Sales Meeting Quick Prompts
Real-time coaching for sales calls and discovery meetings, built for the person doing the selling.
Sales Meeting quick prompts give you a sales coach on the call with you. Whether you are running discovery, handling an objection, talking price, or trying to close on a next step, these prompts help you ask sharper questions, stay in control, and move the deal forward. For a full walkthrough of preparing for and running a sales call with Hedy, see How to Use Hedy for Sales Calls.
Each goal category supports a different moment in the call. Use “Run Discovery” early, “Quantify the Pain” once a problem surfaces, “Handle an Objection” when you hit pushback, “Talk Pricing” when the number comes up, “Position vs a Competitor” when they name an alternative, and “Lock the Next Step” as you head toward the close.
Goal: Run Discovery
When this applies: You want to understand the prospect’s situation, surface the real problem, and keep them talking instead of pitching too early.
Ideal settings: The opening and middle of a discovery call, any time you sense you are skating on the surface or doing too much of the talking.
Ask a discovery question
What it does: Suggests one open-ended question (what, how, why, walk me through) that moves past surface facts toward a business problem the prospect has not fully explained yet, with the exact wording. If a senior executive is on the call, it keeps it to a single sharp question.
When to use it:
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The conversation is stuck on facts and features rather than problems
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You want the prospect to open up about what is really going on
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You are not sure what to ask next
Example scenario: The prospect has described their current setup but not why it bothers them. The right open question turns a tour of their tools into a conversation about what actually hurts.
What to expect: One discovery question, worded for you to ask as-is.
Am I talking too much?
What it does: Estimates roughly how much you have been talking versus the prospect. On a discovery call the prospect should be doing most of the talking, so if you have been dominating, it hands you one question that gives them the floor back.
When to use it:
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You have been explaining or pitching for a while
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The prospect has gone quiet
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You want a gut check on your talk ratio mid-call
Example scenario: You got excited about the product and realize you have been talking for two minutes straight. A quick check tells you to stop and ask something instead.
What to expect: A rough read on your talk ratio, plus a question to pass the floor back.
What haven’t I confirmed?
What it does: Audits the conversation for what you have not actually confirmed yet, such as the problem’s real impact, who is involved in the decision, budget, timeline, or an unspoken objection. It flags what you are assuming versus what the prospect said, and names the single hardest qualifying question you are avoiding.
When to use it:
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The call feels like it is going well but you cannot say why it would close
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You want to find the gap before the call ends
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You suspect you are assuming more than you have confirmed
Example scenario: Everything sounds positive, but you have never confirmed who signs off or when they need this. Better to find out now than after the demo.
What to expect: A short list of what is still unconfirmed, with the toughest question you have been avoiding.
Open the call
What it does: Suggests how to open or reset the call with a short up-front agreement: confirm the time you have, what the prospect wants out of it, and what you would like to cover, with the exact words.
When to use it:
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The call is just starting
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The conversation has drifted and you want to reset
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You want to set a clear agenda without sounding scripted
Example scenario: You have 30 minutes and three things to cover. A clean up-front agreement at the top keeps the call on track and gives you permission to steer.
What to expect: An opening you can say in your own voice to frame the call.
Goal: Quantify the Pain
When this applies: A problem has surfaced and you want to make its cost concrete, get the prospect to state the value of solving it, and find out whether there is any urgency.
Ideal settings: After discovery has uncovered a problem, before you start framing a solution or talking price.
Size the problem
What it does: Suggests an implication question that makes the cost of the problem concrete (what it costs them, how often it happens, or what breaks if nothing changes), with the exact wording.
When to use it:
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The prospect named a problem but treated it as minor
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You want them to feel the weight of the status quo
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The pain is vague and needs a number or a frequency attached to it
Example scenario: They mention their team “wastes some time” on manual work. Sizing it turns “some time” into “ten hours a week across four people,” which changes the whole conversation.
What to expect: One implication question worded to make the cost concrete.
Get them to say the value
What it does: Suggests a need-payoff question that gets the prospect to describe the value of solving the problem in their own words, since self-stated value is more persuasive than your pitch.
