Run the sales meeting
How do I run a sales call with a small business owner about a website?
Open with an agenda, ask discovery questions, share your screen to walk through the draft, ask for reactions and finish with one agreed next step.
What you will be able to do
Run a 20 to 30 minute video meeting with a business owner: open with an agenda, ask good discovery questions, share your screen to walk through the draft, ask for honest reactions and finish with one agreed next step.
Before you start
- Your single page draft open in a browser tab, in phone and desktop view.
- The discovery call agenda printed or open on a second screen.
Why this matters
The meeting is won on trust, not design: does the owner believe you understand their business and will deliver without drama? Without an agenda, the call drifts into font choices and ends with "let me think about it."
- 1AgendaWhat the next 20 minutes cover
- 2QuestionsTheir goals and customers
- 3DraftWalk through it on screen
- 4ValueTie changes to their goals
- 5PriceSay the number plainly
- 6Next stepAgree what happens and when
Skipping the questions and jumping to the draft is the most common way to lose the room.
Step by step
Tick each step as you do it. Your ticks are saved in this browser.
Prepare for five minutes
Reread your notes and their emails, close every other tab, mute notifications, test your screen share.
Open with the agenda
"Thanks for making time. I was thinking we spend a few minutes on how the website fits your business right now, then I will share my screen and show you the rough draft, and we finish with whether a next step makes sense. Does that work?"
Ask discovery questions before you show anything
Spend 5 to 10 minutes. Listen more than you talk. Good questions:
- "How do most new customers find you today?"
- "What do you want someone to do when they land on your site?"
- "What do you like about your current site? What bothers you?" With no site yet: "When people look you up, what do you want them to find?"
- "Who else would be involved in deciding on a change?" Note their words for the walkthrough and the proposal.
Share your screen and set expectations
Before the draft appears: "This is a rough first pass. The photos and some text are placeholders. What I want your reaction to is the layout and how easy it is to book."
Walk through the draft using what they told you
Tie each change to their words: "You mentioned insurance questions, so the logos are right at the top." Three or four points, not every pixel.
Ask for reactions, then be quiet
"What is your first impression?" Wait. Then "What would you change?" Write it down without defending the draft.
Summarize the value in their words
"So the main things are easier phone booking and insurance info up front. Did I get that right?" A yes means you agreed on the problem.
Mention price only when they are ready
Give a clear number or range for the scope discussed (how to set it), or say you will send a short proposal.
Agree on one next step with a date
Not "let me know." A proposal by Wednesday and a 10 minute call Friday, in the calendar before you hang up.
Send a recap within a few hours
Thanks, the two or three things they care about in their words, what you will send and when, and the next meeting time.
Example
Say you are meeting Dr. Patel from Hillside Family Dental, a fictional Austin clinic. A well run 25 minute call:
0:00 Agenda
You: Thanks for making time. Quick plan: a few minutes on how the site
fits the practice now, then I will share my screen and show the
rough draft, then we see if a next step makes sense. Sound good?
2:00 Discovery
You: How do most new patients find you today?
Dr P: Mostly referrals and Google. Then they look at the site.
You: What do you want them to do on the site?
Dr P: Book. Honestly the front desk spends a lot of time on the phone
answering "do you take my insurance."
You: Who else would weigh in on a change?
Dr P: My office manager, Lisa.
10:00 Screen share
You: This is a rough first pass, photos are placeholders. I would love
your reaction to the layout and how easy it is to book. Here is
the phone view first, since a lot of people search on their phones.
You mentioned insurance questions, so the accepted plans are here
at the top, and the Book a cleaning button stays on screen.
16:00 Reactions
You: What is your first impression?
Dr P: That is a lot cleaner. I would want new patient forms online too.
You: Good point. Anything else missing?
20:00 Value and next step
You: So the main goals are easier phone booking, insurance info up
front and online new patient forms. Did I get that right?
Dr P: Yes.
You: I will send a one page proposal with the scope and price by
Wednesday. Could we do 10 minutes Friday with Lisa on the call
to go over it?
Dr P: Friday at noon works.
Bad version: open with the draft, explain every font, blurt a price with no scope, end with "let me know."
Common mistakes
- Showing the draft before asking questions. You cannot connect it to goals you never heard.
- Defending the design. If they dislike something, write it down and say "good to know."
- Talking more than they do. In discovery, they should speak at least half the time.
- No decision maker on the call. Invite them to the next step. Do not try to close someone who cannot say yes.
Try it yourself
Run a practice meeting with a friend playing a local business owner. Follow the discovery call agenda and steps 2 to 9 with a real draft.
Time: about 40 minutes, including a 25 minute practice call.
Deliverable: your call notes and the recap email you would send.
Resources
- Discovery call agenda questions and timings to follow
- Price your websites for the price part of the meeting
- Handle objections and close for what comes up after the walkthrough
Finished this lesson?
Mark it complete to track your progress through the course.
Last reviewed October 18, 2026. Prices, laws and tool terms change, so check current terms before you rely on any figure.