Smart Questions and deal stages

Before you start. Open the deal you are working. Answers only get specific when the deal has a value model, notes and documents behind it.

How the panel works

The panel is organised into five stage tabs: Discovery, Relationship, Proposal, Negotiation and Closing. Each question targets a specific persona or objective, from uncovering the champion's core problem to finding out who will block the deal.

1. Pick the stage tab that matches where the deal is.
2. Click a question. It goes to the copilot as a prompt and the answer draws on the deal's context.

Discovery

Goal: uncover the core problem and map the buying landscape before you commit to a narrative.

Use the Discovery questions to find the champion's core problem (the one they would stake their reputation on solving), the technical influencer's day-to-day friction, where the initiative sits on the economic buyer's agenda, and who will push the deal forward or block it.

Run these before your first discovery call. Send the most relevant one to the copilot and ask for a call plan built on what you already know.

Example prompt: "I'm running a discovery call tomorrow with the VP of Operations at a mid-size logistics firm. Use the Smart Questions for Discovery to help me build a 5-question call plan, and add context based on our value model."

Relationship

Goal: understand the human dynamics of the deal. Who influences whom, who cares about what, and how decisions actually get made.

Use the Relationship questions to test whether your champion is truly sponsored from above, how the technical stakeholders have handled vendor decisions before, and what else is competing for the same budget and attention.

After the first call, give the copilot a short summary of what you learned and ask it to re-run the Relationship questions against the new context.

Example prompt: "My champion is the VP of Sales. She has budget support but the CTO is sceptical. Based on our discovery notes and value model, which relationship-stage questions should I be asking next?"

Proposal

Goal: build the sharpest possible business case and anticipate what the committee will scrutinise.

Use the Proposal questions to check that your story matches what the buyer said matters most, to find the gaps in the business case before the prospect does, and to surface the finance challenges the economic buyer is likely to raise.

Generate your business case first, then use the Proposal questions to stress-test it.

Example prompt: "I've generated a business case for [Company]. Before I send it, use the Proposal smart questions to identify the three most likely objections from their economic buyer and give me a talking point for each."

Negotiation

Goal: protect value, avoid unnecessary concessions and keep the deal moving.

Use the Negotiation questions to learn the buyer's definition of fair (which benchmarks they compare you against), which levers matter most to them (price, terms, implementation, support), and how to frame the investment in terms of outcome rather than cost.

Before any negotiation conversation, ask the copilot to role-play the buyer's position and anticipate what they will push on.

Example prompt: "The prospect came back asking for a 20% discount. Based on our Value Capture and value model, help me build a response that re-anchors the conversation on value, not price."

Closing

Goal: remove the last obstacles, align on next steps and secure a decision.

Use the Closing questions to surface concerns that have not been said out loud, confirm internal consensus before the final meeting, and set up a Mutual Action Plan with owners, deadlines and dependencies.

Ask the copilot to draft the Mutual Action Plan or a pre-close summary email that reminds the champion of everything you have established together.

Example prompt: "We're heading into a final business review next Thursday. Draft a pre-meeting summary email to my champion that recaps our business case, confirms what we've aligned on, and sets the agenda for closing."

Early stage plays

Establish a value hypothesis before the first call. Ask the copilot for a draft value narrative built from what you know about the prospect's website, industry and role.

Anchor on problems, not features. Ask the copilot to reframe your product's capabilities as business outcomes for the prospect's likely challenges.

Rehearse the first call. Ask the copilot to simulate a discovery conversation and name the three things you need to learn to advance the deal. Go in with a hypothesis, not a pitch.

Mid stage plays

Update deal context after every call. Add call notes, objections raised and new stakeholders to the deal. The more the copilot knows about what has happened, the better its guidance gets.

Treat the business case as a working document. Generate it before the deal feels ready. Share it with your champion, collect feedback and update it as the deal evolves.

Multi-thread with the copilot. Ask for a stakeholder communication plan that keeps each persona engaged with messaging aimed at their concerns.

Late stage plays

Run a deal health check. Before every late-stage meeting, ask: "Based on everything in this deal, what are the top 3 risks to closing and what should I do about each?"

Build a Mutual Action Plan. Co-create a close plan with the champion that names owners, deadlines and dependencies.

Prepare for the final business review. Ask the copilot to anticipate every question the committee might raise and give you a value-anchored answer to each before you walk in.

Tip. Sales managers: export the copilot's best responses for each stage into a shared team playbook, and let your best reps sharpen the prompts on this page.

Related

• Deal Copilot
• Objection handling and stakeholders
• Conversation starters and follow-ups
• Deal context and discovery