This morning, I woke up with a flutter of excitement tinged with nerves. It was my first day stepping into a new role with a team I’d only met through pixelated screens, and I was about to join a call that felt like a big deal—an early discovery session with a potential client. The clock blinked 6:45 AM as I brewed my coffee, settled into my chair, and logged in, ready to watch and learn.

The call kicked off at 7:01 AM on the dot, and the virtual room buzzed with purpose. Our team—a veteran leader with 40 years of financial services wisdom and a credit expert with a knack for cutting through complexity—greeted the client, a crew from a fast-growing fintech halfway around the world.

On their side sat a visionary exec with big dreams and a detail-oriented officer who seemed to weigh every word. I stayed muted, an observer with my notebook open, pen poised. Right off the bat, I noticed our team didn’t launch into a sales spiel. Instead, they leaned into questions—sharp, thoughtful ones that peeled back layers. “What’s the biggest gap you’re facing as you scale?” the leader asked, his voice steady but curious.

The exec hesitated, then admitted their struggle to balance growth with sustainable profit, hinting at a team stretched thin. The credit expert followed with, “How confident are you in your current models for predicting risk?” That hit a nerve. The officer perked up, confessing they had top-notch technical talent but a missing middle layer—people who could turn data into practical policy. I scribbled notes like mad, realizing this was discovery done right.

It wasn’t about us; it was about them. I’d read in our playbook that a great discovery isn’t a veiled pitch—it’s a chance to listen, to map the client’s terrain so you can navigate it with intent. That’s what unfolded here. The client wasn’t just answering; they were sharing their world—pain points, ambitions, all of it. By the 30-minute mark, I could sense the trust taking root, a quiet bond forming. Then the magic shifted gears.

Our team didn’t let the insights linger—they moved into action, pulling from what I’d later peg as deliberate, rehearsed plays. I recognized them from my prep, and they fit the moment like a glove.

Here’s what I saw unfold, and why each play mattered: First, the leader rolled out Play 1: Curate Initial Content. “We’ve got some case studies and a sample assessment we can share—would that help you see the value?” he offered. The exec nodded, asking for specifics. This was about sending tailored materials—like examples of how we’ve helped others scale credit operations or cut defaults by 17%—to build credibility without pushing hard.

The rationale? The client craved concrete proof, not promises, and this play meets them there, starting a relationship on their terms.

Next, the credit expert hinted at Play 3: Treat the Prospects Like Clients. “We could do a quick call to walk through how we’d tackle those middle-layer gaps,” she suggested, tossing in a no-risk sweetener like a 30-day cancellation option. It was subtle but brilliant—treating them like partners from the jump, offering value upfront.

Why? The client had been burned by inefficient consultants before and worried about resources. This play lowers their guard, showing we’re here to solve, not sell.

Then came Play 5: Create the Onsite Opportunity. The leader proposed, “What if we set up a short workshop to dive into your credit lifecycle? We could pinpoint those gaps in two days.” The officer’s eyes lit up. This was about bringing them into our world—virtually or otherwise—to show, not tell, how we’d bridge their needs.

The rationale? They’d raved about a fast, focused approach over months-long engagements. A hands-on session builds trust and proves we get their pace.

The credit expert layered in Play 20: Post-Discovery Follow-Up. “Once you see the materials, we can tailor something specific—like how we’d optimize your data for risk scoring,” she said. This play takes what we’d learned—gaps in policy, data foundations—and crafts a targeted next step.

Why it works? It keeps momentum alive, showing we’ve listened and can act, potentially shaving weeks off the sales cycle while deepening their confidence.

Finally, they teased Play 23: Ensemblex Proof-of-Concept (POC). “We could run a quick test on your data—say, a week—to show you the impact,” the leader added. A 7-day POC to cut false positives by 25% or boost approvals by 10%? That’s gold for a team obsessed with results.

The rationale? They’re cautious buyers who need to see it to believe it. This play delivers hard evidence, fast. As the call wound down, I felt a rush. This wasn’t random—it was a dance, each step deliberate. The discovery laid the foundation, uncovering their priorities: scale, risk, efficiency. But the set plays turned it into a plan, transforming insights into action.

They weren’t flinging ideas haphazardly; they were solving problems in real time, each play locking into a need. The client left intrigued, not overloaded, with clear next steps: materials to review, a workshop to plan, a follow-up set for early April.

I stepped away from my screen, coffee long cold but my mind buzzing. A discovery without follow-through is just talk—it’s the plays that make it a strategy.

Today wasn’t about sealing the deal; it was about cracking the door open. And as the new kid on the team, I couldn’t wait to see how we’d walk through it.

Develop the playbook folks. Your customers will love ya! Better yet, so will your sales pipeline!