Be a sales GROWPRO

Introducing the GROWPRO Discovery Model

And how a structured approach can transform your business development success

This one has been cooking for a while and can draw a direct line from a blog I posted back in early 2024.

Here’s the thing, I’m heading into my 20th year in B2B sales and I’m going to level with you. In the early days, I absolutely sucked at it. Nervous, sweaty palms, scared of f*cking up, getting shouted at, saying something dumb, not knowing what to say… all of those things.

What I found at the root of it was that I didn’t have a plan. I was freestyling it. Hey… I was smart, I could do this on the fly right? Wrong… Ah, the confidence of youth.
Like many sales professionals, the heady combination of fear and ambition meant that the temptation to jump straight into presentations, features, and solutions was just too great.

What was the consequence? I didn’t know what the prospect actually wanted. The result? Mostly failure. Assumption is a dangerous thing in sales.

But what if I told you there’s a better way?

At Make the Break, we’ve been working on the GROWPRO Discovery Model – a structured framework that’s transformed how our renewable energy clients approach sales conversations.

The Problem with Traditional Sales Calls

Most sales calls follow this predictable pattern:

• Brief pleasantries
• Company overview presentation
• Product/service features rundown
• Awkward silence when asked “Any questions?”
• Vague “We’ll get back to you” ending

Sound familiar?

This approach fails because it’s seller-centric, not buyer-centric. You’re talking about what you want to sell, not what they need to buy.

In the renewable energy sector, this is particularly damaging. Technical buyers don’t want to hear about your company’s corporate plan – they want to know how you’ll solve their specific planning consent issue or foundation concept challenge.

The GROWPRO Discovery Model

GROWPRO isn’t a structured approach that separates discovery from implementation, ensuring you understand the client’s world before proposing solutions. It’s built on the traditional consulting GROW question set. That is as old as the hills and is nothing groundbreaking. However, with a few tweaks, here at Make the Break, we reckon it is ideally set up to be used in the sales discovery phase.

Let’s get into it.

Discovery Phase: GROW

G – Goal: What does success look like?

• Tell me about your project?
• What do you need to achieve?
• How will you measure success?
• Have you put a budget against this?
• What is driving this initiative?

R – Reality: What’s the current situation?

• What’s happening right now?
• What challenges are you facing?
• What have you tried before?
• What’s working and what isn’t?

O – Options: What solutions exist?

• What alternatives have you looked at?
• What’s your preferred approach?
• What constraints do you have?
• What would be your ideal scenario?

W – Way Forward: What’s the preferred path?

• What feels like the right direction?
• What happens if you did nothing?
• What would move you forward?
• What’s the timeline for decision-making?

Implementation phase: PRO

P – Plan together: How can we progress?

• What do you need to see from us?
• What is important to you?
• How will that fit your timeline?
• What should we not do?

R – Resources: What’s needed to succeed?

Use this moment to establish the facts – ask for any critical missing info

• What we need from you is?
• Are there any specific budget issues to be aware of?
• Is there anything else you need to see from us?

O – Order: What are the next steps?

Use this moment to summarise the discussion and why they need to take action

• What needs to happen first?
• And then?
• What’s the decision-making process?
• Who else needs to be involved?
• When should we reconvene?

Why GROWPRO Works in Renewable Energy

In renewable energy, projects are complex, multi-stakeholder, and high-stakes. The GROWPRO model addresses these specific challenges:

Technical Complexity

The “Options” stage allows you to understand technical constraints and preferences before proposing solutions. You might discover they’re considering three different suppliers, each with their own strengths and weaknesses which can inform your positioning and approach to the project.

Multiple Stakeholders

The “Resources” and “Order” stages identifies all decision-makers and influences. In renewable energy, this might include technical teams, procurement, financial directors, JV partners and other consultants.

Long Sales Cycles

It is important to recognise the buyer journey. While we should do our best to stay on top of the next steps, there has to be nuance in an industry where projects can take 18-24 months from initial contact to contract signing. Don’t be discouraged but equally keep up the momentum.

Try it.

The Psychology Behind GROWPRO

GROWPRO works because it aligns with how people naturally make decisions:

Cognitive Processing

People need to articulate their goals before they can evaluate solutions. The GROW sequence mirrors natural thought processes.

Trust Building

By asking about their reality and options, you demonstrate genuine interest in their situation, not just your commission.

Collaborative Problem-Solving

The PRO sequence turns you from a vendor into a strategic partner, jointly developing implementation plans. Do not be scared to share your own insight. By demonstrating your own knowledge and your business’ approach, it all helps elevate you as a potential strategic partner.

Common GROWPRO Mistakes to Avoid

Rushing the Discovery Phase

Don’t jump to solutions after the first “Goal” question. Spend time understanding their reality fully.

Interrogation Mode

GROWPRO is a conversation, not a checklist. Let it flow naturally while covering all elements.

Skipping the PRO Phase

Many salespeople stop at “Way Forward.” The PRO sequence is where you differentiate from competitors.

Implementing GROWPRO in Your Organization

Start with Training

Like any model, if you are going to use GROWPRO and embed it into your sales team it will take some time. There is value in setting up some simple training sessions, practice with role-plays, and develop question banks for each stage.

Create Discovery Tools

Develop templates and prompts for each GROWPRO stage, customized for the specifics of your own prospect conversations. By all means, treat this template as a starting point and go wild with it!

The Business Impact of GROWPRO

If you have a sales team under pressure or if you are a senior professional who has taken on ‘doing some BD’ as part of a new role then why not, give GROWPRO a try. For me, this structured approach leads to better qualified opportunities, shorter sales cycles, and higher client satisfaction.

Even now, I still don’t do well when going freestyle. In an industry as complex as renewable energy, amateur approaches won’t cut it. You need professional methodologies that match the sophistication of your clients. Those that stick to feature-benefit presentations will struggle.

Ready to Transform Your Sales Process?

At Make the Break, we’ve spent considerable time refining this methodology with renewable energy companies from startups to corporates. We believe that a solid methodology is one foundation stone to B2B sales success. It takes more, of course, from value proposition to offer, but if the discovery is done badly, then it can all be in vain.

Here’s a copy of our GROWPRO canvas. Grab it today and have a go on your next sales call!