How to Set an Up-Front Contract at the Start of Discovery.
The first two minutes of a first meeting with a new buyer, before any questions have been asked
A buyer who has not agreed to the rules of the conversation answers defensively. One who has agreed to them answers candidly. The up-front contract, drawn from the Sandler Selling System, is a short mutual agreement on purpose, time and what both sides can expect. It turns a meeting that feels like an interrogation into one that feels like a fair exchange. Without it, buyers filter their answers because they are not sure what you are really after.
Where it goes wrong
You ask a sharp question and get a guarded, surface-level answer. The buyer senses an agenda they did not sign up for. Trust erodes before discovery has started, and you spend the rest of the call chasing openness you never earned.
What you'll be able to do
The AE can open any first meeting with a short, two-part agreement that gives them explicit permission to ask direct questions and sets a shared definition of a good use of the time.
How to do it
Name the time and the purpose
Name the time and the purpose. 'We have thirty minutes. My goal is to understand enough about how things work today to know whether there is something worth exploring together. Does that match what you were hoping to get from this?'
Ask for permission to probe
Ask for permission to probe. 'Would it be alright if I asked you some fairly direct questions about where things stand today? That way I can avoid pitching you something that does not fit.'
Name what you will give back
Name what you will give back. 'If it turns out there is a fit, I will tell you clearly what that looks like. If there is not, I will say that too and we will both have our time back.' This makes the contract feel genuinely mutual, not just a preamble to a pitch.
With a senior or guarded stakeholder, keep it even
With a senior or guarded stakeholder, keep it even shorter. 'Before we get into it - what would make this a good use of your time today?' Then listen and reflect it back before you ask anything else.
See the difference
Rep jumps straight in: 'Great, so tell me a bit about your current process for onboarding new hires.' The buyer gives a two-sentence answer and waits to see where this is going.
Rep opens: 'We have got thirty minutes. My aim is to ask you a few direct questions about how things work today so I can work out whether what we do is even relevant. If it is, I will be straight with you about what that looks like. If it is not, I will say so. Does that work for you?' Buyer says yes. Rep asks the first question and gets a full, honest answer.
The AE can open any first meeting with a short, two-part agreement that gives them explicit permission to ask direct questions and sets a shared definition of a
How you'll know it's working
You have got it when buyers respond to your first discovery question with a full, unprompted answer rather than a short, cautious one - and when you can feel the difference between a room that has agreed to talk and one that has not.
Questions people ask
How do you set an up-front contract at the start of discovery?
A buyer who has not agreed to the rules of the conversation answers defensively. One who has agreed to them answers candidly. The AE can open any first meeting with a short, two-part agreement that gives them explicit permission to ask direct questions and sets a shared definition of a good use of the tim
What is the most common mistake to avoid?
You ask a sharp question and get a guarded, surface-level answer. The buyer senses an agenda they did not sign up for.
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