discovery Call

A call plan with hypotheses, questions that test them, and the one thing you must learn before you leave.

## When to use this skill

- Before any first or second call where the problem is not yet confirmed.
- When a deal is stalling and you realize discovery was skipped.

## Inputs to collect

- Account name and what you know so far
- How the meeting was booked and who is attending
- The problem your product solves

## Process

1. Write down what you actually know versus what you assume.
2. Generate the plan, then cut questions their website answers.
3. Pick the five questions you will really ask. Thirty minutes allows about five.
4. Decide the disqualifying answer for each hypothesis before the call.
5. After the call, score each hypothesis: confirmed, killed, or still open.

## Decision rules

- A hypothesis with no disqualifying answer is a bias, not a hypothesis. Rewrite it.
- If the attendee cannot describe how purchases get approved, book someone who can before proposing anything.
- If all three hypotheses die on the call, disqualify fast and say why.

## Output requirements

- Three hypotheses with test questions.
- One buying-process question.
- The must-learn item for the call.
- A post-call scorecard: confirmed, killed, open.

## Quality checks

- Questions are open and cannot be answered with yes or no.
- No question asks for information already public.
- Each hypothesis has a defined kill answer.

## Limitations

- The AI cannot read the room. The plan is a starting grid, not a script.
- It does not know your history with the account. Adjust before you dial.

## Example input

VP Sales at a 400-person SaaS firm, inbound demo request after their Series C. Attendee ran sales ops at a previous company that bought a competitor.

## Example output

Hypothesis 1: the raise created a board-mandated pipeline target the current process cannot hit. Test: what did the board ask the revenue team to prove this year? Kill answer: no new target, hiring ahead of plan. Must-learn: who owns the decision and what happened the last time they bought sales software.

## Review checklist

- Five questions or fewer?
- One buying-process question included?
- Kill answers written before the call?

## Works with

- Playbook: Zapier + ChatGPT inbound lead summarizer (L1) (sales, L1) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/playbooks/zapier-chatgpt-inbound-summarizer-l1
- Playbook: AI first-draft renewal briefs (L1) (cs, L1) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/playbooks/cs-renewal-brief-drafts-l1
- Playbook: Score your ICP on stack density (L4) (revops, L4) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/playbooks/score-icp-on-stack-density-l4
- Tool: Calendly (Sales focus) (Sales & Revenue Intelligence) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/tools/calendly-sales-focus
- Tool: Vowel (Meeting & Voice AI) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/tools/vowel
- Tool: Jiminny (Meeting & Voice AI) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/tools/jiminny
- Tool: Gong (Sales & Revenue Intelligence) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/tools/gong
- Tool: Forecastio (Sales & Revenue Intelligence) https://www.therevenueaireport.com/tools/forecastio

## Rules of conduct

- Write for a Director, VP, or operator. Short sentences. Explain uncommon terms.
- Separate facts from assumptions. Never hide uncertainty.
- Do not invent numbers, benchmarks, quotes, or customer names.
- Do not send messages, change CRM records, or publish anything unless the user explicitly asks.
- Flag when a decision needs human review.

## Evidence

This skill is grounded in The Revenue AI Report research:
- https://www.therevenueaireport.com/research/four-answers





Source and updates: https://www.therevenueaireport.com/skills/prepare-discovery-call

1. 1.Write down what you actually know versus what you assume.
2. 2.Generate the plan, then cut questions their website answers.
3. 3.Pick the five questions you will really ask. Thirty minutes allows about five.
4. 4.Decide the disqualifying answer for each hypothesis before the call.
5. 5.After the call, score each hypothesis: confirmed, killed, or still open.

• A hypothesis with no disqualifying answer is a bias, not a hypothesis. Rewrite it.
• If the attendee cannot describe how purchases get approved, book someone who can before proposing anything.
• If all three hypotheses die on the call, disqualify fast and say why.

• Three hypotheses with test questions.
• One buying-process question.
• The must-learn item for the call.
• A post-call scorecard: confirmed, killed, open.

VP Sales at a 400-person SaaS firm, inbound demo request after their Series C. Attendee ran sales ops at a previous company that bought a competitor.

Hypothesis 1: the raise created a board-mandated pipeline target the current process cannot hit. Test: what did the board ask the revenue team to prove this year? Kill answer: no new target, hiring ahead of plan. Must-learn: who owns the decision and what happened the last time they bought sales software.

• Five questions or fewer?
• One buying-process question included?
• Kill answers written before the call?

What does the Prepare for a Discovery Call skill do?

A call plan with hypotheses, questions that test them, and the one thing you must learn before you leave.

Who is the Prepare for a Discovery Call skill for?

Sales Representative, SDR and BDR, Sales Leader. It sits at the start here level and takes about 15 minutes.

What do I need before I start?

Collect these first: Account name and what you know so far; How the meeting was booked and who is attending; The problem your product solves.

What is the difference between the quick prompt and the SKILL.md file?

The quick prompt is for one task. Copy it, add your information, run it. The SKILL.md file is for repeatable work: it carries the process, required inputs, decision rules, quality checks, and output format so an AI assistant runs the same way every time.

What should I check before trusting the output?

Five questions or fewer? One buying-process question included? Kill answers written before the call?

Is it free to use?

Yes. Every skill on The Revenue AI Report is free and published under the MIT license. Attribution is welcome, not required.

• The AI cannot read the room. The plan is a starting grid, not a script.
• It does not know your history with the account. Adjust before you dial.

Run the skill, then roll it out with a playbook. Vendor links are supporting context, not a recommendation.

• Playbook: Zapier + ChatGPT inbound lead summarizer (L1) (sales, L1 L1 Starter)
• Playbook: AI first-draft renewal briefs (L1) (cs, L1 L1 Starter)
• Playbook: Score your ICP on stack density (L4) (revops, L4 L4 Orchestrated)
• Tool: Calendly (Sales focus) (Sales & Revenue Intelligence)
• Tool: Vowel (Meeting & Voice AI)
• Tool: Jiminny (Meeting & Voice AI)
• Tool: Gong (Sales & Revenue Intelligence)
• Tool: Forecastio (Sales & Revenue Intelligence)

• Research: four answers