# Discovery Guide > Run structured discovery calls using SPIN, Sandler, or Challenger frameworks with tailored question sets and call guides. Use this skill whenever a rep needs help preparing discovery questions, is about to do a first call with a new prospect, wants a discovery call template, says "what questions should I ask", "help me prepare for a discovery call", "I need a call guide", or is working on improvi… - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-jbalbu01-sales-enablement-plugin-discovery-guide` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [jbalbu01](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jbalbu01) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [jbalbu01](https://github.com/jbalbu01) - **Source:** https://github.com/jbalbu01/sales-enablement-plugin/tree/main/skills/discovery-guide ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-jbalbu01-sales-enablement-plugin-discovery-guide ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Discovery Guide Help reps run better discovery calls by asking the right questions in the right order. Discovery is the most important part of the sales process — everything downstream (demo, proposal, close) depends on how well you understand the prospect's situation. ## Why Discovery Matters Bad discovery leads to generic demos, weak proposals, and lost deals. Good discovery: - Uncovers the real problem (not just the stated one) - Identifies all stakeholders and their priorities - Quantifies the impact of the problem (sets up ROI conversations) - Establishes urgency and timeline - Gives you everything you need for a compelling demo and proposal --- ## How It Works ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ DISCOVERY GUIDE │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ MODES │ │ 1. Call Prep — Generate a tailored discovery guide for a call │ │ 2. Framework Training — Learn SPIN, Sandler, or Challenger │ │ 3. Question Library — Browse questions by topic and stage │ │ 4. Call Review — Evaluate discovery quality from a transcript │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ FRAMEWORKS │ │ • SPIN — Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff │ │ • Sandler — Pain, Budget, Decision │ │ • Challenger — Teach, Tailor, Take Control │ │ • MEDDIC-aligned — Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ SUPERCHARGED (when you connect your tools) │ │ + ~~CRM: Deal/contact/company data for pre-call context │ │ + ~~conversation intelligence (Gong): Past calls with prospect │ │ + ~~conversation intelligence (Gong): Call review from transcript│ │ + ~~data enrichment (ZoomInfo): Company research, org chart │ │ + ~~data enrichment (Clay): Person enrichment for attendees │ │ + ~~data enrichment (LinkedIn): Prospect profiles and background│ │ + ~~calendar/email: Meeting context and prior correspondence │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` --- ## Getting Started - "Prepare discovery questions for my call with [Company]" - "Give me a SPIN framework call guide for [industry/persona]" - "What questions should I ask a VP of Engineering about [topic]?" - "Build a discovery question library for our SDR team" - "Review my discovery call transcript — did I miss anything?" --- ## Execution Flow ### Step 0: Automatic Data Pull (Before Asking the User Anything) **CRITICAL:** Before asking for prospect context, pull everything available from connected tools. The best discovery calls start with thorough pre-call research — and tools can do that research in seconds. #### CRM Data Pull Check if you have access to CRM tools (look for tools containing `search_crm_objects`, `get_crm_objects`, or similar). If CRM tools ARE available: 1. **Find the deal.** Search `deals` for the company/prospect name the user mentioned. - Properties: `dealname`, `amount`, `dealstage`, `closedate`, `pipeline`, `hubspot_owner_id`, `dealtype`, `description`, `notes_last_contacted`, `num_notes` 2. **Pull contacts.** Get associated contacts for the deal. - Properties: `firstname`, `lastname`, `jobtitle`, `email`, `phone`, `company`, `lifecyclestage` - Identify which contact the rep is meeting 3. **Pull company.** Get associated company data. - Properties: `name`, `domain`, `industry`, `numberofemployees`, `annualrevenue`, `description`, `about_us`, `founded_year`, `country` - Use this to pre-fill the "Pre-Call Context" and skip Situation Questions you already know answers to #### Sales Intelligence Data Pull Check if you have access to sales intelligence tools (look for tools prefixed with `zoominfo_`, `clay_`, `linkedin_`). **ZoomInfo** (if available): 1. **Research the company.** Use `zoominfo_search_company` with the prospect company name/domain. - Company size, revenue, funding, tech stack, industry 2. **Get org chart.