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Description

Customer Discovery: Questioning, Listening and Qualifying Real Needs

Move beyond the recited questionnaire and get the client to say what they had not planned to say

  • 0.43 days — 3 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

In meetings, salespeople talk about their offer far too early. Questions follow one another like a tick-box list. The client answers briefly, and the proposal that follows misses the real issue. Objections then surface late in the cycle, at the point where going back becomes costly.

This three-hour session works on the discovery phase alone. It teaches participants how to open the meeting by securing the client's agreement on the agenda, how to build a progressive line of questioning, how to listen for what is not said, and how to reformulate in order to validate before making any proposal. Each participant leaves with their own discovery framework, tested during the session.

Learning objectives

  • Open a sales meeting by securing the client's agreement on the agenda
  • Build a progressive line of questioning from context through to the underlying issue
  • Distinguish the stated need from the real need and the buying motivations
  • Reformulate to validate understanding before making any proposal
  • Record the information gathered to prepare the sales argument

What makes this programme different

Each participant builds their discovery framework around their own real offer
Paired role-play meetings are analysed on the basis of client speaking time
The transition from discovery to sales argument is practised at the end of the session

Programme

1Opening the Meeting

Earning the right to ask questions

  • Making contact and announcing the agenda
  • Prior research on the client and their market
  • Posture and the balance of speaking time
  • Mistakes that close down the discovery phase

2Questioning and Listening

Drawing out the information

  • Open questions, closed questions and confirmation questions
  • Moving from context to the underlying issue and then to its impact
  • Listening for weak signals and unspoken concerns
  • Taking notes without breaking the flow of the conversation

3Qualifying and Validating

Turning listening into material for the proposal

  • Distinguishing the stated need from the buying motivation
  • Identifying the stakeholders and the decision-making process
  • Reformulating and securing the client's agreement
  • Moving from discovery to the sales argument

Who is it for

Junior sales representatives · account officers · branch advisers and technical specialists required to conduct sales meetings.

Prerequisites

No prior knowledge required

Dates & locations

12 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.