Structuring a Discovery Call for Corporate Training Buyers

When approaching a potential client for a corporate training service, it's essential to consider their unique needs and priorities to ensure a successful partnership. By structuring the initial conversation in a strategic way, you can establish trust, build rapport, and set yourself up for success. To start, take the time to research the organisation and gather information about their current challenges, goals, and pain points. Begin by introducing yourself, your company, and the services you offer, and ask open-ended questions to gauge their interest and concerns. Ask about their current training processes, what they're trying to achieve with their training initiatives, and what their biggest challenges are. This will help you tailor your conversation to their specific needs and build a connection with them on an individual level.

Key Considerations

When structuring a discovery call with a corporate training buyer, it is essential to consider their specific pain points and objectives. Start by asking open-ended questions to gain insight into the organisation's current challenges and goals in relation to training and development, such as what initiatives are currently underway or what outcomes they aim to achieve. This will help you understand the buyer's needs and tailor your approach accordingly. It is also crucial to clarify their expectations for a potential partnership or solution, including any specific requirements or timelines. By taking a structured approach, you can ensure that you gather valuable information and set yourself up for success in providing an effective training solution.

Practical Steps

To make the most of your discovery call with a corporate training buyer, it's essential to start by building rapport and establishing trust from the outset. Begin by asking open-ended questions to understand their current pain points and learning objectives, such as "What are the key skills or knowledge gaps you'd like to address in your team?" or "How do you currently measure the effectiveness of your training programmes?" As you delve deeper into their needs, take notes on any specific requirements or restrictions they mention, such as budget constraints or limited availability. This information will help you tailor your response and demonstrate how your solution can meet their unique requirements, ultimately increasing the chances of securing a sale.

How to structure a corporate discovery call

A discovery call exists to understand the buyer's problem, not to pitch your course. Open by asking what prompted the enquiry and what "success" would look like six months after the training. Explore who the learners are, their current level, and any constraints on time, budget and dates. Only near the end should you sketch how you might help, and even then as a proposal to confirm rather than a fixed pitch. The buyer should do most of the talking.

A worked example

A provider takes a discovery call with an operations director wanting "leadership training." By asking what triggered it, they learn that newly promoted supervisors are struggling with difficult conversations. The real need is a focused programme on feedback and conflict, not a broad leadership course. The proposal that follows lands because it addresses the actual problem the buyer described in their own words.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Pitching your course before understanding the problem.
• Accepting the buyer's first framing without probing the real need.
• Dominating the conversation instead of listening.
• Ending without a clear, agreed next step.

Discovery call checklist

• Ask what prompted the enquiry and what success looks like.
• Understand the learners, their level and constraints.
• Let the buyer do most of the talking.
• Close with an agreed next step.

Why the discovery call is for listening, not pitching

The instinct on a discovery call is to demonstrate expertise by describing your courses. This instinct, indulged, usually loses the work. A corporate buyer rarely knows exactly what training they need; they know they have a problem. A call spent pitching solutions before that problem is understood produces a proposal aimed at the wrong target, however polished. The discovery call exists to draw out the real need, which is often different from the buyer's opening description. The most useful thing a provider can do is ask what prompted the enquiry and what success would look like months later, then listen. The buyer should do most of the talking. Only near the end, once the actual problem is clear, should the provider sketch how they might help, and even then as a proposal to confirm rather than a fixed pitch. Discovery, done properly, is the foundation on which a winning proposal is built.

In this issue, we delve into the world of e-learning, offering expert advice on navigating complex provider relationships and effective learner communication strategies to boost student satisfaction. — Editor, Eturing Co