The $15K Mistake You’re Making With Your Discovery Calls
Most sales calls aren’t broken. Your prep process is.
Last summer, I ran the numbers on a few projects we should have closed. Perfect-fit leads. Budget-ready. Interested.
But we didn’t land a single one.
Same pitch. Same process. Same deck.
Every one of them ghosted or “went with someone else.”
Turns out, we weren’t selling too soon, we were skipping the discovery part of discovery calls.
1. Your Script Is the Problem, Not the Offer
You know that discovery call script that’s been floating around the internet for years?
Yeah, everyone else is using it too. And your leads can smell the formula.
The moment your call sounds templated, people check out.
I used to go into every discovery call with a loose agenda and a polished pitch. Now I go in with three questions and a blank Google Doc.
What changed? I shut up.
I listen.
I let them tell me what they think they want, and what’s broken beneath that.
Steal this instead: “Walk me through what’s happening behind the scenes right now. What’s keeping this stuck?”
2. Ask Questions That Trigger Real Answers
There’s a difference between polite Q&A and qualifying questions that actually matter.
These are the ones that saved me from three red-flag clients this year:
“What happens if nothing changes in the next 90 days?”
“What internal obstacles usually slow down progress on your team?”
“Are you the decision-maker, and if not, who needs to be looped in before this moves forward?”
If they hesitate or dodge, that’s the data.
You’re not losing a sale, you’re dodging a bad-fit project before it derails your timeline.
3. Fix Your Follow-Up Before the Call Ends
We’ve all sent the “Great to chat!” email that goes nowhere.
Now? We lock in the next step before they ever leave the Zoom.
I keep a 3-part follow-up draft ready to go. We personalize the first line, drop a client result, and re-link the action:
Book the proposal review
Complete the onboarding form
Make a decision by X date
If we don’t have a clear “next thing,” it’s not a real lead, it’s a maybe on ice.
I track open rates + clicks inside Digital Magic CRM. If they go dark, we drop them into a light follow-up nurture.
4. Automate Intake Without Losing the Human Feel
Your time is valuable. So is theirs.
I now use a short pre-call form to gauge readiness before we ever hop on.
Questions include:
“What made you reach out now?”
“How urgent is this on a scale of 1–5?”
“What budget range have you considered?”
Not only does this weed out tire-kickers, it lets me walk into the call already understanding their urgency and objections.
Set it up once in Digital Magic CRM. Connect it to your booking link. Thank me later.
5. Start Tracking Close Rate Per Discovery Call
Not how many calls you book.
How many you close.
This one metric changed how I approach the entire sales flow.
We used to measure volume. Now we measure conversion.
And when we miss one? We debrief it. Was it prep? Positioning? Process?
That one shift added $15K in closed deals in Q1 alone.
Your sales calls aren’t the problem.
Your prep, process, and follow-through are.
Tweak those, especially the way you listen, and you’ll close more, chase less, and filter faster.
And that feels a whole lot better than just “more leads.”
This week on the podcast!
Most people automate too soon.
In this week’s Queen of Automation episode, I sat down with Robert Friedman to talk about what really moves the needle, and why a polished backend means nothing if your brand story isn’t clear. It’s not about doing more, it’s about saying the right thing first.
We get into real examples, hard truths, and why operations and branding have to work hand-in-hand if you want freedom, not just function. If you’ve ever wondered why your systems aren’t converting like they should, this one’s for you.
Click here to tune in.