Activation Lever: In-Flow Activation
Surface-level discovery costs deals. When reps ask "Do you have this problem?" and hear "yes," they jump straight to pitching. They never go deep enough to uncover real pain, quantify business impact, or create urgency.
The result: deals that stall, ghost, or lose to "no decision." Gong research shows 70% of lost deals die from indecision, not competition. Buyers who haven't articulated their pain at a deep level don't feel enough urgency to change.
This prompt builds multi-layer question sequences using the Pain Funnel methodology. Instead of staying at surface level, your reps learn to ladder down through three levels: What's wrong? What's it costing? What's at stake personally?
How to use this prompt
What you'll need:
- Your product's core value propositions
- Common pain points your solution addresses
- Typical buyer personas and their concerns
- (Optional) Battle cards, case studies, or call recordings to upload
Step-by-step:
- 1
Gather your materials (value props, pain points, persona docs)
- 2
Upload relevant documents to provide context
- 3
Copy the prompt below into your AI tool
- 4
Fill in the bracketed sections with your specifics
- 5
Review output and customize for your market
The Prompt
You are an expert B2B sales coach specializing in consultative discovery techniques. Your task is to create multi-layer discovery question sequences using the Pain Funnel methodology.
CONTEXT: WHAT MAKES DISCOVERY QUESTIONS EFFECTIVE
The Pain Funnel is a progressive questioning technique that moves from broad to specific, uncovering deeper information at each level. Like a doctor who doesn't accept "I don't feel well" as a diagnosis, sales reps shouldn't accept "we need a better solution" as qualified pain.
THE THREE LEVELS:
Level 1 - Surface Pain (What's Wrong)
Purpose: Identify the operational challenge
Characteristics: Generic complaints, process frustrations, symptoms not root causes
Key moves: "Tell me more..." / "Can you be more specific?" / "Give me an example..."
Level 2 - Business Pain (What It Costs)
Purpose: Quantify organizational consequences
Characteristics: Specific metrics, measurable impact, failed prior attempts
Key moves: "How long has this been happening?" / "What have you tried?" / "How much is this costing you?"
Level 3 - Emotional Pain (Personal Stakes)
Purpose: Uncover personal urgency and career implications
Characteristics: Individual ownership, reputation risk, emotional language
Key moves: "How does that affect you personally?" / "What happens if this doesn't get fixed?" / "Have you given up trying to solve this?"
CRITICAL PRINCIPLE: Each level builds on the previous. You can't skip to Level 3 without establishing Levels 1 and 2. The progression creates psychological permission to go deeper.
EXAMPLE - Complete Pain Funnel Sequence:
Pain Category: Data fragmentation preventing timely decisions
Level 1 - Surface:
"Walk me through what happens when leadership asks for a report that requires data from multiple systems."
[Listen for: symptoms, frustration, generic complaints]
Follow-up: "Can you give me a specific example from the last month?"
[Listen for: concrete incident, who was involved, what went wrong]
Level 2 - Business:
"How long has this been a problem?"
[Listen for: duration indicates severity]
"What have you tried to fix it?"
[Listen for: failed attempts, money already spent, organizational awareness]
"If you had to estimate, how many hours per week does your team spend on manual data compilation?"
[Listen for: quantifiable time investment]
"At roughly $X/hour loaded cost, that's about $Y annually. Does that feel directionally right?"
[Listen for: confirmation or correction of business impact]
Level 3 - Emotional:
"When you couldn't answer that question in the meeting, how did that feel?"
[Listen for: embarrassment, frustration, personal impact]
"What happens if this continues for another year?"
[Listen for: career risk, credibility concerns, personal stakes]
"Have you given up trying to solve this?"
[Listen for: resignation signals urgency, or determination signals they're still looking]
Bridge to Solution: "Based on what you've shared, if we could solve [pain], what would that mean for you personally?"
YOUR TASK:
Generate Pain Funnel question sequences for the pain categories I provide. For each category, create:
1. A complete Level 1 → Level 2 → Level 3 progression (6-8 questions total)
2. Listening cues in brackets after each question (what to listen for)
3. A bridge question to transition toward solution discussion
4. One "recovery question" if the prospect gives a surface-level answer and you need to go deeper
Format each sequence clearly with the three levels labeled.
STEP 1: ANALYZE MY MATERIALS
I may have attached value proposition documents, pain point summaries, battle cards, case studies, or call recordings. If so, analyze these first and extract:
- Core problems your solution addresses
- Language customers use to describe their pain
- Quantifiable impacts (time, money, risk)
- Stakeholder-specific concerns by role
Summarize what you found in 3-4 sentences before proceeding. If I haven't provided materials, ask me for the key information you need.
STEP 2: GENERATE QUESTION SEQUENCES
For each pain category, create the full three-level progression with listening cues.
STEP 3: FORMAT OUTPUT
Present each pain category as a standalone sequence that a rep could use in a discovery call.
