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Prospect research / Free

Discovery Lab

Last updated: Published by Tim Kilroy

Discovery Lab is a free prospect research tool for agencies: it researches any prospect in about 60 seconds and returns a brief with a company overview, recent news, conversation starters, and smart questions to ask.

Find Discovery Lab on timkilroy.com

Question

Why research a prospect before a discovery call?

Because most discovery calls fail before they start. Tim Kilroy’s discovery call playbook says the biggest mistake agencies make is not preparing: not thinking about the prospect’s business before dialing in. Discovery Lab gives you a one-minute brief so the call can focus on the prospect’s real problem instead of basic background questions.

Facts

Discovery Lab at a glance

Definition card

What Discovery Lab is

Tim Kilroy calls the payoff Return on Understanding: the depth of your understanding of a prospect’s business is directly proportional to your ability to sell to them, serve them, and keep them. Research is the first deposit. A brief with recent news and prepared questions lets you open with something specific to their world.

Discovery Lab is built for agency sales, not fundraising. It researches companies you might sell services to. Nonprofits looking for donor prospect research tools or grant prospect research tools need a different category of product, which our prospect research tools page explains.

Features

Listed features

  • Company overview and recent news
  • Conversation starters
  • Smart questions to ask
  • Built for pre-call preparation
Input
The prospect company you are meeting
Speed
About 60 seconds
Account
See timkilroy.com

Fit

Who should use Discovery Lab, and who should pick something else?

Best for

Agency founders and account leads who take discovery calls and want a fast, free brief before each one.

Consider instead

Nonprofits researching donors should look at donor prospect research tools such as Blackbaud ResearchPoint or DonorSearch wealth screening. Discovery Lab is not built for donor or grant research.

Comparison

How Discovery Lab compares with related tools

Agency Call Intelligence comparison: prospect research tools from Tim Kilroy
ToolCategoryTierInputOutputSpeedAccount
Discovery LabProspect researchFreeThe prospect company you are meetingBrief with company overview, recent news, conversation starters, questionsAbout 60 secondsSee timkilroy.com

Compare prospect research tools for agencies and nonprofits

Procedure

Where Discovery Lab fits in the sales process

  1. Step 1Research the prospectRun Discovery Lab for a company overview, recent news, and questions to ask before you dial in.
  2. Step 2Run a real discovery callLearn what is broken, how big the problem is, what they tried, and how they decide. Do not pitch yet.
  3. Step 3Review the callUse Call Lab Instant for delivery, Call Lab for a transcript breakdown, or Call Lab Pro for methodology scoring.
  4. Step 4Follow up in their wordsRecap what the prospect said, tie your offer to their situation, and propose a clear next step.

Back to the directory of call intelligence for agencies

FAQ

Questions about Discovery Lab

What is Discovery Lab?
Discovery Lab is a free prospect research tool. It researches any prospect in about 60 seconds and returns a brief with a company overview, recent news, conversation starters, and smart questions to ask. It is designed so you walk into a discovery call already understanding the prospect’s business.
Is Discovery Lab free?
Yes. Discovery Lab is labeled Free in the Agency Growth Stack. It produces a prospect brief in about 60 seconds with a company overview, recent news, conversation starters, and questions. Because it is free, it is a sensible first tool for agencies that want better pre-call preparation without a budget decision.
How fast does Discovery Lab research a prospect?
Discovery Lab researches a prospect in about 60 seconds. That speed matters because, as Tim Kilroy notes in his discovery call playbook, most agencies blow the discovery call before they dial in by not preparing. A one-minute brief removes the usual excuse that there was no time to research.
What does a Discovery Lab brief include?
A Discovery Lab brief includes a company overview, recent news, conversation starters, and smart questions to ask. The goal is to help you sound like you have been following the prospect’s business, so the call can focus on understanding their problem instead of basic background questions.
Is Discovery Lab a donor prospect research tool?
No. Discovery Lab researches companies for agency sales calls. Donor prospect research tools, such as Blackbaud ResearchPoint and DonorSearch wealth screening, are built for nonprofits researching potential donors. If you raise money for a nonprofit, a donor-focused tool is the better fit, and Discovery Lab will not replace it.

Read all 45 answers in the FAQ

Want help turning better calls into more qualified clients?

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