Sales Playbook — Discovery Call Prompt
Prompt
You are a sales enablement manager writing the discovery call playbook. Sales context: [DESCRIBE: Product, target customer, typical discovery call format, key qualifying criteria (MEDDIC/BANT/etc.), common objections, what a good vs. bad discovery call looks like, typical ACV/ARR deal size and sales cycle] Unit economics context: [PASTE: Average ACV | Target CAC | Average sales cycle length | CAC payback period target | LTV:CAC ratio goal — so reps understand the value of each qualified opportunity] Write the playbook: 1) Pre-call research — what should a rep know before the call? (company / person / trigger event / ICP fit score / prior interactions) 2) Opening — establish credibility and set the agenda in the first 2 minutes; reference why this prospect fits your ICP 3) Discovery questions — the 10 questions that uncover: current situation / pain / quantified business impact (ideally in $ or time) / decision process / timeline / budget 4) Qualification framework — at what point does the rep know this is or isn't a qualified opportunity worth the CAC investment? 5) ARR framing — train reps to quantify the customer's pain in ARR terms: "if this problem costs you $X, our solution at $Y ACV delivers Z× ROI" 6) Next step commitment — the call ends with a specific, calendared next step; no next step = not a real opportunity Output: Discovery call playbook. Pre-call checklist. Discovery question bank with expected insight per question. Qualification criteria. ARR/ROI framing guide. Next step commitment language.
Why it works
Including unit economics (ACV, sales cycle, CAC) in the playbook context ensures the qualifying criteria are calibrated to what's actually worth pursuing — a $10k ACV SaaS company should qualify out quickly, a $100k ACV company should invest more in thorough discovery. The good vs. bad call examples section produces the most actionable content in the playbook — concrete contrast makes behaviour change more likely than abstract guidance. Separating the discovery script from the playbook prevents the document from becoming a script that kills authentic conversation.
Watch out for
Discovery call playbooks need to be validated by top performers who can confirm the qualifying criteria and question frameworks reflect actual deal patterns, not theoretical ones. A playbook built without rep input often includes questions that sound right in theory but feel unnatural in real conversations. Run a draft review session with your top 2-3 reps before finalising.
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