--- name: call-script description: "Structures the talk track for a live discovery or demo call — a pattern-interrupt opener, an explicit ask for permission and agenda, two to three discovery questions each anchored to a specific pain hypothesis, a value bridge that lands only after a pain is confirmed, and one concrete next-step ask. Use when drafting what a seller will say on the call itself. Do NOT use for cold outreach email, post-meeting recap, answering an objection, or capturing notes into a qualification." metadata: decimalai-skill-id: "8b3ceedc-b711-456f-9cc0-807cd0f4759c" decimalai-version-id: "47c90a6d-4b15-4813-b1cc-cd67424e51a8" decimalai-version: "1" decimalai-body-sha256: "bfadb312fecc23ef53113e032616e3e9b03d05a5cb869fd43173a989956912e7" decimalai-name: "call-script" decimalai-format: "1" decimalai-invocation: "model" decimalai-category: "sales-support" decimalai-source: "https://app.decimal.ai/s/call-script@1/SKILL.md" --- # Discovery / demo call script When you are drafting what a seller will actually say on a live discovery or demo call, build the talk track in the five beats below. Left alone, the base model writes a salesy monologue: it opens with a warm-up pleasantry, then launches straight into what the product does and why it's great, sprinkles in a few generic "so tell me about your business" questions, and closes with "let me know your thoughts." That is a pitch, not a call. This skill replaces it with a disciplined structure where the seller earns attention, confirms a real pain before saying a word about the product, and leaves with a committed next step. The beats govern **the sequence and intent of what the seller says** — not tone, not slide order, not which rep runs the call. Apply them to the script itself. ## The five beats — in order Write the script in this sequence. The order is the discipline; the most common failure is beat 4 (the value bridge) leaking to the front. 1. **Open with a pattern interrupt, not a pleasantry.** The first line earns the right to keep talking. Skip "How are you today?" and "Thanks so much for taking the time." Open with something specific to *this* buyer's world — an observation about their team, a trigger you noticed, a pointed reason you reached out — that signals you did your homework and this call is about them. Generic warmth is noise; a specific hook makes them lean in. 2. **Ask permission and frame the agenda.** Before any questions, get a yes to proceed and set a short, honest agenda: how long this will take, what you'd like to cover, and an explicit out — that if it turns out not to be a fit, saying so is a fine outcome for both sides. This lowers the buyer's guard and hands them control, which is what makes them answer honestly. 3. **Ask two to three discovery questions, each tied to a pain hypothesis.** Do not ask "tell me about your business." For each question, first state (to yourself, as a comment in the script) the specific pain you suspect this buyer has, then write an open question that confirms or kills that hypothesis. The question is aimed at a wound you already believe is there — it invites the buyer to describe the problem in their own words, and it works whether the answer is yes or no. Two or three is enough; a questionnaire is an interrogation. 4. **Bridge to value only after a pain is confirmed — never before.** Once the buyer has named a real problem, connect *that specific problem* to how you help, in their words and their terms of impact (time lost, cost, risk, the outcome they want). Reference only what's relevant to the pain they just described. If no pain surfaced, there is nothing to bridge to — do not pitch anyway. This beat does not exist until beat 3 produces a confirmed pain. 5. **Close with one concrete, low-friction next-step ask.** End with a single specific action the buyer can say yes to now — a scoped next meeting with a proposed time, a short pilot, a working session with a named person — with an owner and a rough date. Not "let me know your thoughts," not "I'll send some info," not a menu of five options. One clear ask. ## Two hard constraints - **No premature pitch.** Do not describe features, benefits, differentiators, or pricing before a pain is confirmed in beat 3. The opener and the discovery questions contain zero product claims. Leading with the product is the exact failure this skill exists to prevent. - **Discovery questions are open and hypothesis-anchored, never generic or leading.** Each question ties to a stated pain hypothesis and invites the buyer to describe their situation. Avoid yes/no questions, avoid "tell me about your business," and avoid questions that put words in their mouth ("wouldn't it be great if…"). ## Putting it together > **Salesy monologue (avoid):** "Hi, thanks so much for hopping on! How's your day going? So, I'd > love to tell you about our platform — we're the leading solution for teams like yours, with > real-time dashboards, AI-powered insights, and best-in-class support. We integrate with everything, > we're rated #1, and pricing starts at just… Anyway, tell me about your business! Let me know your > thoughts and we can go from there." > > **The structure (aim for):** > - *Opener (pattern interrupt):* "I saw your team just doubled the number of markets you support > this quarter — that's usually the point where the old way of tracking things starts to crack. That's > actually why I wanted to grab fifteen minutes." > - *Permission + agenda:* "Is now still good for a quick fifteen? I'd like to understand how you're > handling that today and share what we've seen work — and if it's not a fit for where you are, no > problem, we'll both know fast. Sound fair?" > - *Discovery (hypothesis-anchored):* > - `# Hypothesis: rapid market expansion has outgrown their manual tracking.` > "When you added those markets, what changed about how the team keeps everything straight?" > - `# Hypothesis: leadership lacks a single reliable view, so reporting is a scramble.` > "How do you pull the numbers together when leadership asks where things stand?" > - *Value bridge (only now, tied to what they said):* "So the piece that's eating a day a week is the > manual roll-up across markets — that's exactly the thing teams bring us in for; they stop rebuilding > that view by hand. Can I show you how that specific part works on your kind of data?" > - *Next-step ask:* "Let's do a 30-minute working session Thursday with whoever owns that report — > I'll walk it through on your numbers. Does 10am Thursday work?" The monologue talks. The structure earns attention, confirms a real pain before mentioning the product, and leaves with a committed next step.