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Most salespeople show up to discovery calls with questions. That’s not wrong. But it’s not enough.
The reps who win show up with a point of view.
There’s a difference between asking “So, tell me about your situation” and saying “I noticed your VP of Sales was only with you for about 18 months. Usually when a company is filling that role again that quickly, there’s something specific they’re looking for that wasn’t there the first time. Is that what’s happening here, or is it something else?”
The first question makes your prospect do all the work. The second one shows you’ve done your homework, demonstrates your expertise, and invites them into a real conversation. That’s what showing up with a point of view looks like.
Key Takeaways:
- A point of view question has three parts: an observation, a hypothesis based on your expertise, and an open question
- This approach lets you skip baseline questions and go deeper faster on discovery calls
- Even when your hypothesis is wrong, you get better information than if you’d asked a generic question
- Developing a point of view takes about three minutes of pre-call research on one specific thing
Who This Is For:
This is for B2B sales professionals who want to differentiate themselves on discovery calls. If you’ve ever felt like the first 10 minutes of a call are wasted on basic questions you could have answered yourself, or if you’ve struggled to build credibility quickly with skeptical buyers, this approach will change how you prepare for and run your calls.
Why Your Questions Aren’t Working
Here’s something worth knowing: 76% of top performers say they “always” perform research before reaching out to prospects, according to LinkedIn’s Global State of Sales research. But research alone isn’t the differentiator. It’s what you do with that research that matters.
Most reps who do pre-call research use it to ask slightly better versions of the same basic questions everyone else asks. They’ll say things like “I saw you recently expanded into the European market, can you tell me more about that?”
That’s fine. But it’s still putting the burden on your prospect to educate you. You’ve shown you can read a press release. You haven’t shown that you understand their world.
A point of view flips this dynamic. Instead of asking them to explain their situation, you’re sharing what you believe their situation might look like based on your expertise. Then you’re inviting them to confirm, correct, or expand on it.
This builds trust faster because it demonstrates two things at once: you’ve done your homework, and you have relevant experience that makes your perspective valuable.
The Three Parts of a Point of View Question
Every strong point of view question has the same structure. There are three parts, and you need all of them.
Part One: The Observation
This is something specific you noticed during your pre-call research. It should be factual and verifiable. You’re not guessing here. You’re stating something you actually found.
Examples of good observations:
- “I noticed your CEO has been with the organization for over 15 years”
- “Looking at your leadership page, it seems like most of your executive team joined within the last two years”
- “I saw that your company has grown from 50 to 200 employees in the past 18 months”
- “I noticed this is a newly created role for your organization”
The observation grounds the conversation in something real. It shows you’ve done actual research, not just skimmed their homepage.
Part Two: The Hypothesis
This is where your expertise comes in. Based on the observation, what do you believe this usually means? What patterns have you seen with other companies in similar situations?
This is the part most salespeople skip because it feels risky. You’re saying “based on my experience, here’s what I think is going on.” But this is exactly what earns trust. You’re demonstrating that you’ve seen this situation before and you have perspective on it.
Examples of hypotheses paired with the observations above:
- “In our experience, when someone has been in seat that long, there’s often a lot of institutional knowledge that needs to be transferred”
- “Usually when we see that much change at the executive level, there’s a broader transformation happening”
- “When companies grow that quickly, they’re often looking for leaders with high-growth experience”
Notice these aren’t absolute statements. Words like “usually,” “often,” and “in our experience” give you room to be wrong while still demonstrating expertise.
Part Three: The Open Question
This is where you hand it back to them. You’ve made your observation. You’ve shared your hypothesis. Now you’re asking them to tell you what’s actually true for them.
The key here is to make the question genuinely open. You’re not fishing for a “yes.” You’re inviting them to correct you if you’re wrong.
Good ways to close the point of view question:
- “Is that what you’re experiencing, or is something else going on?”
- “Is that also important to you, or is there something else that’s more of a priority right now?”
- “Is that the case for you, or are you finding something different?”
- “Does that match what you’re seeing internally?”
Why Being Wrong Is Still Valuable
Here’s something that surprises people about this approach: even when your hypothesis is completely wrong, you still win.
Think about it. If you say “Usually when a company is filling this role again after only 18 months, there’s something specific they were missing the first time” and they respond with “Actually, no, that’s not it at all. Our previous person got an incredible opportunity and we were sad to see her go. We’re really just looking for someone similar,” you now have crucial information.
You know this isn’t a corrective hire. You know they were happy with the previous person. You know “similar to what we had” is probably more important than “different from what we had.”