** Use `zoominfo_get_org_chart` to understand the prospect's reporting structure. - Who does your contact report to? (potential Economic Buyer) - Who reports to your contact? (potential users/influencers) 3. **Get tech stack.** Use `zoominfo_get_tech_stack` for the prospect company. - Know what tools they use today — feeds Situation Questions and competitive context **Clay** (if available): 1. **Enrich the contact.** Use `clay_enrich_person` with the attendee's email or name+company. - Background, tenure, career path — personalization gold for building rapport **LinkedIn** (if available): 1. **Get prospect profile.** Use `linkedin_get_profile` for the meeting attendee. - Career history, education, shared connections, recent activity - Feeds the "Build Rapport" section of the call guide 2. **Search the company.** Use `linkedin_search_companies` for company updates, hiring trends. #### Gong Data Pull Check if you have access to Gong tools (look for tools prefixed with `gong_`). If Gong tools ARE available: **For Call Prep mode:** 1. **Search for prior calls with this prospect.** Use `gong_search_calls` with company name or contact email. 2. **If prior calls exist,** pull transcripts and analytics: - What was discussed previously? (don't repeat questions they already answered) - What pain points were uncovered? (go deeper this time) - Were there any unresolved objections? (prepare for these) - What next steps were agreed? (follow up on commitments) **For Call Review mode:** 1. **Pull the call transcript.** Use `gong_get_transcript` with the call ID. 2. **Pull call analytics.** Use `gong_get_call_details` for talk ratio, question count, topics. 3. Pre-fill the evaluation metrics with actual data. #### Calendar/Email Data Pull If calendar/email tools are available (`outlook_calendar_search`, `outlook_email_search`): 1. Search for the meeting details — attendees, agenda, any prep notes 2. Search email history with the prospect — prior correspondence reveals context 3. Check for any materials shared by or to the prospect #### Present What You Found > "I pulled context for your call with **[Name], [Title]** at **[Company]**: a **[industry]** company with **[N] employees** and **$[X] revenue**. Per ZoomInfo, they use [Tech Stack]. Per LinkedIn, [Name] has been in this role for [N] years, previously at [Company]. Per CRM, this is a **$[X] deal** in **[Stage]** stage. [If prior calls exist:] I found **[N] prior Gong calls** — last call covered [topics]. Building your discovery guide now..." ### Step 1: Gather Remaining Context After the auto-pull, ask ONLY for what couldn't be found: - **Framework preference** — SPIN, Sandler, Challenger, or "whatever works" - **Your goal for this call** — What specific things do you need to learn? - **What you sell** — If not in memory/product.md When tools are connected, you already have prospect context, company data, and prior interaction history. ### Step 2: Generate the Call Guide Build using ALL evidence. Mark Situation Questions as "SKIP — already known from research" when the answer is in the tool data. Cite: "Per CRM:", "Per ZoomInfo:", "Per Gong:", "Per LinkedIn:" ### Step 3: Store Insights - After the call, update `memory/deal-patterns.md` with discovery findings - Note the prospect's qualification status for the deal-qualification skill --- ## What I Need From You (When Tools Aren't Connected) For a tailored call guide: 1. **Who are you meeting?** — Name, title, company 2. **What do you sell?** — Your product and key value propositions 3. **What do you know already?** — Any context from prior conversations or research 4. **What's the goal?** — First meeting? Follow-up? What do you need to learn? 5. **Framework preference?** — SPIN, Sandler, Challenger, or "whatever works" --- ## The SPIN Framework The most universally applicable discovery framework. Questions progress through four stages, each building on the last: ### S — Situation Questions Understand their current state. Keep these brief — don't interrogate. You should know most of this from research. Purpose: Establish context without wasting the prospect's time. ### P — Problem Questions Identify pain points, challenges, and gaps in their current approach. Purpose: Get the prospect to articulate what's not working. ### I — Implication Questions Explore the consequences of the problem. This is where deals are won or lost — most reps skip this entirely. Purpose: Help the prospect realize the problem is bigger than they thought. ### N — Need-Payoff Questions Get the prospect to describe how a solution would improve their situation. Let them sell themselves. Purpose: The prospect articulates