GTM Club Newsletter

🚀 GTM Club Newsletter #16: To Find Gold, Dig Deeper

We're diving deep into the world of discovery. We explore how qualification and discovery work together to drive successful deals. You'll learn why pain points are central to both processes and why the most valuable discoveries in sales come from digging deeper than surface level.

Ilkka Vertanen - GTM Club Founder

29 Jun 2025 — 6 min read

Welcome to GTM Club Newsletter #16. Our programme today:

The relationship between discovery and qualification
Successful discovery goes way deeper than just surface level
Experts take on discovery
New talent pool candidate 🇫🇮
Summer schedule for GTM Club

It's Not Discovery or Qualification

While often mixed, discovery and qualification are not the same thing. Nor are they mutually exclusive.

Qualification: "Do they need what I'm selling? Can they afford it, and are they ready to buy?" Qualification helps you determine if a prospect is a good fit for your solution by evaluating specific criteria, such as need and urgency. Think of qualification as a filter that helps you focus your energy on prospects who truly need your solution and are likely to buy it.
Discovery: "What challenges are they facing, what are their goals, and what does success look like for them?" Discovery is about understanding your prospect's world. It's like being a detective who's genuinely curious about understanding your potential customer's needs, goals, and challenges.

Discovery builds relationships and uncovers needs, while qualification helps you decide if investing time in those relationships is worthwhile.

The relationship between qualification and discovery in sales. — While there is a clear overlap between qualification and discovery questions, they still serve different purposes.

The headline of this section says "Discovery or Qualification". That is not the correct approach to take at all.

A modern account executive on a discovery call with prospect. The AE is utilising AI tools to assist with the conversation.

How to Improve Discovery with AI?

AI is revolutionising how sellers conduct discovery conversations. AI-powered tools automate research, provide real-time assistance, and manage CRM notes. With AI, sales teams have more effective discovery conversations in less time.

A sales leader confidently presenting to a customer the benefits they can deliver. His presentation is based on thorough discovery.

How To Leverage the Discovered Information?

Discovery is key to winning larger deals more quickly. However, simply asking questions isn't enough; you need to leverage those answers effectively. Here we explore how to turn discovery into compelling arguments and practical sales tools at each step of the sales process.

A sales leader doing research before the first meeting with a prospect.

Different Qualification Criteria and Discovery Themes in Tech Sales

Effective sales in the B2B tech sector rely heavily on two interconnected processes: qualification and discovery. Qualification involves assessing whether a potential customer is a good fit for your solution, while discovery delves deeper into understanding their business context and specific needs.

A seller approaching on final discovery questions.

When Have You Asked Enough Discovery Questions?

When conducting discovery, knowing when you've asked enough questions isn't about hitting a magic number. It's about achieving a deep enough understanding to guide your prospect through the buying journey and decision-making process.