Let the buyer change the research story
Save the original observation and source date. Explain why it might relate to your product, then name another plausible explanation. This protects the next seller from repeating an inference as a fact.
In discovery, ask how the workflow operates today, what breaks, how often, who is affected and whether change is being considered. Record the buyer's answer separately from the research. If the issue is minor or already solved, change the account state rather than generating a stronger pitch around the same unsupported premise.
| Decision | Evidence to use | What changes next |
|---|---|---|
| Research | Fact, source, date and alternative explanation | Prepare a neutral workflow question |
| Conversation | Buyer description and consequence in their own terms | Confirm, revise or reject the hypothesis |
| Decision | Active change, stakeholders and next action | Determine whether an opportunity exists |
Work through the decision
Illustrative hypothesis: a new enterprise tier may create manual access administration. Ask, 'How do changes to enterprise access reach the product today?' The buyer explains that a mature internal service handles it with little effort. The original pain hypothesis is rejected.
Another buyer describes repeated exceptions requiring engineering work, but says no change project is planned. Record confirmed pain and no active decision as separate findings. That case may justify a later review, not immediate qualified pipeline or an invented procurement timeline.
Discovery is used to make the hypothesis sound true
Leading questions can produce agreement without understanding. Ask for the current process and a recent example before proposing a cost estimate. A useful conversation can end with a rejected hypothesis; that is learning, not a failed call.
A concrete next step
Take one account hypothesis and write three neutral questions plus one alternative explanation. Use the buyer's answers to update the record rather than overwrite them with the original pitch.
Sources and research notes
- GitLab Command PlanCompany operating handbook
- Schematic product documentationCompany product description
Primary sources reviewed October 6, 2026. The operating recommendations and worked scenarios are Daavid’s analysis. Illustrative numbers are assumptions, not measured client results. Company marks identify sources and prior experience; they do not imply a customer relationship or endorsement.
Schematic