What is the Hail Mary question, and how can founders use it during a dead-end sales conversation?

When a discovery call goes cold and you realize the customer has no interest in your pitch, throw the Hail Mary question: Is there anything currently on your to-do list that you would pay me right now to solve? This sudden pivot strips away the scripted dynamic and invites radical candor. Often, the prospect will immediately describe a painful, unglamorous problem that reveals the exact direction for a high-conviction company pivot.