🦾 The $300K Internet Outage

Hey Insider,

"Can you hear me now?"

Black screen. Dead silence. Pure panic.

Somewhere on the other end of my dead Zoom call sat the CFO of my biggest prospect ever. And my sales manager was listening in.

I had exactly 21 questions left in my "proven" discovery framework.

I had exactly zero internet connection.

When I finally reconnected, I had three minutes left.

That's when I discovered something that would change everything.

The Question Trap

My calendar that morning:

→ 10:00 AM: Discovery call

→ 10:47 AM: Still discovering

→ 11:00 AM: Prospect checking phone

→ 11:15 AM: Internet dies

→ 11:17 AM: Everything changes

The Desperation That Worked

Three minutes. Three questions. That's all I had left.

I picked the only three that mattered:

1. "What's the biggest thing holding you back right now?"

The CFO sat forward.

2. "What happens if that doesn't change?"

He actually started talking. Really talking.

3. "What would solving this be worth to you?"

Two weeks later, they signed.

Biggest deal of my quarter.

From my worst discovery call.

The Experiment

• Next call: Same three questions. Prospect talked for 27 minutes straight.

• Next five calls: Just these three. Pipeline started filling.

• Next month: Nothing but these. Close rate doubled.

Why Most Discovery Fails

Traditional discovery looks like:

• 21 questions (too many)

• 47 minutes (too long)

• 12% close rate (too low)

• 0 real conversations (too scripted)

We're killing deals with questions.

The Power of Three

Question 1: The Now

"What's the biggest thing holding you back right now?"

What it does:

• Forces them to prioritize

• Reveals real pain

• Starts real conversation

Watch for:

• Leaning forward

• Long pauses

• Deep answers

Question 2: The Stakes

"What happens if that doesn't change?"

What it creates:

• Natural urgency

• Clear consequences

• Emotional investment

Listen for:

• Personal impact

• Team implications

• Financial effects

Question 3: The Value

"What would solving this be worth to you?"

What it builds:

• Self-discovered ROI

• Budget framework

• Close foundation

Look for:

• Specific numbers

• Direct answers

• Future vision

Your Three-Question Revolution

Tonight:

□ Delete your question list

□ Write these three down

□ Trust the process

Tomorrow:

• Ask less.

• Listen more.

• Close bigger.

Because here's what a dead internet connection taught me:

The best discovery calls aren't about what you ask. They're about what you hear.

Hit reply: What's the one question you've asked that changed everything?

Win the Day!

Ken Lundin