The Assessment — SPIN discovery script
This is the script for the paid diagnostic call (Rung 1). It fuses two proven systems:
- SPIN Selling (Rackham): Situation → Problem → Implication → Need-payoff. The order is the point — you build the gap before you build the value.
- The field-tested AI Tools Assessment question framework: hunt for Effectiveness (revenue), Efficiency (time), and Quality (customer experience) problems, then surface urgency and ROI.
The mapping (why this script is more than a question list):
| SPIN stage | Purpose | field-tested equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | Cheap context, asked fast | “About the business,” current tools/process |
| Problem | Find the 5–7 concrete pains | Effectiveness / Efficiency / Quality questions |
| Implication | Make the pain cost something | “What changes if you don’t fix this in 90 days?” (cost of inaction) |
| Need-payoff | Let them say the value out loud | Hourly-value + ROI question |
The prime directive of this call: you talk < 20% of the time. The client should give you 5–7 concrete pain points and a clear trigger. You are diagnosing, not pitching. If you’re demoing tools or explaining AI, you’re doing it wrong.
This call is Call 1 of 4. For the full sequence it lives inside — Discovery → Strategy → Scoping → Contract, with the between-call actions that hold momentum — see four-call-close-runbook.md.
Files:
- four-call-close-runbook.md — the end-to-end sales process (all 4 calls + the gaps), wired to the proposal generator, scoping agenda, and MSA templates.
- discovery-call-script.md — the full call, open to close, word-for-word where it matters.
- spin-question-bank.md — the full question bank, organized S/P/I/N and by Effectiveness/Efficiency/Quality, with what to listen for.
- objection-handling.md — the Validate → Reframe → Evidence → Redirect system for the 6 objections you’ll hear every time.
- call-setup-and-notes-template.md — recording setup, the framing speech, and the note template that feeds the proposal generator.