When to use it:
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A real problem is on the table and you want to build motivation to solve it
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You are tempted to start listing benefits yourself
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You want the prospect, not you, to make the case for change
Example scenario: Instead of telling them how much time you would save them, you ask what it would mean for the team if that work disappeared. Their answer becomes your strongest selling point.
What to expect: One need-payoff question that prompts the prospect to articulate the value.
Find the urgency
What it does: Probes whether there is a deadline or event making this urgent, such as a renewal, a launch, a budget cycle, or a commitment they have made, and suggests a question to surface the time pressure. It flags when the deal currently has no reason to act now.
When to use it:
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The conversation is positive but has no timeline
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You want to know whether this is a this-quarter deal or a someday deal
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You need to understand what would make them move
Example scenario: They love it, but there is no reason to decide this month versus next year. Finding the renewal date or the launch they are racing toward gives the deal a clock.
What to expect: A question to surface urgency, or a clear flag that there is none yet.
Goal: Handle an Objection
When this applies: The prospect has pushed back, gone quiet, or given you a soft brush-off, and you want to respond without getting defensive or caving.
Ideal settings: Any time you hit resistance, whether a stated objection, rising tension, or a vague “let me think about it.”
Handle this objection
What it does: Using listen, acknowledge, explore, respond, it gives you a reply that first acknowledges the concern and asks one clarifying question before you rebut. You get the exact words for your next sentence, without jumping straight to a counter-argument.
When to use it:
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The prospect just raised a concern
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Your instinct is to argue back immediately
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You want to understand the objection before answering it
Example scenario: “I’m not sure this is a priority right now.” Instead of defending the product, you acknowledge it and ask what is taking priority, which often reveals the real blocker.
What to expect: A response that acknowledges and explores before it answers.
Lower the tension
What it does: Suggests a label you can say that names the prospect’s concern (“It sounds like…”, “It seems like…”) to lower the temperature, plus one open how or what question, with the exact phrasing.
When to use it:
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The conversation is getting tense or adversarial
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The prospect seems frustrated or guarded
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You want to reset the tone without looking weak
Example scenario: They get short with you after a pricing question. A calm label that names what they seem to be feeling defuses the moment and gets the conversation back on track.
What to expect: A label plus an open question, worded to lower the tension.
Is this real or a brush-off?
What it does: When the prospect gives a vague objection or a soft “let me think about it,” it suggests a question that surfaces the real concern behind it without pushing them away.
When to use it:
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You get a non-committal answer you cannot act on
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You suspect the stated reason is not the real one
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You want to find the true blocker before the call ends
Example scenario: “Let me run it by the team and circle back.” Often that hides a specific doubt. The right gentle question brings it into the open while you can still address it.
What to expect: A question that draws out the real concern behind a soft objection.
Goal: Talk Pricing
When this applies: Price has come up and you want to state it with confidence, handle pushback, and connect the number to value instead of discounting on reflex.
Ideal settings: When the prospect asks about price, pushes back on it, or names a cheaper option.
They asked the price
What it does: Suggests how to give the number once, confidently, anchored to the pain and value the prospect has described rather than apologized for, with the exact wording. It does not coach you to discount.
When to use it:
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The prospect asked what it costs
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You feel the urge to soften or hedge the number
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You want to state price cleanly and move on
Example scenario: “So what does this run?” You give the number plainly, tie it back to the problem they described, and stop talking, instead of trailing off into justifications.
What to expect: A confident way to state the price, anchored to their stated value.
Defend the price
What it does: When the prospect says the price is too high or names a cheaper option, it suggests a response that reframes to total cost (what the cheaper option leaves out and what the unsolved problem is costing them), with the exact words, and avoids an immediate discount.
When to use it:
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You hear “that’s expensive” or “competitor X is cheaper”
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Your instinct is to offer a discount to keep the deal alive
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You want to shift the conversation from price to value
Example scenario: “That’s a lot more than the tool we looked at.” You reframe around what the cheaper tool does not solve and what the gap is costing them, rather than dropping your price.
What to expect: A reframe to total cost, worded to hold your price.
Frame the value
What it does: Based on the pains and goals the prospect has shared, it suggests how to connect the price to the business value they would get, in their own terms.
