High-Impact Discovery Questions for Selling to Finance Leaders in Manufacturing

Summary:

Surface spend visibility gaps, cost optimization opportunities, and compliance risks with tailored questions designed for complex manufacturing finance environments.

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Finance directors in manufacturing face tight budgets, complex supplier networks, and the need to demonstrate ROI while controlling operational spend. Effective discovery helps you align with what matters: improving spend visibility, automating approvals, enhancing compliance, and driving strategic financial decisions. Use these 30 questions to drive productive discovery that resonates with finance leaders.

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Here’s a curated set of 30 discovery questions spanning early discovery, qualification, and deep needs analysis, perfect for tools focused on spend management, procurement automation, and financial oversight.

Early Discovery (Understand context + hook interest)

What are your top financial priorities this quarter: cost reduction, spend visibility, or supplier optimization?
How do you currently track and manage operational spend across departments?
What challenges do you face in controlling indirect or discretionary spend?
How much time does your team spend on manual invoice approvals or expense reconciliations?
What financial systems or spend management tools are currently in use?
How do you ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations?
Are there gaps in spend reporting that make it difficult to forecast budgets accurately?
How do you collaborate with procurement and operations teams on spend decisions?
What is your current process for monitoring supplier contracts and compliance?
How do you onboard new financial staff or train teams on spend policies?

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Qualification (Uncover priorities, buying signals)

What outcomes would justify adopting a new spend management platform?
How do you evaluate ROI for fintech solutions in a manufacturing environment?
Are there specific KPIs (cost savings, process efficiency, spend compliance) that matter most?
Who signs off on spend management or finance technology Finance, IT, or Operations?
What’s your timeline for rolling out new financial processes or platforms?
Are you currently exploring other fintech solutions for spend optimization?
How well do your current tools integrate with ERP, accounting, or procurement systems?
What budget cycles or approvals affect technology adoption in your finance team?
What internal challenges slow down adoption of new financial tools?
Are there risks with maintaining the current manual processes that you’re trying to mitigate?

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Deep Needs Analysis (Tie value to goals, quantify pain)

How much time do finance teams spend on reconciliations, approvals, or reporting that could be automated?
What is the financial impact of unmanaged or untracked spend across departments?
How do manual processes impact accuracy, compliance, or audit readiness?
How do you currently track supplier performance and contract adherence?
How much effort is required to forecast budgets or manage spend variances?
What would improved spend visibility mean for cost savings or operational efficiency?
How do you measure the impact of financial initiatives on overall manufacturing profitability?
Are there missed opportunities where better spend management could improve working capital?
If you could automate one major part of your spend management process, what would it be?
How would real-time visibility change decision-making for your team?

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How Pepsales AI Makes Discovery Smarter

Pepsales AI empowers finance leaders to ask the right questions, faster and more effectively. It delivers intelligent, role-specific, and industry-aware discovery prompts in real time tailored to each finance context.

What You Get:

A ready-to-use library of proven questions by persona, industry, and product
Smart prompts that adapt to objections, buyer roles, and process stages
Built-in coaching to help finance teams lead more impactful spend management conversations
Automated prep no more guesswork before discovery calls

Whether you're evaluating a new spend platform, optimizing approvals, or improving compliance, Pepsales AI helps every conversation start strong and get to the real need, fast.

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Want to Drive More Impactful Discovery?

‍Arm your team with questions that uncover financial pain, build urgency, and move spend management initiatives forward.Get a free trial of the Pepsales AI Copilot