The idea
Question-Led Discovery runs on a fixed order of questions. First the facts of their situation, then questions that help them notice what is not working, then what that costs them if nothing changes, and only then a commitment. You never tell them what their problem is.
What it trains: Helping the buyer discover the problem themselves, with a sequence of questions that never sounds like selling.
How it works
Facts first
Start with how things work today. A problem built on guesses falls apart at the close.
Let them name it
Keep asking from different angles until the buyer says what is broken, in their words.
Ask about the cost of doing nothing
Once the problem is named, ask what happens if nothing changes, in their numbers and on their timeline.
Stay curious and detached
A neutral, slightly puzzled tone keeps it from sounding like a pitch. No chasing, no thanking them for their time.
When it fits
Good for
- Buyers who push back when told about their own business
- Sellers who pitch before the problem is clear
- Longer discovery calls
Less suited to
- Buyers who arrive already sold
- Calls with only a few minutes available
How Selly coaches it
Selly coaches the question that gets the problem into the buyer’s mouth, never a line that tells them. When the buyer starts asking how it works, Selly moves you towards commitment, not more discovery.
The buyer you practise against
An owner whose enquiries quietly leak money, who has never said so out loud and pushes back when strangers tell them about their own business.
In every style, Selly marks down anything invented to win a point, and a clear refusal ends the call.