Selling & Business Models
Should I offer free discovery calls, and what should happen during them?
The short answer
Offer a free discovery call if a short conversation is genuinely needed to assess fit for a meaningful coaching engagement. Skip it for a simple, low-cost product or when the call has become unpaid coaching with no decision process.
Give the call one job
A 20- to 30-minute call should help both people decide whether the client’s goal, your scope, the working style, timing, and price fit. It is not a disguised hour-long session and it is not a stage for a memorized pitch.
Use a simple agenda:
- Two minutes: explain the purpose and timing.
- Ten minutes: understand the situation, goal, urgency, and prior attempts.
- Five minutes: reflect what you heard and check fit.
- Five minutes: explain the relevant offer and total price.
- Final minutes: questions and a yes, no, or agreed decision date.
ICF’s competencies say coaches should define what coaching is and is not and reach agreement about what is appropriate in the relationship (ICF core competencies). The discovery call is a good place to begin that clarity.
Protect both people’s time
Use a short booking form with the goal, why now, and confirmation that the prospect has seen the starting price. Send reminders and make rescheduling easy. If no-shows become common, require confirmation or a small fee credited toward the package.
Do not ask for deeply sensitive history you do not need. Do not record the call without informed permission. If the issue sounds outside your competence, stop selling and recommend a more appropriate resource.
Afterward, send a brief factual recap. If the answer is no, close the loop graciously. If the answer is “I need to think,” agree on a date when either of you may consider the conversation closed. No chasing sequence should make a person defend her decision seven times.
Sources and further reading
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Helpful WAHMN tool
The Discovery Call Worksheet is designed to help you give a free discovery call a clear purpose, structure, and next step.
Related Questions
- How do I sell coaching by diagnosing fit instead of using high-pressure sales tactics?
- How many coaching clients can one person manage without hurting delivery quality?
- How do I turn a discovery call into a clear yes, no, or next step without pressuring the prospect?
- How do I turn one-to-one coaching into a repeatable coaching program?
Related WAHMN resource
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