What are some best practices in discovery and process management you've seen amongst your highest-performing sales reps. What are common pitfalls you see?

I am so glad you asked this question - discovery and storytelling is such a huge passion of mine, so happy to share my perspective:

Best Practices I See From Top-Performing Sellers

1. Deep Discovery During Every Interaction – High performers never stop doing discovery - every conversation is an opportunity to learn more from your prospects/customers. While doing discovery, they don’t just ask closed ended (yes/no) questions, instead they focus on open-ended questioning (e.g., “Can you tell me more about that?” or “What happens if this problem isn’t solved?”). They uncover not just pain points but the underlying business drivers.

2. Structured and Flexible Approach – They follow a repeatable discovery framework but remain flexible, adjusting based on the conversation rather than checking boxes.

3. Active Listening & Strategic Note-Taking – Instead of rushing to pitch, they actively listen to their audience, ensure they summarize key points, and document these insights that allow for them to reference in future conversations (e.g., using Gong or CRM notes to track recurring themes).

4. Customer-Centric Positioning – Sellers will then translate what they learn into highly relevant recommendations, aligning their messaging with the prospect’s specific needs instead of delivering generic value props.

5. Multi-Threading Early – Top sellers engage multiple stakeholders early, and often, ensuring broader buy-in and reducing the risk of deals stalling due to a single point of contact.

The best reps, the ones consistently crushing quota, have a well-defined process for discovery.

These reps enter discovery calls with confidence, having done their homework on the customer. This allows them to focus on building rapport while smoothly transitioning to the issues that matter most to the prospect.

They keep the conversation natural and conversational but are ready to pivot into relevant slides that highlight the customer’s pain points—ensuring that the prospect feels the call was valuable and insightful.

Top-performing reps never pitch the product during discovery. Instead, they show genuine interest in understanding the customer’s pain, hinting that when it’s time for the demo, "you’ll like what you see."

PRO TIP: The key to a successful discovery is preparation, empathy, and restraint—focusing on the prospect's needs without rushing into a sales pitch.