Stop Winging It: The Right Discovery Framework For Agency Sales Calls (BANT vs CHAMP vs SPIN vs SPICE vs MEDDIC)
If your calls swing from quick inbound leads to multi-stakeholder obstacle courses, and your team is still using the same recycled discovery questions, you've got a problem.
The outcome? Awkward nods, murky next steps, and proposals that get ghosted harder than a bad Tinder date.
Move too fast and you'll get flimsy yeses that crumble under pressure. Go too slow and your deal disappears while your competitor waltzes in with a sharper pitch.
Some buyers want brass-tacks budget questions. Others don't even know what their problem is yet. Basically, you've got to thread the needle between efficient and effective without sounding like a robot or therapist.
This is your quick-read survival guide to navigating BANT, CHAMP, SPIN, SPICE, and MEDDIC. You'll learn where each framework actually works, how to match it to deal size and urgency, the questions to ask, and a plug-and-play decision tree so you run calls that move, not meander.
What Is Marketing Agency Sales Discovery?
Marketing agency discovery is that mythical first convo where you're supposed to figure out if your prospect is actually a fit or just bored on a Tuesday. Discovery helps you understand what the buyer values, how serious they are, and steers your deals into real opportunities.
The best discovery calls feel like strategic conversations, where both sides walk away with clarity. The worst feel like interrogations that end with "we'll be in touch."
Below, you'll find popular frameworks broken down by buyer type, project size, and timeline pressure. Stop treating discovery like a Mad Libs worksheet and start tailoring the conversation.
1) Discovery Calls Decide Growth, Not Just This Deal
Yes, this call matters. But what really matters is what that call sets in motion.
Weak discovery clogs your pipeline with maybes. Strong discovery compresses cycles, filters fast, and sets up deals worth chasing. Think of it as your early warning system for time-wasters and your GPS for qualified prospects.
If your team's calls sound like coffee chats, chances are no one is mentioning budget or decision-makers. If they sound like cross-examinations, well, now you're the reason deals stall out. Best move? Pick a framework and stick to it.
Start by checking your last three calls. Label every question as Need, Authority, Money, or Timing. Find the gaps. Then patch those leaks with a structured approach.
Pro tip: Open every call with a 60-second agenda. Something like, "Here's what we're planning to cover, does that sound fair?" Then gently point the convo toward the key areas: pain, process, timing.
2) The Classics: BANT vs CHAMP For Faster Filters
BANT and CHAMP are your no-nonsense tools for when you need quick clarity without intimidating your prospect. They're the Swiss Army knives of discovery frameworks.
BANT: Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline. It's designed for quick filters and plays really well with smaller inbound requests. Think: someone asking about a $3K landing page. You're not here for a therapy session. You need to know the decision-maker, budget, and start date.
Ask things like: "Who else signs off on this?" or "What's your expected launch window?" BANT works because it's predictable and efficient. Your prospect knows what's coming, and you get the intel you need to either move forward or bow out gracefully.
CHAMP: Challenge, Authority, Money, Prioritization. Starts with the Challenge, then digs into Authority, Money, and Prioritization. Use this when someone is clearly frustrated ("Our lead flow's tanking..."), but you suspect they haven't sorted out a budget yet.
Meet them where they are: their pain point. Then guide the convo toward how important this really is and what solving it might be worth to them. CHAMP builds emotional buy-in before you talk dollars, which makes budget conversations feel natural instead of awkward.
Go BANT when the buyer already has a checkbook. Pick CHAMP when you sense the pain but need to build urgency and you're the one helping them connect the dots.
3) Consultative Discovery: SPIN and SPICE Build Urgency
Ever had a prospect with a vague problem like "we need a new website" but no clue what's actually broken? SPIN and SPICE are perfect when discovery needs to lift the fog.
SPIN: Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff. It's a gentle dissection of what's wrong, how bad it really is, and what could actually change if they fix it. That "we need a new website" turns into "we convert at 0.3% and can't track attribution" which suddenly justifies a lot more than a Squarespace theme refresh.
SPIN excels at expanding scope naturally. You're not pushing bigger budgets you're uncovering bigger problems that deserve bigger solutions.
SPICE: Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Environment. Adds some urgency to the picture. That Critical Event piece is your new best friend. Ask: "What date are you working backwards from?" Is there a product launch? A compliance deadline? A new boss breathing down necks?
When pressure's involved, SPICE helps you pin it down so you can work backward with a timeline that actually makes sense. External deadlines are deal accelerators if you handle them right.
Use SPIN if the path forward is unclear. Go SPICE when external pressure means this deal has to close or someone's going to get side-eyed in their next team meeting.