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INPUTS:
Product/Service: [What you sell]
Target Buyer Persona(s): [Who you're selling to - titles, responsibilities]
Pain Categories to Cover:
1. [First pain point your solution addresses]
2. [Second pain point]
3. [Third pain point]
4. [Add more as needed]
Industry Context: [Any industry-specific terminology or concerns]
Typical Quantifiable Impacts: [Time saved, money recovered, risk reduced - whatever metrics matter in your market]
What Success Looks Like
Input Example:
- Product: Revenue enablement platform
- Persona: VP of Sales, Sales Enablement Leader
- Pain Category: Reps not following the sales methodology
Output Example (one sequence):
Pain Category: Methodology Adoption Gap
Level 1 - Surface: "You invested in MEDDIC training last year. How consistently are reps actually using it?" [Listen for: vague answers like "some do, some don't" signal deeper issues]
"Can you walk me through what you see when you review call recordings?" [Listen for: specific gaps, which parts get skipped, patterns across reps]
Level 2 - Business: "How long has methodology adoption been inconsistent?" [Listen for: if it's been months or years, the problem is systemic]
"What have you tried to improve it?" [Listen for: failed initiatives, money spent on training that didn't stick]
"When reps skip discovery or qualification steps, what happens to those deals?" [Listen for: longer cycles, lower win rates, more discounting]
"If inconsistent methodology is costing you even 5% on win rate, what does that mean in revenue?" [Listen for: do the math together, make the cost tangible]
Level 3 - Emotional: "When you see a rep fumble a discovery call that should have been straightforward, how does that feel?" [Listen for: frustration, sense of wasted investment, personal responsibility]
"What happens to your credibility with the CRO if methodology adoption doesn't improve this year?" [Listen for: career stakes, performance review concerns, board pressure]
"Have you started to wonder if methodology training just doesn't work?" [Listen for: resignation = urgency; determination = still shopping for solutions]
Bridge: "If reps were actually executing the methodology on every call, what would change for you?"
Recovery Question (if prospect stays surface): "Help me understand what you mean by 'inconsistent.' Give me an example of a deal where skipping methodology steps cost you."
Creator’s Note: Why this Works
The Psychology
The scale always tips toward not buying. There are a hundred reasons to say no: the risk, the cost, the disruption, what if it goes wrong, sticking your neck out in front of your boss. To overcome that inertia, buyers need to feel the weight of doing nothing.
That weight has to come out of their mouths, not yours. When you tell a prospect their problem costs $100K annually, they can dismiss it. When they calculate it themselves, when they articulate what happens to their credibility or their team or their career if nothing changes, that's when the scale tips.
The Pain Funnel builds the cost of inaction in the buyer's mind. Each level adds weight: this is a real problem (Level 1), it's costing us real money (Level 2), and it's affecting me personally (Level 3). By the time you present a solution, they've already convinced themselves they need to act. You're not pushing. You're helping them see what's true.
Sell Like a Doctor
A doctor isn't trying to sell you surgery. They're helping you understand what you need to do that's in your interest. Part of that evaluation is: How bad is this pain? Is it bad enough to do anything about it? What are the risks of not acting? What's the cost of waiting?
If the pain is mild and the risks are low, the prescription is "take an Advil and call me in the morning." Nobody's scheduling surgery for a headache. But if the pain is severe, getting worse, and the consequences of inaction are serious, then intervention makes sense.
Your job in discovery is the same. You're not selling. You're helping buyers evaluate whether their situation warrants action. Some prospects genuinely don't have pain severe enough to justify change. Better to know that early. But for prospects who do have serious pain, your questions help them see it clearly. "We need better data" is a headache. "We're losing $1.2M annually and my credibility with the board is damaged" is a condition that requires intervention.
The Three Levels Explained
Level 1 adds the first weight to the scale. Yes, this is a real problem. It's not imaginary. It's not something I'm making up to justify a purchase. It actually happens.
Level 2 makes it quantifiable. "We have data silos" is a complaint. "Data silos cost us $100K annually in manual work" is a business case. When buyers calculate the cost themselves, they own the number.
Level 3 makes it personal. Logic alone doesn't tip the scale. People change when the status quo becomes personally uncomfortable. "My credibility with the board is damaged" creates urgency that "$100K in manual work" never will. This is where the cost of inaction becomes undeniable.
The Recovery Move
Sometimes prospects give surface-level answers to deeper questions. They say "It's frustrating" when you ask about business impact, or "It affects everyone" when you ask about personal stakes.
The recovery question re-anchors in specifics: "Help me understand what you mean by frustrating. Give me an example of when this cost you a deal / delayed a project / created a problem."
Specifics unlock depth. Generalities invite more generalities.
Building Your Library
Start with 3-5 pain categories and create full sequences for each. Then:
- Test in live calls. Which questions get prospects talking? Which fall flat?
- Capture actual language. When prospects describe pain in their own words, add those phrases to your questions.
- Note level-skip patterns. Some prospects jump straight to Level 3 ("This is killing me"). Others resist going past Level 1. Adjust your approach accordingly.
- Share across the team. Discovery questions that work become organizational IP.
The Hayden vs. Griffin Difference
Hayden (85% of quota) asks open-ended questions and gets prospects to connect dots themselves. Griffin (10% of quota) pitches. Features, features, features.
The difference is the Pain Funnel. Hayden doesn't just ask questions. She ladders them. By the time she presents a solution, the prospect has already convinced themselves they need to act.
Griffin knows the product. He went through the same training. But he stays at Level 1, hears "yes, we have that problem," and launches into his pitch. His deals stall because buyers never felt the pain deeply enough to change.
Level up: Advanced Applications
- Map to your sales methodology. If you use MEDDIC, Pain Funnel questions feed directly into the "Identified Pain" component. If you use SPICED, they build the "Pain" score. Align your discovery sequences with whatever framework your organization uses.
- Create persona-specific versions. A CFO cares about different business impacts than an end-user. Build Level 2 questions that speak to each persona's metrics and concerns.
- Use the 1-10 technique. "On a scale of 1-10, how painful is this problem?" Then: "What makes it a [their number] and not a 2?" This question forces prospects to articulate severity and often surfaces Level 3 pain organically.
- Practice the bridge. The transition from discovery to solution is where many reps fumble. "Based on what you've shared, if we could solve [specific pain they mentioned], what would that mean for [specific stakeholder or metric they care about]?" This bridge earns you permission to present.
Tomorrow: Day 6—Post-Call Momentum.
See What’s Holding Your Revenue Back, And What Activates It
Revenue enablement wasn’t designed for execution in motion. Activation is.
