How should I line expectations with clients—should I use a pre‑call form or a discovery call?
Definitely go with a discovery call to personalize the conversation and maximize face‑time before you’ve landed the client. Aligning expectations is a sales‑soft skill best done on a call; a form can’t capture the nuance of a relationship. Be realistic about timelines—if a client asks for something that sounds too good to be true, be straight up and explain why it’s not feasible. Care about quality and longevity; many steps in a project naturally take a couple of days, so be willing to quote a week or more rather than promising unrealistic two‑day turnarounds. Frame the conversation as a trade‑off among quality, cost, and speed—you can only have two. Making this clear builds trust and can even be used to upsell better solutions.
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It’s a loaded question; you can structure calls in several ways. I run a single call that blends discovery and pitch. At a high level, all lead‑gen channels (referrals, communities, cold email, platform sales, Upwork, Fiverr, LinkedIn, inbound social) funnel into a meeting, which is essential for scaling a high‑ticket agency because clients expect a white‑glove conversation. In my process I send a detailed proposal—including scope, cost, and optionally a workflow diagram—within an hour; if they like it they sign, pay, and we kick off. Other models use a separate discovery call to scope needs, then a closing call to present the solution and handle paperwork, or a one‑call close where you pitch, quote, and try to secure payment on the spot. I find the one‑call close too aggressive for most. The discovery‑call approach reduces pressure because you’re not selling on the spot; instead you build rapport, confirm schedule, explore why they booked, their goals and past attempts, then walk through their full customer journey to uncover lead sources, revenue per employee, sales history, and customer lifetime value. This information helps you tailor the solution and demonstrate value.
Sure. I walk a new client through their entire customer pipeline, starting with the very first touchpoint—whether that’s a referral, a PPC ad, a Facebook lead form, or another channel. I ask them to map out each stage their customers go through, from the initial contact to the final sale. Once someone opts in, we immediately send an email and an SMS, aiming to follow up within about 15 minutes. Quick response is critical; getting back to a prospect within a minute can boost your close rate three to four times. I then diagram the lead‑generation channels—cold email, PPC, referrals, trade shows, etc.—and outline how each feeds into the sales process. After the lead is qualified, we move into onboarding and service fulfillment, breaking down each step (creative, copy, Q&A, client approvals, retention) so the client knows exactly what to expect. I usually sketch this pipeline on a whiteboard during the call so we both have a visual reference for the entire workflow.
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I start with my sales skeleton from Maker School. First I build rapport and get the client laughing, then I ask why we’re talking now—what made my outreach stand out, why they’re on the call. I dive into their customer journey: where does the first contact happen (Facebook ads, cold email, referral), and how referrals are handled. I walk through every touchpoint—from onboarding to ongoing communication, updates, meetings, and fulfillment. I also ask about ROI, LTV, and the typical revenue per customer. From that information I can design a system to automate onboarding: a form that creates a brief, triggers an email after payment, generates a PDF, and even creates a ClickUp space for the client. This lets me quickly see where I can add value and propose a tailored solution.
I do this kind of thing in Maker School, where we run through what a sales call looks like, show how to do a high‑quality call, give bullet points, and talk about kickoff calls. I don’t gatekeep automation knowledge—I do the builds live. If you want sales help, check out Maker School. Briefly, here’s how I structure a call: first, I set expectations and frame the conversation (e.g., confirm we’re on the same page about time). I start by asking why you responded to my outreach, then a few more questions about your business, and finally I explain how I might solve your problem. I want you to walk away with something tangible, so I’ll prepare a free document, asset, or template to give you by the end of the call. After that, we follow the frame we set: I ask ‘why me?’ and ‘why now?’, then I run a customer audit—covering your acquisition, fulfillment, onboarding, client management, HR processes, etc. After you walk me through those, I discuss my solution and send a proposal with the scope. I prefer not to handle objections or do hard selling on the call; I’d rather let the value speak for itself, which comes from my background in heart‑based sales. That’s my approach.