4) Enterprise Grade: MEDDIC For Multi-Stakeholder, High-Ticket Deals
When you're talking six-figure retainers and everyone from legal to procurement has a seat at the table, it's time to bring out the big guns: MEDDIC or its even fancier cousin, MEDDPICC.
MEDDIC covers: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, and Champion. MEDDPICC throws in Paper Process and Competition, because why not make your life even more complex?
At enterprise level, logic goes out the window unless you operationalize what good deals look like. Get crisp on measurable outcomes (Metrics), find the person who actually signs checks (Economic Buyer), then play Sherlock with buying criteria, how decisions are made, and who's campaigning for you on the inside (Champion).
The beauty of MEDDIC is that it forces uncomfortable but necessary conversations early. Who's the real decision maker? What specific metrics need to improve? How do they typically evaluate vendors? These aren't nice-to-know details they're make-or-break intel.
Better yet, embed MEDDIC right into your CRM. Check: Do you have a name for the Economic Buyer? Are you clear on their decision criteria? If not, don't pass "Go" you're not ready for a proposal.
Good News: MEDDIC makes deals real. Bad News: It also highlights just how many of your 'hot opps' are held together with wishful thinking.
5) Match Framework To Buyer And Deal Fit
One script doesn't rule them all. So stop acting like it does.
The smartest agencies pre-select their framework based on lead source, deal size, and buyer sophistication before the call even starts. This isn't about being rigid. It's about being intentional.
Use the cheat sheet and decision tree below to pre-select your framework based on where the lead came from, how big the deal is, and what kind of urgency they're showing. Then prep 6 to 8 smart questions. No more freestyling your way through quarter-million-dollar conversations.
Buyer Type
Typical Deal Size
Pipeline Source
Recommended Framework
Why It Works
Example Use Case
Small business owner
Under 25K project or monthly retainer under 5K
Inbound form or referral
BANT
Quick filter: budget, decision-maker, timeline
Landing page + ads for local dentist
Mid-market manager
25K to 100K project or 5K to 20K monthly
Inbound or outbound
CHAMP
Starts with pain, works around budget
Lead gen for regional B2B with fuzzy goals
Strategic buyer with vague problem
50K to 150K+ scoped initiatives
Outbound or warm intro
SPIN
Clarifies scope, expands value
"Need a new site" turns into CRO + analytics overhaul
Deadline-driven team
Highly variable
Inbound with fixed date
SPICE
Anchors urgency to event
Launch tied to trade show or compliance window
Enterprise, multi-stakeholder
100K+ retainers or multi-year deals
RFP, cold outbound, or exec intro
MEDDIC / MEDDPICC
Locks in economic buyer, metrics, and buying steps
Global CRO play with procurement landmines
Your decision tree, in five no-brainer steps:
Deal under 25K?
Yes: BANT. Fast and clean.
Clear pain, no budget?
Yes: CHAMP. Start with the hurt.
Problem vague?
Yes: SPIN. Pull the thread.
External deadline?
Yes: SPICE. Time is not your friend.
Eight people on the call and you don't know who's in charge?
Yes: MEDDIC. Send in the spreadsheet.
No: Tweak SPIN or CHAMP based on buyer clarity.
Choosing your framework in advance is like choosing pants that actually fit. You'll save yourself time and avoid an awkward exit.
6) Build Your Agency Discovery Playbook Now
Frameworks are great. Playbooks are better.
Don't let discovery stay trapped in a Google Doc from 2021. Your team needs something they can actually use when they're 10 minutes into a call and the prospect just said something that changes everything.
Create one-pagers for your preferred frameworks with 6 to 8 core questions, sample objections, and a realistic call exit criteria. Add a 60-second call open that includes an agenda and permission to dig in. Then actually roleplay and tag call recordings.
Hear someone fumble the Economic Buyer question? Coach them on it 1:1. Notice a pattern where prospects ghost after discovery calls? Maybe you're not creating enough urgency or next steps aren't concrete enough.
If you're running a lean, scrappy agency, start with CHAMP for most calls and swap in SPICE when calendar pressure is obvious. Graduate to MEDDIC as bigger deals show up. The key is consistency everyone on your team should sound like they belong at the same agency.
The future belongs to the agencies with structured curiosity and a plan.
Join the Dynamic Agency Community
Here's the bottom line: Match the framework to your prospect, run your call intentionally, and finally break free from mystery-meeting syndrome. Start by defining your go-to framework by deal type, write out 6 to 8 core questions, wire it into your CRM, script your intro, and do the painful but rewarding work of reviewing a few recent calls.
Want templates, recordings, and smart people to riff with? Grab a seat inside the Dynamic Agency Community and turn sales discovery into your unfair advantage.
