|
Mastering the art of 'Discovery' in job development
Editorial by Christian Saint Cyr
National Director / Canadian Job Development Network
.
What do you say when you first meet an employer? Literally, think about it for a minute. You reach out to shake someone's hand and introduce yourself. What are the actual next words you use? Do you talk about your organization. Do you mention specific clients or students? Perhaps you talk a little bit about the services and supports you can provide.
When you meet an employer for the first time, are you inclined to pitch services, supports or clients? This is extremely normal, but I think there is a better way.
Imagine you walk into a Best Buy and entering the appliance section, you're approached by Nancy, the appliance salesperson. She says, "hi my name is Nancy, what brings you by today?"
You tell her that your washing machine has died and your just looking at different options at a few different stores.
In this situation, Nancy might acknowledge what you've just said. She might reply, "the must be very frustrating to get caught without a machine." In this 'Choose Your Own Adventure' scenario, there are a number of follow-up questions she might ask such as:
- How big is your family?
- How many people use your washing machine?
- What sort of machine were you using?
- Is price a significant concern for you?
- Would you like to know what we have in stock?
The idea is that Nancy is asking a lot of questions to clarify the situation. The last two questions specifically address things you said. You're 'just looking' so it would be helpful to know if something is in stock (since your current machine is broken). If you're looking at multiple stores, price might be one of your concerns.
If the customer says, price is a major factor, mentioning a sale or price-matching might be an important piece of information.
Instead of acknowledging the situation as frustrating and asking more questions, there are two alternate paths Nancy might have chosen.
Perhaps her store has a really great sale and so Nancy might mention the sale is ending Friday. Alternatively, she might just respond that she understands and if they need any assistance, she's happy to help.
Asking questions doesn't just keep the dialogue open, it helps clarify the problem. You know the couple wants to buy a washing machine, but what is there price range; do the want front loading or top loading washing machine; do they need delivery; do they need something in stock; or do they want black, white or silver?
The more questions she asks, the better Nancy understands her customers and can provide solutions that solve their problem.
This is what in sales is referred to as 'Discovery'. Asking probative questions to make more informed suggestions.
If you don't like this comparison to 'sales', let's just call it 'active listening'.
If I'm an employment counsellor, in an intake appointment, I will ask a series of increasingly probative questions to understand what employment supports a client needs and then make recommendations of interventions.
The problem is that many sales people, and many job developers for that matter, will immediately jump into the sales pitch. This could be the client, the organization or the employment supports they can provide.
Through an engaged process of discovery we can learn what challenges an employer faces but also garner insights into how they go about hiring, posting jobs, interviewing candidates and selecting successful candidates.
Discovery is also a great way of building rapport between you and the employer.
As I've said in my job development training sessions, the more you are talking, the more the employer is building up resistance and looking for an opportunity to get rid of you. The more the employer talks, the more trust the employer builds with you.
In preparing today's newsletter, I examined the work of a company called Clari, which provides an AI-powered 'Revenue Orchestration Platform' designed to help enterprises manage the entire revenue process, from pipeline to close.
Clari helps organizations optimize their sales activities and one of the things they focus on is utilizing discover in sales calls. Clari provides a list of do's and don'ts in conducting this process:
Do’s of discovery calls
A successful discovery call is built on a foundation of effective communication and rapport-building. Here are some tips to ensure a smooth and productive discovery call:
- Listen attentively to the prospect's responses. Show genuine interest in their challenges and goals.
- Use open-ended questions to encourage the prospect to share more about their needs and pain points. These questions often start with words like "how," "what," and "why."
- Show empathy for the prospect's situation. Understand their challenges from their perspective and convey your willingness to help.
- Tailor your approach to each prospect. Avoid a one-size-fits-all script and adapt your questions and solutions to their situation.
- Clearly articulate the value your product or service can provide. Highlight how it addresses the prospect's pain points and fulfills their needs.
- Instead of pushing your product (client), focus on educating the prospect. Help them understand how your solution can solve their problems.
Don’ts of discovery calls
To ensure a productive discovery call, avoiding some common pitfalls is important. Here are a few don'ts for discovery calls:
- Avoid dominating the conversation. Let the prospect speak and share their thoughts.
- Refrain from interrupting the prospect when they are speaking. Allow them to complete their thoughts before responding.
- Don't make assumptions about the prospect's needs. Always ask questions to uncover their specific challenges.
- Avoid overwhelming the prospect with too much information about your product or service. Keep it concise and relevant.
- Don't pressure the prospect into deciding in the discovery call. Respect their timeline and decision-making process.
- Don't forget to follow up after the call. Send a personalized message or additional information as promised during the conversation.
The practice of discovery doesn't need to be relegated to telephone calls. It's just as valuable, if not more valuable, when meeting an employer at an event or even walking into an employer's place of business.
A recent study noted by Clari shows that customers speak during 57% of the conversation in successful discovery calls. Their research also has found top-performing reps ask 39% more questions during the discovery call.
Discovery is a valuable way of building trust and speaking to an employer's unique challenges but it's also a valuable communication tool.
Showing genuine interest in what an employer does helps establish you as a member of the business community. Rather than being a 'social worker' who's trying to get 'lesser-than' workers employment, you can recraft your reputation as a placement specialist who is trying to better understand their needs and suggest someone who will address those needs.
We’ll be discussing the value of discovery in job development at our #MotivatingMondays meeting of the Canadian Job Development Network, Monday April 27th at 8:30am Pacific; 9:30am Mountain; 10:30am Central; 11:30am Eastern; 12:30pm Atlantic and at 1pm in Newfoundland.
.
On the morning of Monday April 27th 'Click this Link' to join the session.
.
THIS IS THE LAST WEEK
.
Canadian Labour Market Reports
www.JobDevelopment.org
We're just wrapping up our free trial of the Alberta, Prairie and Atlantic Labour Market Reports. New subscribers benefit from a 10% discount on their subscription is they subscribe by April 30th, 2026:
Alberta Labour Market Report
Prairie Labour Market Report
Atlantic Labour Market Report
.
To learn more, email Christian Saint Cyr, at: csaintcyr@labourmarketonline.com
| 
