What questions should you ask on a discovery call?

Cover four areas: how they handle the task today, what is not working and what they have tried, what the problem costs and what happens if it stays unsolved, and how decisions get made, including who signs off, the budget, the timeline and any security or procurement steps.

How long should a B2B discovery call be?

Thirty minutes works for most first calls. Use the first few minutes to set the agenda, most of the call on questions, about five minutes on a short, relevant overview, and the last five on booking a specific next meeting with the right people in the calendar.

How do you end a discovery call with a next step?

Ask whether it makes sense to look at the problem in more detail, who else should join the next conversation and what they would need to see to move forward. Then book the meeting while you are still on the call instead of promising to send times later.

Free template · Sales process & deals

The Discovery Call Question Bank

35 discovery questions grouped by situation, problem, impact and decision process, plus a notes sheet.

PDF · 6 pages

What's inside

A 30-minute discovery call structure
35 questions grouped by what you need to learn
Follow-up prompts that get deeper answers
A one-page discovery notes template

Who it's for

Founders and AEs running first sales calls.

Why it matters

Founders on first calls tend to pitch too early. They hear a hint of interest and start explaining the product, then leave without knowing who decides, what the problem costs or why the buyer would act now. A bank of questions grouped by what you need to learn keeps you asking until those answers are clear.

Discovery is also where you decide whether a deal is real. Early teams have little time, and chasing a buyer with no budget or no urgency costs weeks. Writing the problem in the buyer's own words gives you material you can reuse later in the demo, the proposal and the follow-up emails.

How to use it

1Open the call with the agenda talk track: agree the time, explain you will ask questions first, and ask what the buyer wants to make sure you cover.
2Choose a few questions from each group: situation, problem, impact and decision process. You will not need all 35 on a single call.
3When an answer is short or vague, use the follow-up prompts such as "Tell me more" or "Can you give me an example?" before moving on.
4Keep the product overview to the final part of the call and cover only the parts that match what you heard.
5Fill in the discovery notes sheet straight after the call, including the people involved, their role in the decision and the agreed next step and date.

Read alongside it

Follow Enablemnt AI on LinkedInShort, practical posts on GTM, outbound and RevOps for early-stage B2B founders.Follow

The Discovery Call Question Bank: FAQ

What questions should you ask on a discovery call?: Cover four areas: how they handle the task today, what is not working and what they have tried, what the problem costs and what happens if it stays unsolved, and how decisions get made, including who signs off, the budget, the timeline and any security or procurement steps.
How long should a B2B discovery call be?: Thirty minutes works for most first calls. Use the first few minutes to set the agenda, most of the call on questions, about five minutes on a short, relevant overview, and the last five on booking a specific next meeting with the right people in the calendar.
How do you end a discovery call with a next step?: Ask whether it makes sense to look at the problem in more detail, who else should join the next conversation and what they would need to see to move forward. Then book the meeting while you are still on the call instead of promising to send times later.

More free templates

View all 45

Rather have it built than download it?

We build your ICP, CRM and live outbound in a 14-day sprint, documented and handed over.

Join the sprint