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Sales · 10 min

Plan a 25-minute discovery call that gets real answers

Copilot Chat

Jump to the prompt ↓

Short answer: Paste what you know about the buyer into Copilot Chat and ask for a timed agenda with eight open questions, ordered from easy to sharp. Ask it to note what a good answer tells you, and to skip anything you could look up yourself. Then cut it to the five questions you'll actually ask.

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 21, 2026

Most discovery calls fall apart because the questions sound like a form. Buyers answer people, not checklists. Prep the questions in ten minutes and you walk in sounding like someone who understands their business, which is what makes you worth a second meeting.

A common situation (composite)

I get 25 minutes with the VP.
I always end up pitching by minute ten.
I leave without knowing their budget or who decides.

What you get

  • Data: the buyer's role, industry and three things you already know.
  • Does: builds a timed agenda and open questions in a smart order.
  • Output: a one-page call plan.
  • How often: before every first call.

Before you start

  1. Needs: Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Not sure what you have? Start here.
  2. Where: Copilot Chat.
  3. Access: Copilot only uses content you already have permission to open. Use only information your company allows in Copilot.

The steps

  1. Write down three facts you know about the company, from their website or past emails.
  2. Paste the prompt into Copilot Chat with those facts.
  3. Run the follow-up to practice the hardest question.
  4. Cut the plan to the five questions you care most about.
  5. Keep it open during the call, and leave half the time for listening.

Copy this prompt

I have a 25-minute first call with a [role] at a [industry] company.
What I know: [fact 1], [fact 2], [fact 3]
What we sell, in one line: [line]

Build:
- A timed agenda (minutes for each part, with at least 12 minutes for their answers)
- 8 open questions, from easy to sharp. Cover their current setup, what's not working, who else is involved, timing and budget
- For each question, one line on what a good answer tells me

Skip anything I could look up myself. Skip sales jargon. Write the questions the way a person talks.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/discovery-call-plan/)

Make it better

Run this next, in the same chat.

Now play this buyer. Answer my questions vaguely, the way a busy person does. After each of your answers, give me one better follow-up question that would get a specific number, name or date.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/discovery-call-plan/)

Data tip: use this with your work Copilot, and leave out passwords, payment details and anything your company marks restricted.

What a good result looks like

Questions you'd actually say out loud, a plan that leaves more time for them than for you, and no facts about the company that you didn't give it.

If a feature is missing

If you only have the web version of Copilot Chat, paste the facts in yourself. It doesn't need access to your files for this.

Make it smarter

Keep a short "What it got wrong" note. Paste it above the prompt next time, like "Don't invent dates".

Not sure what to ask? Copy the quick note for your Copilot admin.

Questions people ask

Plan a 25-minute discovery call that gets real answers?

Paste what you know about the buyer into Copilot Chat and ask for a timed agenda with eight open questions, ordered from easy to sharp. Ask it to note what a good answer tells you, and to skip anything you could look up yourself. Then cut it to the five questions you'll actually ask.

What do I need for this?

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. If you only have the web version of Copilot Chat, paste the facts in yourself. It doesn't need access to your files for this.

How many questions should I really ask?

Plan eight, ask four or five. The plan is there so you don't freeze, not so you work through a list.

Can Copilot research the company first?

Copilot Chat can search the public web. Ask it to summarize the company's recent news with links, and check those links before you mention anything on the call.

Does this work for renewals or expansion calls?

Yes. Swap the facts for what they already bought and what's changed since, and ask for questions about what's working and what isn't.

Next step

Try it once, then make it yours.

Run the prompt on one real task this week. Then pick your next workflow.

See the workflow library ↗

Cite or share this guide

Plan a 25-minute discovery call that gets real answers. Stuck with Copilot. https://stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/discovery-call-plan/ Last checked Oct 21, 2026.

Official references

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 21, 2026.