How to run a discovery call as a consultant

What is a discovery call?

A discovery call is a short conversation before any proposal, where you ask questions and listen. Its job is to find out whether there's a real problem you can solve, for a budget that works, on a timeline you can meet. It isn't a pitch, and it isn't free consulting: you find the problem now and solve it later.

It goes by other names: an intro call, a consultation, a fit call. Michelle Kuei, a business and marketing coach for coaches, tells listeners of her Make It Visible podcast to "stop calling it discovery call", because to a client the name is vague; she calls hers a strategy call. Whatever you call it, say what the client will leave with.

How long should a discovery call be?

Plan for 30 minutes. That's long enough to hear the problem properly and short enough that you aren't doing the work for free. Book 45 minutes only when the problem is complex or several people join. If you need longer, the next step is a paid diagnostic or a proposal, not a second free call.

A 30-minute agenda:

1. Two minutes: thanks, and how the call will run.

2. 15 minutes: their situation, the result they want and what they've tried (questions 1 to 12 below).

3. Eight minutes: timing, budget and how they decide (questions 13 to 17).

4. Five minutes: their questions and the next step (questions 18 to 20), with a date for your proposal.

What questions should you ask on a discovery call?

Ask about five things, in this order: their situation, the result they want, what they've tried, how they'll decide and pay, and what happens next. Twenty questions are below; you won't need all of them. Ask one at a time, let silences run, and write down their exact words, because those words go into your proposal.

Their situation

1. What made you reach out now?

2. Tell me about the business today: what you sell, to whom, and how big the team is.

3. What's getting in the way?

4. How long has this been a problem?

5. What does it cost you to leave it as it is?

The result they want

1. If this goes well, what's different in six months?

2. How will you measure that?

3. Who else cares about this result, and what do they want from it?

4. What would make this a failure, even if the work gets done?

What they've tried

1. What have you already tried, and what happened?

2. Have you worked with a consultant on this before? What worked and what didn't?

3. What do you want to keep exactly as it is?

Timing, budget and how they decide

1. Is there a deadline or an event this needs to be ready for?

2. Have you set a budget for this?

3. Who decides, and who else will read the proposal?

4. How do you usually buy services like this: a proposal, a purchase order, something else?

5. What would stop this from going ahead?

What happens next

1. What questions do you have for me?

2. Is there anything I haven't asked that I should know?

3. If I send a proposal by [day], when could you review it?

Tip

Copy their exact words. "We keep losing clients in the second month" is a better first line for your proposal than anything you'd write yourself. Our guide to writing a sales proposal starts with the situation, in their words.

Watch out

Don't solve the problem on the call. If you hand over the plan for free, the proposal has nothing left to sell. Say what you'd look at first, and save the how for the proposal.

What should you send before a discovery call?

Send a confirmation with the date, the time and the video link, plus one line on what the call will cover. Ask a few questions when they book, so you start the call knowing the basics and can spot a poor fit early. Three to five questions is enough; save the rest for the call.

Kuei names the reason on the same podcast episode: "I have people booking a call in the past, but they don't have the budget to work with the coach." One question about budget on the booking form catches that before it costs you half an hour.

Good questions for the booking form:

• What made you reach out now? (long answer)

• What does your business do, and for whom? (short answer)

• What should be different in six months? (long answer)

• Do you have a budget in mind? (dropdown, with your own ranges, for example "Under $5,000", "$5,000 to $15,000", "Over $15,000" and "Not sure yet")

• Anything I should read before we talk? (short answer, optional)

What should you send after a discovery call?

Send a short recap the same day: what you heard, in their words, the result they want, and the next step with a date. Then send the proposal when you said you would. If it isn't a fit, say so kindly and, if you can, point them to someone who is.

A recap you can copy:

Subject: Our call today, and next steps

Hi [name],

Thanks for your time today. Here's what I heard:

• [Their situation, in their words]

• [The result they want, and how they'll measure it]

• [The deadline, budget or decision-maker they mentioned]

Next step: I'll send a proposal by [day]. If I've missed or misheard anything, reply and tell me.

[Your name]

The proposal comes next; our guide to writing a sales proposal has the six parts.

How do you set up discovery calls in Aventide?

Make a booking type for the call. In Calendar, under Booking, choose New type, name it, set the length, add up to 10 questions for the client, and choose Zoom or Google Meet so every booking gets its own link. Share the booking link or put it on your website. Payment is off unless you turn it on.

• Questions for the client. Up to 10 per booking type, each a short answer, long answer, dropdown or checkbox, required or optional. The answers show on the booking, so you read them before the call.

• A video link for every booking. Set the booking type to Zoom and each booking gets its own Zoom meeting, with the link in the confirmation; if the client reschedules, the meeting time updates, and if the booking is cancelled, the meeting is removed. Or choose Google Meet, which uses your Google Calendar connection. Phone and in-person calls work too.

• Your calendar stays right. Bookings land on your Google Calendar, and your busy times stop clients booking over them.

• Emails, not texts. The client gets a confirmation, then reminders a day and an hour before, each with the meeting link and a way to reschedule or cancel within your rules.

• Payment only if you want it. A free call needs nothing. For a paid diagnostic, turn on Collect payment for this booking type and take the full price or a deposit when they book, through your own Stripe account. Aventide takes 0%.

• On your website. Embed the whole booking page or just this booking type, or add a Book now button.

After the call, paste your notes into Think and ask Sidekick for a proposal. It asks which template you want and how to price it, then reads the outline back ("Does this look right? In this order?") before Aventide writes it. If you take notes with Fireflies or Granola, connect it and the call's notes come into Aventide with a summary. Anything Aventide drafts for a client waits for your approval; automations you switch on run on their own. Doing things yourself never uses credits. Only the AI's work does.

For the whole path from first call to signed agreement, see client onboarding in Aventide and Aventide for consultants.