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Sales & Retail vocabulary · Sales Process & Pipeline

Discovery call

Meaning in sales & retail, with examples

/dɪˈskʌvəri ˌkɔːl/nounCore term

In sales & retail, discovery call means: An early conversation with a prospect in which the seller asks questions to understand their situation, problems and goals before suggesting a solution.

In Turkish: ihtiyaç analizi görüşmesi, keşif görüşmesi, tanışma görüşmesi

How it is used

Common in B2B and software sales, usually done by phone or video. The seller listens more than they talk. Also called a discovery meeting or needs analysis; the stage itself is often just called discovery.

Example sentences

  1. On the discovery call, I found out they're losing orders because their stock data is wrong.

  2. Don't show the product on a discovery call; just ask questions and listen.

Common collocations

  • book a discovery call
  • run a discovery call
  • discovery questions
  • discovery stage
  • pain pointA specific problem or frustration that a customer has, which a product or service could solve.
  • qualifyTo check whether a lead is worth pursuing by finding out if they have a real need, a budget, the authority to buy and a realistic timeline.
  • demoA live showing of how a product works, given to a potential customer so they can see how it would solve their problem.
  • sales cycleThe whole sequence of steps from the first contact with a potential customer to the signed deal, and the time this usually takes.
  • rapportA friendly, trusting connection between two people that makes communication easy, for example between a salesperson and a customer.

More terms: Sales Process & Pipeline

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