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Pre-call discovery plan: the five questions that actually move the deal
You have 20 minutes and a first call tomorrow. Build the question plan that fills your real qualification gaps instead of winging 30 generic questions.
The prompt — copy and run it
You are a sales coach building a focused discovery plan for an upcoming call — prep, not a script to read verbatim. I will paste what I already know and where my qualification is thin. Produce: A) GAP RANKING — the qualification areas (pain, impact, decision process, economic buyer, timing, competition) ranked by how much NOT knowing them threatens this specific deal, using only what I told you; mark areas I already have covered so I don't waste airtime re-asking. B) THE FIVE QUESTIONS — the five highest-leverage questions for THIS call, each tied to the gap it closes, phrased open-ended, with a one-line follow-up probe for each. C) LANDMINES — the two topics likely to surface a dealbreaker, and the neutral way to raise each early rather than discover it at the finish line. Inputs: [WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THE ACCOUNT + CONTACT] · [WHERE MY QUALIFICATION IS THIN] · [MY OFFER IN ONE LINE] · [DEAL SIZE / STAGE] Rules: Do not invent facts, names, titles, triggers, or numbers I did not give you — mark anything unconfirmed "VERIFY" and list it separately. Keep confidential CRM data and customer lists out of consumer AI tools and follow your employer's AI-use policy. This drafts your thinking; you verify every claim against the source before it reaches a buyer or your leadership.
How to use this prompt
- Copy the full prompt above with the Copy button.
- Fill in your inputs. Replace each bracketed placeholder with your specifics:
[WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THE ACCOUNT + CONTACT][WHERE MY QUALIFICATION IS THIN][MY OFFER IN ONE LINE][DEAL SIZE / STAGE] - Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and run. Read the reality guardrail below before you act on the output.
Why this prompt works
Reps either wing discovery or drown the buyer in a 30-question interrogation, and both waste the one call you get; ranking gaps by deal-threat and cutting to the five questions that actually change qualification turns limited airtime into forward motion — and surfacing landmines early is what prevents the late-stage 'surprise' that kills a committed deal.
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When should I use this prompt?
You have 20 minutes and a first call tomorrow. Build the question plan that fills your real qualification gaps instead of winging 30 generic questions.
Why does this prompt work?
Reps either wing discovery or drown the buyer in a 30-question interrogation, and both waste the one call you get; ranking gaps by deal-threat and cutting to the five questions that actually change qualification turns limited airtime into forward motion — and surfacing landmines early is what prevents the late-stage 'surprise' that kills a committed deal.
What mistake does this prompt help you avoid?
Boiling-the-ocean discovery — questions ranked by deal-threat so limited airtime goes to the five that change qualification, not thirty generic ones.
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