Discovery call agenda

How to use this

Use this agenda for the first video call with a prospect who replied to you. In the sales sequence these tips come from, this is the call where you show the free draft live, so the call has two jobs: understand the business, and show them something real. The times below fit a 30 minute call. Print it or keep it open beside your video window, and write their answers straight into the notes column. Read the questions in your own words. You are having a conversation, not reading a form aloud.

Before the call

• Confirm the time by email the day before, with the video link
• Open their current site, your draft and your notes in separate tabs
• Test your screen share and microphone
• Have a rough price range ready in your head for what they will probably need
• Close everything else on your screen that you would not want them to see

Agenda at a glance

Time	Section	Goal
0 to 3 min	Welcome and plan	Set the agenda so they relax
3 to 12 min	Their business	Learn what a website needs to do for them
12 to 22 min	The draft	Show your work, live, and get reactions
22 to 27 min	Scope and price	Agree what the project is and roughly what it costs
27 to 30 min	Next step	Leave with a date and an action

1. Welcome and plan (0 to 3 min)

Say something like:

Thanks for making the time, [First name]. Here's what I was thinking for
the next half hour: I'd like to ask a few questions about the business
first, then show you the draft I made, and at the end we can talk about
whether it makes sense to do the full site. Sound good?

Then let them talk if they want to. Some owners will start telling you their whole story right away. That is a good sign.

2. Their business (3 to 12 min)

Pick 5 to 7 of these. Write down their exact words where you can, because you will use them in your proposal.

Question	Their answer
How do most new customers find you today?	[ ]
When someone visits your website, what do you want them to do? Call, book, visit, buy?	[ ]
What do your best customers have in common?	[ ]
What do people usually ask before they hire you?	[ ]
What do you dislike about your current website?	[ ]
Is there a competitor or another site you like? What do you like about it?	[ ]
Who updates the website now? How often does something need changing?	[ ]
Do you have photos, a logo and text we can use, or do we need to make them?	[ ]
Is there a date this needs to be live by? Why that date?	[ ]
Who else is involved in deciding on this?	[ ]
Have you worked with a web designer before? How did it go?	[ ]

Listen more than you speak. If they mention a problem, ask "what happens when that goes wrong?" once. You want to understand the cost of the problem in their words.

3. Show the draft (12 to 22 min)

Share your screen. Show their current site first for a few seconds, then the draft.

• Show it on a phone sized view first if most of their customers are on phones
• Point out 2 to 3 changes and tie each one to something they said in section 2
• Ask "What's your first reaction?" and then stop talking
• Ask "What would you change?" and write every answer down
• Do not defend your choices. Note them and say "good point, easy to change"

Useful lines:

"You mentioned most people call you, so the number is now the first thing
on the screen, and it's tappable on a phone."

"This is a draft, so nothing is fixed. What would make it feel more like
your business?"

4. Scope and price (22 to 27 min)

Summarize what you heard, then confirm the scope before you say a number.

"So it sounds like you need [number] pages: [list], online booking, and the
ability to update your hours and photos yourself. Is that right? Anything
I missed?"

Then give a price or a range. Say it once, plainly, and pause.

"For a site like that, the build is [$amount], and then [$amount] a year
if you want me to look after hosting, updates and small changes. I'll put
the details in a short proposal."

[Example only: an example offer could be around $2,500 upfront plus $1,000 a year for agreed maintenance. Your price depends on your scope, location and costs.]

If they push back, see the objection handling scripts.

5. Next step (27 to 30 min)

Never end a call without a specific next step and a date.

• Agree what you will send (proposal, revised draft) and by when
• Agree what they will do (review it, talk to their partner, send photos)
• Put a follow up date in your calendar while you are still on the call
• Thank them by name

"I'll send the proposal by [day]. Could we put 15 minutes in the calendar
for [day] to go over any questions?"

After the call

• Write up your notes within the hour, while you still remember the details
• Send a short recap email with what you agreed and the next step
• Update your tracker: status, next step, follow up date
• Start the proposal using the website proposal template