Identify specific, measurable business impact. Numbers make pain real and justify investment.
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Key Discovery Questions:
Hiring Volume: "How many positions do you hire annually? What's the breakdown by department/seniority?"
Time Metrics: "What's your average time-to-fill? How much does a vacant position cost per day?"
Cost Analysis: "What's your current recruitment spend? Agency fees, job board costs, internal resources?"
Learning Scale: "How many employees need training annually? What's your current training budget?"
Success Rates: "What percentage of hires meet expectations? How often do searches fail?"
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Conversation Opener:
"Help me understand the scale of your talent challenges. With [company size] employees in [industry], there must be significant hiring volume and development needs. What's the real business impact when critical roles stay vacant or when employees lack necessary skills?"
E
💰
ECONOMIC BUYER - Decision Authority
Identify who has budget authority and final approval for the investment.
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Key Discovery Questions:
Budget Authority: "Who has final approval for HR technology investments of this size?"
Approval Process: "What's the typical process for evaluating and approving new platforms?"
Budget Range: "What budget range are you working with for talent solutions?"
Decision Timeline: "When do you typically make decisions on investments like this?"
Other Stakeholders: "Who else would be involved in the evaluation process?"
💬
Conversation Approach:
"For a strategic talent platform that impacts both hiring and learning across your organization, what's the typical approval process? I want to ensure we're engaging the right stakeholders from the beginning."
D
✅
DECISION CRITERIA - Evaluation Framework
Understand how they evaluate solutions and what success looks like.
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Key Discovery Questions:
Success Definition: "What would success look like 12 months after implementation?"
Evaluation Criteria: "When evaluating talent platforms, what matters most: cost, ease of use, features, or ROI?"
Must-Have Features: "What capabilities are absolutely critical vs nice-to-have?"
Integration Requirements: "How important is integration with existing HR systems?"
Risk Factors: "What concerns or risks would prevent you from moving forward?"
💬
Conversation Framework:
"Help me understand your ideal outcome. If we're sitting here 12 months from now and you're telling me this was a great investment, what specific results would you be seeing? What would have to be true about the platform and its impact?"
D
🔄
DECISION PROCESS - Timeline & Steps
Map out their buying process, timeline, and required steps.
❓
Key Discovery Questions:
Timeline Drivers: "What's driving the timing for this decision? Any specific deadlines or pressures?"
Evaluation Steps: "What's your typical process? Demos, pilots, reference calls?"
Internal Process: "Who needs to see what before a decision can be made?"
Implementation Timeline: "When would you ideally want to have this up and running?"
Competing Priorities: "What other projects or initiatives might compete for attention?"
💬
Timeline Discovery:
"Walk me through your typical evaluation process for HR technology. What would need to happen between now and implementation? Are there any specific deadlines or business drivers that make this more urgent?"
I
⚡
IDENTIFY PAIN - Specific Challenges
Uncover specific, emotional pain points that create urgency for change.
❓
Key Discovery Questions:
Biggest Frustrations: "What's the most frustrating aspect of your current talent acquisition process?"
Failed Searches: "Tell me about a recent hiring situation that didn't go well. What happened?"
Competitive Impact: "How often do you lose great candidates to competitors? What's the impact?"
Skill Gaps: "Where are you seeing the biggest skill gaps in your organization?"
Status Quo Cost: "What happens if you don't solve this? What's the cost of doing nothing?"
💬
Pain Amplification:
"Help me understand the real impact. When a critical hire takes 3 months instead of 3 weeks, or when your team lacks essential skills, what does that actually cost the business? Not just in dollars, but in opportunities, competitive position, and team morale?"
C
🏆
CHAMPION - Internal Advocate
Identify and develop internal advocates who will sell for you when you're not in the room.
❓
Key Discovery Questions:
Internal Advocates: "Who in your organization would be most excited about a solution like this?"
Influence Mapping: "Who has the most influence with the decision maker on this topic?"
Previous Initiatives: "Who typically drives successful technology adoptions here?"
Skeptic Identification: "Who might be resistant to this change? What are their concerns?"
Champion Development: "What would you need to see to become a strong advocate for this internally?"
💬
Champion Building:
"In my experience, the most successful implementations happen when we have strong internal advocates. Who in your organization would be most excited about having direct access to LinkedIn's professional network? What would it take for you to become a confident advocate for this approach?"
C
⚔️
COMPETITION - Alternative Solutions
Understand competitive landscape and alternative solutions they're considering.
❓
Key Discovery Questions:
Current Alternatives: "What other solutions are you currently using or considering?"
Previous Evaluations: "Have you looked at talent platforms before? What happened?"
Status Quo Defense: "What would it take to just improve your current approach vs adopting something new?"
Competitive Intel: "Are there other vendors you're considering? What do you like about their approach?"
Decision Alternatives: "If budget were tight, what would you prioritize: hiring tools or learning platform?"
💬
Competitive Discovery:
"Help me understand your alternatives. You could continue with your current approach, build internal capabilities, or evaluate other platforms. What's most attractive about each option, and what concerns you about them?"
🎯
Meeting Objectives & Next Steps
💬
Key Talking Points & Objection Handling
🎲
Deal Qualification & Probability
📊
MEDDPICC Meeting Preparation Summary
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Pro Tips:
Focus on business impact, not features
Ask follow-up questions to quantify pain
Listen for emotional indicators, not just logical ones
Map stakeholder influence and decision-making power
Always end with clear next steps and mutual commitment