the value, not you. --- ## Output Format: Call Guide ```markdown # Discovery Call Guide: [Company Name] **Prospect:** [Name, Title] **Company:** [Company] — [Brief description] **Date:** [Call date] **Framework:** [SPIN / Sandler / Challenger] **Goal:** [What you need to learn from this call] --- ## Pre-Call Context [What you already know about the prospect and company, relevant news, any prior interactions] --- ## Opening (2-3 minutes) **Agenda Set:** > "Thanks for making time, [Name]. I was hoping to learn more about [their situation] and see if there's a fit. I've got a few questions, and of course I want to leave time for yours too. Does that work?" **Build Rapport:** - [Personal connection point from research] - [Company-specific observation: recent news, growth, initiative] --- ## Situation Questions (3-5 minutes) Keep brief — show you've done your homework. 1. "[Question about their current setup/process]" 2. "[Question about team structure or ownership]" 3. "[Question about tools they're using today]" **Listen for:** [What signals to pay attention to] --- ## Problem Questions (5-8 minutes) This is where discovery really begins. 1. "[Question about challenges with current approach]" 2. "[Question about what's not working]" 3. "[Question about what they've tried before]" 4. "[Question about impact on their goals]" **Listen for:** [Pain indicators, frustration signals] **Follow-up prompts:** - "Tell me more about that..." - "How does that affect [downstream outcome]?" - "How long has that been an issue?" --- ## Implication Questions (5-8 minutes) Help them connect the dots to bigger consequences. 1. "[Question about business impact: revenue, cost, time]" 2. "[Question about team impact: morale, productivity, retention]" 3. "[Question about strategic impact: competitive position, growth goals]" 4. "[Question about what happens if they don't solve this]" **Listen for:** [Quantifiable impact, emotional reactions, urgency signals] --- ## Need-Payoff Questions (3-5 minutes) Let them describe the ideal outcome. 1. "If you could wave a magic wand, what would [process/outcome] look like?" 2. "What would solving [problem] mean for [their goals]?" 3. "How would your team's day-to-day change if [pain point] went away?" **Listen for:** [Their vision of success — use this in your proposal] --- ## Qualification Check Before wrapping, confirm: - [ ] **Pain:** Clearly articulated problem with measurable impact - [ ] **Champion:** This person can advocate internally - [ ] **Timeline:** There's a reason to act now (or within a defined window) - [ ] **Budget:** They have or can get the resources - [ ] **Decision Process:** You understand who else is involved --- ## Close the Call **Summarize:** > "Let me make sure I've got this right — [recap key pain points and desired outcomes]." **Propose Next Step:** > "Based on what you've shared, I think [specific next step] would be valuable. How does [date/time] look?" --- ## Notes Template After the call, capture: - **Key pains:** [What they said in their words] - **Impact:** [Quantified if possible] - **Decision process:** [Who, how, timeline] - **Next step:** [What you agreed to] - **Red flags:** [Anything concerning] ``` --- ## Question Library When building a reusable question library, I'll organize questions by: 1. **Framework stage** (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff) 2. **Buyer persona** (C-suite, VP, Director, IC) 3. **Industry vertical** (SaaS, Healthcare, Financial Services, etc.) 4. **Topic area** (Budget, Timeline, Decision Process, Technical Requirements, etc.) --- ## Call Review Mode Paste a transcript or notes from a discovery call, and I'll evaluate: 1. **Coverage** — Did you hit all four SPIN stages? 2. **Depth** — Did you go deep enough on implications? 3. **Balance** — Prospect talk time vs. rep talk time (aim for 60/40 prospect) 4. **Missed Opportunities** — Questions you should have asked 5. **Next Steps** — What to follow up on based on what was uncovered --- ## Related Skills - **deal-qualification** — Use discovery findings to formally qualify the deal - **objection-handling** — Handle objections that surface during discovery - **proposal-builder** — Turn discovery insights into a compelling proposal - **buyer-persona** — Understand your buyer before the call ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [jbalbu01](https://github.com/jbalbu01) - **Source:** [jbalbu01/sales-enablement-plugin](https://github.com/jbalbu01/sales-enablement-plugin) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-jbalbu01-sales-enablement-plugin-discovery-guide - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jbalbu01 - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.