Best Practices for Client Discovery

Imagine Your perfect discovery process... What might it include? What must it produce?

Best practice is to begin with defining strategic intent. Not vague goals or vague dreams—but a clearly defined destination wrapped with the emotional intent to succeed. This is what we teach in the C3D certification in the 3 Dimensions of Business Growth. They're further reinforced with Growth-Drive's CLARITY™ Strategic Capacity & Business Value Analysis. In fact, in the Ridge Specialty Tooling case Diane Ridge’s clarity around her intent is the catalyst for unlocking new capacity across her organization.

What must the discovery process produce?

Discovery must produce clarity. Crystal clarity. It must yield a shared understanding of the client’s strategic intent and the operational truth about their capacity to achieve it. We use the term “diamond of truth” to describe this: at the center lies intent, wrapped in personal ambition, family needs, stakeholder impact, and bounded by the current state of business capacity. Strategic capacity, that is—the Growth-Drive kind. We’re not measuring hustle, we’re measuring the business’s ability to deliver.

This clarity informs every decision that follows. If done right, discovery doesn't just find opportunity—it creates emotional commitment. And as you know, nothing moves without emotional fuel.

Discovery ALSO QualifIES CLIENTS

Here’s the truth—discovery is also qualifying. When you engage in a real Growth Conversation, you are testing for intent, not just interest. Does the CEO truly intend to create change? To invest in the future? To do the work? If they don't read as ready to change that's OK - but imagine not knowing this as you launch into your work. 

This is foundational doctrine. You’re not selling solutions to folks who won’t implement -these folks can only be helped to a point. With qualified clients you’re guiding leaders committed to doing the hard work of growth.

Best: Solo or Team?

This is where the combo Growth Advisor + Wealth Advisor becomes pure magic. Discovery works best when it's collaborative. The Growth Advisor brings operational insight. The Wealth Advisor links business strategy to personal wealth and legacy. Together, they align the business plan to the life plan. That’s how we deliver the whole value. That’s why it works. That’s why our advisors win. And kids this is why so many exit planning wealth advisors are joining our community and collaborating with growth advisors to deliver client wins.

UsING the 5Ps OF MEETING PREPARATION

Discovery done right is intentional, structured, and facilitated. And it produces. That’s why we teach the 5 Ps of Preparation[1] in the C3D and in the Fearless Advisor programs. 

These are:

1. Purpose – Why are we here?
   
   
2. People – Who should be involved?
   
   
3. Process – How will we conduct the conversation?
   
   
4. Product – What must your meeting produce?
   
   
5. Plan – How will the meeting unfold?
   
   

Read them again. Aren't these your keys to high-value discovery conversations?

Summit Workshop Preview

This topic is absolutely workshop material. At the Summit we’ll break it down further—mapping the discovery process against client types, exploring real-world cases, and facilitating role play to sharpen your discovery skills. Bring your questions, your tough cases, and your “almosts.” We’ll get you past them, we promise.

Best Practices for Discovery

1. Start with Strategic Intent – Everything begins here.
   
   
2. Use the Growth Conversation – Link intent to personal motivation and strategic capacity.
   
   
3. Deploy Tools Creating Strategic Capacity Analysis – As in the Ridge Specialty Tooling case, this analysis transforms assumptions into data and insight, making change actionable.
   
   
4. Always Qualify Through Commitment – “Goal” is talk. “Intent” is action.
   
   
5. Facilitate, Don’t Sell – Discovery is not a pitch. It’s a co-creation of clarity.
   
   
6. Align Wealth & Growth Goals – This is where dual-advisor teams shine.
   
   

So, would you agree with this?

“Discovery is the most important phase of your client engagements.”

If you do, it’s probably because you’ve seen what happens when it's skipped—or done poorly. The missed insights. The wrong strategies. The loss of trust. But when it’s done right, discovery becomes your unfair advantage.

So I’ll ask you again:

• How do you define your intent for discovery?
  
  
• What must your discovery process produce?
  
  
• Who needs to be in the room—and how will you know?
  
  

Answer these, and you’re on the path to becoming a truly Growth-Driving Advisor.

[1] 5Ps of Preparation: Wilkinson, Michael. The Secrets of Facilitation: The S.M.A.R.T. Guide to Getting Results with Groups. Jossey-Bass, 2012. This work is the textbook for Growth-Drive's Fearless Business Advisor facilitation skills training and workshops.