Everyone else who asked “So, tell me about this role” is going to assume this is a problem-based hire. They’re going to pitch solutions to problems that don’t exist. You’re not going to make that mistake because you had a point of view and it surfaced the real story.
This is why I tell people: your hypothesis doesn’t have to be right. It just has to be specific enough to get a real response.
Two Point of View Templates That Work Every Time
If you’re not sure where to start, here are two angles that work in almost any B2B sales context.
Template One: Tenure of the Previous Person
If tenure was long (5+ years): “I noticed [person] was in this role for [X years]. In our experience, when someone has been in seat that long, there’s usually a lot of institutional knowledge tied up in that individual and some real conversations happening about what this change means for the team. Is that what you’re navigating right now?”
If tenure was short (under 2 years): “I see that [person] was only in this role for about [X months]. Usually when an organization is going back to market that quickly, there’s something specific they’re looking for that wasn’t quite there the first time. What’s different about this search?”
Template Two: Pace of Change
If they’ve been growing rapidly: “Looking at your trajectory, it looks like you’ve been in a real growth phase. When we work with companies scaling at that pace, they’re often dealing with infrastructure that hasn’t caught up to headcount. Is that something you’re feeling right now?”
If they’ve had leadership change: “I noticed there’s been quite a bit of change at the executive level recently. Usually that signals some kind of strategic shift. Without asking you to share anything confidential, I’m curious whether this role is connected to that broader change.”
How to Find Your Observation in Three Minutes
You don’t need an hour of research. You need three focused minutes looking for one thing you can comment on.
Check LinkedIn profiles for tenure and career paths. Look at their leadership page for recent executive changes. Scan for press releases about funding, expansion, or strategic shifts. Check their job postings to see what else they’re hiring for.
You’re not trying to learn everything. You’re trying to find one specific, observable fact that you can pair with your expertise to form a hypothesis.
Making It Automatic
The first few times you do this, it will feel awkward. You’ll worry your hypothesis is wrong. Push through that discomfort.
The more you practice showing up with a point of view, the more natural it becomes. Your discovery calls will get shorter and more productive. You’ll skip the baseline questions. You’ll get to real conversation faster. Your prospects will feel heard and understood, not interrogated.
That’s how you earn trust fast. Not by having all the answers. By showing up with a perspective and being genuinely curious about whether it’s right.
FAQs
What if I can’t find anything interesting in my pre-call research?
You can always find something. Company age, team size, how long the person you’re meeting has been in their role. If you truly can’t find a single observable fact, that itself is interesting. You might say “I noticed there’s not a lot of public information out there about your organization. I’m curious whether that’s intentional or just not a priority right now.”
Isn’t it risky to make assumptions about a prospect’s situation?
You’re not making assumptions. You’re forming a hypothesis based on observation, then explicitly asking if it’s correct. “Usually this means X, is that true for you?” is very different from “So obviously you’re dealing with X.” One invites conversation. The other presumes.
What if my hypothesis offends them?
Stick to business observations. Tenure, growth, organizational change, hiring patterns. Avoid anything that feels like personal judgment. When in doubt, focus your observation on the company or the role, not the individual.
How do I get better at forming hypotheses?
Pay attention to patterns in your deals. What do companies in similar situations usually experience? What challenges tend to come with rapid growth, or leadership change, or long-tenured employees leaving? Your expertise is the raw material for hypotheses. The more deals you see, the better your instincts become.
Does this work for cold outreach or just scheduled discovery calls?
It works for both. In cold outreach, your point of view goes in the email or the first 30 seconds of a cold call. It’s actually even more powerful in cold outreach because it immediately differentiates you from everyone else who leads with a generic pitch.
What framework can I use to build a point of view before discovery calls?
Use the three-part structure: Observation, Hypothesis, Open Question. First, find one specific, verifiable fact from your research, something like tenure of the previous person, pace of company growth, or recent leadership changes. Second, form a hypothesis about what that usually means based on your experience. Third, ask an open question that invites them to confirm, correct, or expand. For example: “I noticed your CFO has been with the company for 12 years. In our experience, when someone’s been in seat that long, there’s a lot of institutional knowledge tied to them and real conversations happening about what the transition means for the team. Is that what you’re navigating?”
Can you recommend books that will help me learn more?
Yes, you should read Profit Generating Pipeline: A Proven Formula to Earn Trust & Drive Revenue by Leslie Venetz, available at www.salesledgtm.com/book. The book outlines a 9-step formula for prospecting and revenue generation adapted to meet the needs of the modern buyer.
How can I learn more about hiring Leslie as a speaker or to work with my team?
Visit www.salesledgtm.com. You can learn about Leslie’s services and schedule time to meet with her.