SaaS Backwards - Reverse Engineering SaaS Success Ep. 155 - You’re Probably Doing Discovery Wrong—And It’s Costing You Deals
Feb 21, 2025
Peter Cohan, author of 'Doing Discovery', dives into the pitfalls of traditional discovery methods in B2B SaaS sales. He reveals that 80% of sales teams struggle with discovery, leading to stalled deals. Rushing to demos without quantifying customer pain is a major mistake. Cohan emphasizes turning discovery into a collaborative conversation, introducing the concept of vision reengineering to educate buyers without overwhelming them. He also shares strategies for effective role plays and the importance of understanding the buying process.
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Head Of Sales Dunning‑Kruger Story
- Peter recounts a head of sales who estimated 20% do good discovery, yet 80% thought they did.
- The story illustrates the Dunning-Kruger gap in sales discovery confidence.
Discovery Skill Gap Is Massive
- Most sales teams believe they do discovery well, but the Dunning-Kruger effect hides real deficiency.
- Good discovery is far more than finding pain; it requires deeper, structured exploration of value.
Always Quantify Pain And Desired Outcome
- Whenever a prospect admits pain, ask "how long/how much/how often" to quantify the current state.
- Then ask what the desired future state looks like and compute the delta as tangible value.
