Chapter 4 · The conversation that wins
Discovery
Objectives, a themed question bank, triggers to listen for, and the killer question.
10 min read · 5 quiz questions
The objective of discovery is not to explain Poetry. It is to understand how the customer recruits today and identify where Poetry creates value.
By the end of discovery you should understand
- How recruiters prepare for vacancies.
- Where recruiting knowledge is stored.
- How consistently recruiters work.
- How AI is currently being used.
- Where effort is duplicated.
- What success looks like for the customer.
Understanding the operation
- Tell me about your Talent Acquisition team.
- How many recruiters do you have?
- What types of roles do they recruit?
- Which ATS do you use?
- How is the team organised?
Recruiter preparation
- What happens between approving a vacancy and the first hiring manager meeting?
- How much preparation does a recruiter typically do?
- What information do they need before they begin recruiting?
- How do new recruiters know what good preparation looks like?
Market intelligence
- How do recruiters research the market?
- How do they understand competitors?
- Is market intelligence shared?
- Where is that information stored?
- How often is it updated?
Hiring managers
- How prepared are recruiters before intake meetings?
- Does every recruiter approach intake meetings in the same way?
- What feedback do you receive from hiring managers?
- How do you ensure consistency?
Recruitment marketing
- Who creates recruitment marketing?
- Is content reused?
- How do you ensure brand consistency?
- Do recruiters write their own adverts?
- Are campaigns approved?
Candidate outreach
- How do recruiters prepare outreach?
- Does everyone use different messaging?
- Is there a library of successful campaigns?
- How do you know which messaging performs best?
Interview preparation
- Who creates interview guides?
- Are interview questions shared?
- How consistent are interviews across recruiters?
- How do hiring managers prepare?
AI
- Which AI tools are recruiters using?
- Are prompts shared?
- Do you have governance?
- Are recruiters using AI consistently?
- How do you measure adoption?
Key point
The most revealing question you can ask
"If your best recruiter resigned tomorrow, what knowledge would leave with them?" Ask it. Then pause. The answer frequently identifies the operational gap Poetry solves.
“If you could improve one part of your recruiting operation tomorrow, what would it be?”
Discovery triggers: what to ask next
Run the discovery call simulator
A branching customer conversation. Choose what to ask next and see how the deal moves.
Check your knowledge