| name | discovery-call-prep |
| description | Prepare for discovery calls with clinical trial prospects by researching their company, pipeline, therapeutic areas, and generating targeted questions mapped to Talosix solutions. |
Discovery Call Preparation
Purpose
Prepare sales reps for effective discovery calls with clinical trial technology prospects. A well-prepared discovery call uncovers the prospect's real pain points, establishes credibility through informed questions, and maps needs directly to Talosix capabilities.
When to Use
- Before any first meeting with a new prospect
- Before re-engaging a dormant opportunity
- When a new stakeholder joins an active evaluation
- Before expansion conversations with existing customers
Information Gathering
Pre-Call Research Checklist
Gather as much of the following as possible before generating the prep document:
Company Information:
- Company name, headquarters, size (employees, revenue if public)
- Company type: large pharma, mid-size biotech, CRO, academic/government
- Public or private, recent funding rounds if applicable
- Recent news: press releases, earnings calls, M&A activity, layoffs
Clinical Pipeline:
- Active clinical trials (search ClinicalTrials.gov by sponsor name)
- Therapeutic areas and lead indications
- Study phases in progress (Phase I, II, III, IV)
- Estimated number of active studies, sites, and subjects
- Geographic footprint of clinical operations
Technology Landscape:
- Current EDC vendor (check job postings for clues, ask during outreach)
- Other clinical technology in use (CTMS, eTMF, IRT, safety)
- Known IT preferences (cloud-first, on-premise, specific security requirements)
- Any public statements about digital transformation or technology strategy
People on the Call:
- Names, titles, LinkedIn profiles
- Role in the buying process (champion, decision maker, influencer, blocker)
- Professional background (clinical ops, data management, IT, procurement)
- Any mutual connections or shared conference appearances
Buyer Persona Research
Clinical Operations / VP Clinical Ops
What they care about:
- Enrollment timelines and site performance
- Operational efficiency and resource allocation
- Regulatory inspection readiness
- Cross-functional coordination
Discovery questions:
- "How many studies are you running concurrently right now, and how do you manage the operational complexity across them?"
- "What's your biggest bottleneck between first-patient-in and database lock?"
- "How are you currently handling risk-based monitoring, and is your EDC helping or hindering that?"
- "When was your last regulatory inspection, and were there any findings related to your data capture systems?"
Data Management / Head of DM
What they care about:
- Data quality metrics (query rates, protocol deviations)
- Study build timelines and change management
- Medical coding efficiency
- CDISC compliance and submission readiness
Discovery questions:
- "How long does it typically take your team to build and validate a study in your current EDC?"
- "What's your current query rate, and what are the main drivers of queries?"
- "How do you handle mid-study protocol amendments in your current system?"
- "Walk me through your process from database lock to CDISC submission-ready datasets."
IT / Information Security
What they care about:
- Security posture, compliance certifications
- Integration architecture and data flows
- Validation burden and computer system validation
- Vendor management and risk
Discovery questions:
- "What are your must-have security requirements for a clinical SaaS vendor?"
- "How does your current EDC integrate with your other clinical systems?"
- "What does your CSV process look like, and how much effort does your team invest in vendor system validation?"
- "What's your policy on data residency for clinical trial data?"
Procurement / Finance
What they care about:
- Total cost of ownership and budget predictability
- Contract flexibility and terms
- Vendor stability and risk
- Competitive pricing
Discovery questions:
- "What's your current annual spend on EDC across all studies?"
- "Is your current licensing model per-study, per-user, or enterprise, and is that working well for you?"
- "What's your typical procurement timeline from vendor selection to contract execution?"
- "Are there budget constraints that would shape how we structure a proposal?"
C-Suite / Executive Sponsor
What they care about:
- Strategic impact on pipeline timelines
- Competitive advantage through technology
- Risk mitigation
- Board-level metrics (time to market, cost per study)
Discovery questions:
- "What's driving the evaluation of new EDC technology right now? Is there a specific catalyst?"
- "If you could change one thing about how your clinical data systems work today, what would it be?"
- "How does clinical technology investment fit into your broader digital strategy?"
Pain Point Mapping
Map common pain points to Talosix solutions:
| Pain Point | Probing Question | Talosix Solution |
|---|
| Slow study build | "How many weeks from protocol final to first patient in?" | Rapid study build with form libraries, no-code configuration |
| High query rates | "What percentage of data points generate queries?" | Intelligent edit checks, real-time validation, conditional logic |
| Poor site adoption | "What feedback do you get from sites about your current EDC?" | Modern UX, minimal clicks, mobile-friendly, offline capability |
| Costly integrations | "How much do you spend annually on EDC integrations?" | Open APIs, pre-built connectors, CDISC-native architecture |
| Slow amendments | "How long does a protocol amendment take to implement in your EDC?" | Agile amendment workflow, version management, impact analysis |
| Limited visibility | "How do you currently monitor enrollment and data quality across studies?" | Real-time dashboards, KRI tracking, portfolio analytics |
| Compliance burden | "How much effort goes into maintaining 21 CFR Part 11 compliance?" | Built-in compliance, automated audit trails, validation packages |
| Vendor lock-in | "If you wanted to switch EDC vendors tomorrow, how difficult would that be?" | CDISC-standard data export, data portability commitment |
Call Structure Recommendation
For a 30-Minute Discovery Call
Minutes 0-3: Introductions, agenda confirmation
Minutes 3-5: "Tell me about your clinical operations" (open-ended)
Minutes 5-15: Targeted questions based on persona and research
Minutes 15-20: Deeper dive on top 2-3 pain points
Minutes 20-25: Brief Talosix positioning (only address stated needs)
Minutes 25-30: Next steps, stakeholder mapping, timeline
Key Rules
- Listen more than talk. Target 70% prospect / 30% rep.
- Never pitch on a discovery call. Earn the right to present by understanding first.
- Take detailed notes. Capture exact phrases the prospect uses to describe problems.
- Confirm understanding. "So if I'm hearing you correctly, [restate problem]. Is that accurate?"
- Map the buying process. "Besides yourself, who else would be involved in a decision like this?"
Competitive Intelligence Gathering
During discovery, naturally gather competitive intel:
- "What systems are you currently using for data capture?" (current EDC)
- "What do you like best about your current setup?" (what to match)
- "If you could change anything about it, what would that be?" (competitor weakness)
- "Are you looking at other solutions as part of this evaluation?" (competitive set)
- "What criteria will you use to make your decision?" (decision framework)
Output Format
Deliver as a structured prep document:
- Prospect Research Summary - Company overview, pipeline, technology landscape (1 page)
- Attendee Profiles - Role, background, likely priorities for each person on the call (half page)
- Recommended Questions - Prioritized list of 8-10 questions tailored to the attendees and research findings
- Pain Point Hypotheses - Top 3 likely pain points based on research, with Talosix mapping
- Competitive Positioning Notes - If current vendor is known, key differentiators to reference
- Call Agenda - Suggested minute-by-minute flow
- Post-Call Action Items Template - Pre-formatted follow-up template to complete during/after the call
