Discovery Call Questions: The Exact List We Use to Close Agency Deals

Most agencies lose the deal on the first call.

They talk too much. They pitch services. They quote a price before they know what the prospect actually wants.

The discovery call isn't for selling. It's for finding out what they want, and whether you even want to build them a proposal.

What is a discovery call? A discovery call is the first sales call with a prospect, where you ask questions to learn their goals, what they've tried and what a customer is worth to them. It decides whether you build a proposal, and it gives you everything that proposal needs.

Here's the short version:

• Qualify on the booking form, not on the call.
• Prep for 15 minutes: their answers, their website, Ahrefs or Semrush, one to three ideas.
• Let them talk. Ask what worked, what didn't and how they measured it.
• Get the numbers: what a customer is worth, their close rate and who answers the phone.
• Close the call with a price range and a booked proposal call.

What Is a Discovery Call?

It's the first of two calls in our sales process. Discovery finds out what they need. The second call walks them through the proposal.

You don't pitch on the first call. You ask, you listen, and you decide if they're a fit.

The full two-call process is in how to sell SEO services without a sales rep.

Discovery Call Questions to Ask Before the Call

The best discovery questions get answered before you ever get on the call. Put them on the booking form.

The Booking Form Questions

We ask five:

1. Are you actively investing in marketing?
2. If you work with an agency, how much time is left on your contract?
3. How much do you invest in marketing each month?
4. If we show you the roadmap, will you invest at least [your minimum] a month?
5. How did you hear about us?

If they won't commit to your minimum, you just saved yourself an hour.

Where the Answers Go

In Agency OS, every booking lands on the lead with the form answers in a Qualification panel. You read them before you decide whether to take the call.

Setup: adding calendar bookings to the Pipeline with Claude.

15 Minutes Before the Call

Have an idea before you get on. Not a pitch. An idea.

• Review their booking-form answers and note your first thoughts.
• Look at the website: team size, locations, services.
• Drop the site into Ahrefs or Semrush, and a crawler if there's time.
• Have one to three recommendations ready.
• Start the recording.

The Discovery Call Questions (In Order)

Open With Rapport

Spend a few minutes on them. Where are you based? How long have you been there?

Then hand them the floor: "Tell me about the business and what you've done for marketing to date."

Dig In and Let Them Talk

• What's worked? What didn't?
• How did you measure that success?
• Are you getting reports from your agency?
• What do you want this to do for the business?

If the answer is "we never saw anything," that's your opening. More on that in client reporting for agencies.

Get the Numbers You'll Be Measured On

• What's a new customer worth to you?
• What percentage of leads become customers?
• Who answers the calls and follows up?

These three numbers decide your price, your forecast and whether the campaign can work. If the owner takes every call himself, quality will look bad no matter what you do.

Selling paid search? You need two more. See how to set a PPC budget.

Ask How They Found You (Again)

Ask again, even if the form told you. The real answer is often different, and it tells you which of your channels is actually working.

How to Close the Discovery Call

The last five minutes matter most.

1. Take two minutes to tell them who you are and your experience in their industry.
2. Say it: "Based on everything you told me, we're a great fit to work together."
3. Explain the next step: a deep analysis of their performance and competitors, reviewed together on a call.
4. Give them a price range, so the proposal is no surprise.
5. Book the proposal call before you hang up.

A Simple Discovery Call Script

Thirty minutes, four parts.

Read that again. Twenty of the thirty minutes are theirs.

After the Call: Let the Recording Do the Work

Record every discovery call. In Agency OS the recording and a written recap land on the lead automatically, and the proposal is built from it with one click.

Setup: adding call recordings and notes to a lead.

Discovery Call Mistakes

• ❌ Pitching on the first call.
• ❌ Talking more than they do.
• ❌ Qualifying on the call instead of the booking form.
• ❌ Skipping the numbers. No customer value, no forecast.
• ❌ No price range. The proposal becomes a surprise.
• ❌ Hanging up without the next call booked.

Discovery Call FAQs

What is a discovery call? The first sales call with a prospect, where you ask questions to learn their goals, what they've tried and what a customer is worth to them. It decides whether you build a proposal.

What questions should you ask on a discovery call? What's worked and what didn't, how they measured success, what they want this to do for the business, what a new customer is worth, what percentage of leads close, and who answers the calls.

How long should a discovery call be? About 30 minutes. Spend most of it listening: the prospect should do roughly two-thirds of the talking.

Should you give a price on a discovery call? Give a range, not a quote. It filters out prospects who can't afford you and makes sure the proposal isn't a surprise.

What's the difference between a discovery call and a sales call? The discovery call gathers information and qualifies the prospect. The proposal call that follows is where you present the plan and the price.