In short
Good sales call notes record the prospect's problem in their own words, who else decides, what happens if they do nothing, and the next step both sides agreed. That is what the next call, the proposal and the colleague who takes over the account all need.
Your pitch, and how you felt the call went, are not.
This guide gives a discovery call template, explains why each part matters, and covers recording: why a recorder the prospect cannot see still has to be announced.
Why the prospect's own words matter
The most useful thing in sales call notes is a direct quote. "We lose about a day each month reconciling the export by hand" is worth more than "pain: reporting inefficiency", for three reasons:
- You can use it back. A proposal or follow-up that repeats the prospect's own description of their problem is more convincing than your paraphrase of it.
- It keeps you honest. A paraphrase drifts towards what you sell. The quote stays what they said.
- It survives a handover. A colleague who reads the quote knows what the prospect cares about; a category label tells them little.
You will not capture every sentence. Aim for two or three quotes per call: how they describe the problem, what it costs them, and what a good outcome looks like.
The template
# Discovery call — <company> — <date>
**On the call:** <names and roles, both sides>
**How they found us / why now:** <one line>
## The problem, in their words
- "<quote>"
- "<quote>"
## What it costs them / what happens if nothing changes
- <their words where possible>
## What they have tried
- <current tool or process, and what they said about it>
## Who decides
- Decision-maker: <name, role>
- Others involved: <names, roles — security, finance, users>
- How they buy: <process, if mentioned>
## Timeline
- <dates or events they mentioned — a renewal, a launch, a budget cycle>
## Objections and concerns
- "<quote>"
## Next step (agreed by both sides)
- <what, who, when>
## Open questions
- <what we still need to find out>What each part is for
The problem, in their words
The centre of the call. If this section is empty or vague, the discovery call has not happened yet, whatever else was covered.
What it costs them
Why they would change anything at all. Some prospects have a problem they can live with; knowing that early saves both sides time. Write down numbers only if they gave them, and write them as theirs.
What they have tried
The current tool or workaround, and their opinion of it. This tells you what you are compared with and what they already dislike.
Who decides
The person on the call is often not the only person who decides. Write down everyone mentioned: the budget holder, security or IT review, the people who would use it. A deal that stalls is often one where somebody who decides was never on a call.
Timeline
Real dates, and the events behind them: a contract renewal, a product launch, the end of a budget year. "Sometime next quarter" without a reason is a hope, not a timeline.
Objections and concerns
Write them down exactly and without arguing with them in the notes. They are what the next conversation or the proposal has to address, and a technical colleague may need to answer them. For technical discovery in particular, meeting notes for sales engineers goes into capturing requirements and objections precisely.
The next step
One concrete thing both sides agreed: a demo with their security lead on 2 October, a trial, a proposal by Friday. If the call ended without one, write that down, because it is the most important fact about the call. Action items for your own side follow the usual rules; see writing action items that get done.
After the call
Write up the notes before the next call, while you still remember which quotes mattered. Then send a follow-up that confirms the next step and anything you promised to send. It does not need to restate the whole call; the prospect was there. How to write a follow-up email after a meeting has a template.
Put the parts your team needs into the CRM or wherever your team tracks deals: the problem, decision-makers, timeline and next step. Keep your full notes linked from there rather than pasting everything in.
Recording sales calls
A recording makes notes more accurate, especially the quotes. It is also where sales calls most need care.
Say it at the start. "I'd like to record this so I can get your requirements right — is that all right with you?" Most prospects agree. Some will not, and that is their right; take notes by hand instead.
Why it has to be said even when nothing shows it. Some recorders join the call as a participant, so everyone sees them. A recorder that runs on your own computer, including Notey, does not appear in the call at all. The prospect has no way of knowing unless you tell them. That does not make it acceptable to stay quiet; it makes saying it entirely your responsibility.
The law differs by place. Some places require only one party to a conversation to agree to a recording; others require everyone. A sales call often crosses borders, and the stricter rule is the safe one. Your company, and some prospects' procurement terms, may have their own rules too. How to ask for consent to record a meeting has wording for calls and calendar invites.
If you record with Notey, the call is recorded and transcribed on your Mac, with your side and the prospect's side on separate tracks, so each line is labelled You or Them without anyone's voice having to be learned. You can search the transcript for the moment they described the problem and play it back. If you ask for notes, only the transcript text is sent to be written up, never the audio, and the result is labelled as AI-generated. Notey does not connect to a CRM; you copy or export the notes as Markdown and put them where your team works.
Common mistakes
- Notes about your pitch. What you said is less useful than what they said.
- Paraphrasing the problem into your product's categories. Keep their words.
- One contact treated as the buyer. Always ask who else is involved.
- No next step. If there is none, write that, and decide whether the deal is real.
- Recording without saying so. It damages trust, and in many places it is against the law.
Frequently asked questions
What should you write down on a discovery call?
The problem in the prospect's own words, what happens if they do nothing, who else is involved in the decision, their timeline, and the next step both sides agreed. Everything else is secondary.
Should I record sales calls?
Many sales teams do, and it helps with accurate notes. Tell the prospect at the start and ask whether it is all right. Recording laws differ by place, and some require everyone on the call to agree.
Should sales call notes go in the CRM?
Yes, the parts the rest of the team needs, such as the problem, decision-makers, timeline and next step. Keep them short enough that a colleague can read them before the next call.
How soon should I write up a sales call?
Straight after, before the next call. Details such as the exact words the prospect used fade within hours.