When to use it:
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You want to make the price feel worth it
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The prospect is weighing cost against benefit
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You want to tie the number to outcomes they care about
Example scenario: They are hesitating on cost. Connecting the price to the ten hours a week they told you they are losing makes the number feel small by comparison.
What to expect: A concise way to link the price to the value the prospect described.
Goal: Position vs a Competitor
When this applies: The prospect named a competitor or an existing tool, and you want to differentiate on what matters to them without disparaging the alternative.
Ideal settings: When a competitor comes up, when the prospect already uses something else, or when you need to steer the comparison.
They named a competitor
What it does: Suggests one differentiator that actually matters to this prospect based on what they have said, plus a redirect question you can ask, with the exact wording, and without disparaging the competitor.
When to use it:
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The prospect mentions a competing product
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You want to differentiate without trashing the other option
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You need the comparison to land on what this prospect cares about
Example scenario: “We’re also looking at competitor X.” You name the one difference that maps to a problem they described, then ask a question that puts the focus back on their needs.
What to expect: One relevant differentiator and a redirect question.
Why switch?
What it does: When the prospect already uses an alternative, it suggests a question that surfaces what is not working with their current approach, so the gap becomes the reason to consider a change.
When to use it:
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The prospect says “we already use X”
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You need to create a reason to change, not just compete on features
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You want them to articulate the gap themselves
Example scenario: “We’re already on a tool for this.” Asking what they wish it did better turns a closed door into a list of reasons to look at you.
What to expect: A question that surfaces the gap in their current solution.
What do they care about?
What it does: Identifies which of the prospect’s priorities a competitor comparison should focus on, and suggests how to steer the comparison onto the ground where you are strongest, specific to what this prospect has said.
When to use it:
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A comparison is happening and you want to shape it
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You are strong on some dimensions and weaker on others
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You want to compete where you win, not where you do not
Example scenario: They keep comparing feature checklists, but what they actually need is reliability. Steering the comparison toward reliability plays to your strength.
What to expect: The priority to focus on, with a way to steer the comparison there.
Goal: Lock the Next Step
When this applies: The call is winding down and you want to leave with a specific, dated next step, the right people involved, and nothing left vague.
Ideal settings: As the conversation reaches a natural close, or any time you realize no next step has been agreed.
Propose a next step
What it does: Suggests a specific, dated next step to propose (a follow-up meeting, a demo, a stakeholder introduction) based on where the conversation got to, with the exact words to ask for it and get it on the calendar.
When to use it:
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The call is nearing its natural end
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You want to propose a concrete next step, not “let’s stay in touch”
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You want it scheduled before you hang up
Example scenario: The call went well but is about to end with a vague “we’ll be in touch.” Proposing a dated demo with the right people keeps the deal moving instead of stalling.
What to expect: A specific next step with language to get it on the calendar.
Did we set a next step?
What it does: Checks whether a concrete next step has actually been agreed in this call. If not, it tells you plainly and gives you one sentence to lock one before you hang up. If yes, it restates it so you can confirm it out loud.
When to use it:
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You are not sure anything concrete was agreed
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The call is about to end
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You want to confirm the next step out loud before you lose the moment
Example scenario: You both said “let’s talk soon” but never set a date. A quick check catches it while you are still on the call, when it is easy to fix.
What to expect: A clear yes or no, plus a sentence to lock or confirm the next step.
Who else needs to be in?
What it does: Based on what the prospect has said, it identifies whether the people who need to approve or use this have been involved yet, and suggests a question that surfaces the other decision-makers and a natural way to get them into the next step.
When to use it:
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You have only been talking to one person
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You suspect there are other approvers or users
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You want to widen the deal without making it awkward
Example scenario: Your champion is enthusiastic but cannot sign off alone. A natural question about who else should see this gets the decision-maker into the next meeting.
What to expect: A question that surfaces the other stakeholders and pulls them into the next step.
Pro tip: Set up your Session Context before starting: what you sell, who you are meeting, and your goal for the call. Hedy weighs this context heavily, making every quick prompt suggestion sharper and more relevant to your specific deal.
