Discovery Call Checklist: Before, During and After

A discovery call checklist is a list of tasks and questions that helps you prepare for a first sales conversation, run it with a clear structure and follow up while the call is still fresh. The tables below cover the three stages: before, during and after. Each one is formatted so you can copy it straight into a spreadsheet such as Excel or Google Sheets, with a column for ticking items off.

The checklist is written for consultants, coaches and agencies, who all share the same challenge: a prospect arrives with a vague problem, and you need to find out whether you can help, what it is worth to them and what happens next. Adapt the wording to your own field. Once a prospect becomes a client, our SEO client onboarding checklist and monthly client report template cover what comes next.

How to paste these tables into a spreadsheet

Select a table on this page, copy it and paste it into the first cell of a blank sheet. If the columns land in a single cell, use the "split text to columns" option and choose the vertical bar character as the separator. Add a "Done" column if one is not there, and save the sheet as your master copy. Duplicate it for each call.

Before the call

Preparation is the stage most people shorten, and it is where you gain the most. Twenty minutes of reading makes questions sharper and shows the prospect that you took them seriously.

Task	Detail	Done
Confirm the time and the format	Send the link or number and the planned length	[ ]
Read what the prospect submitted	Form answers, emails, any attachments	[ ]
Review their website or profile	Offer, audience, how they describe themselves	[ ]
Check for earlier contact	Notes from emails, events or earlier calls	[ ]
Note two or three hypotheses	What the problem might be, to be tested not assumed	[ ]
Prepare your questions	Pick from the list below	[ ]
Decide the next step you will propose	Proposal, paid audit, trial session or no fit	[ ]
Set up your notes document	Use the notes template below	[ ]
Remove distractions	Notifications off, quiet space, tested audio	[ ]

During the call

A simple order keeps the call useful: open, understand, size, agree and close. Aim to listen for most of the time.

Stage	Task	Suggested wording or prompt	Done
Open	Thank them and set the agenda	"I would like to understand your situation, tell you how I work and agree a next step. Does that suit you?"	[ ]
Open	Confirm time available	"We have [number] minutes. Is that still right?"	[ ]
Understand	Ask about the situation	"Tell me what is happening at the moment with [topic]."	[ ]
Understand	Ask about the cause	"What do you think is behind it?"	[ ]
Understand	Ask what has been tried	"What have you already tried, and what happened?"	[ ]
Understand	Ask about the goal	"If this went well, what would be different in [period]?"	[ ]
Size	Ask about the cost of waiting	"What does it cost you if nothing changes?"	[ ]
Size	Ask about timing	"Is there a date this needs to be sorted by?"	[ ]
Agree	Ask about decision makers	"Who else will be involved in the decision?"	[ ]
Agree	Ask about budget	"Have you set aside a budget, or would you like me to suggest a range?"	[ ]
Agree	Check fit honestly	"Based on what you have said, here is how I could help, and here is where I might not be the right fit."	[ ]
Close	Summarise in their words	"So the main issue is [problem], the goal is [goal] and the deadline is [date]."	[ ]
Close	Agree the next step and date	"I will send [item] by [date]. Can we speak again on [date]?"	[ ]

Take short notes during the call and leave the writing up for afterwards. Write down the prospect's exact phrases about the problem, since you can reuse them in your proposal.

Questions that suit different fields

Field	Extra questions to consider
Consultants	"Who owns this problem internally?" "What would a good outcome look like to your leadership?"
Coaches	"What would you like to be different in your work or life in [period]?" "What has stopped you making that change so far?"
Agencies	"Which numbers do you track today?" "Who has worked on this before, and what happened?"

Coaches in health, wellness and similar fields should avoid promising outcomes on a call and should refer anything medical to a qualified professional. Coaches who win the client can run the first session with our coaching session template, and new subscribers can receive our welcome email sequence for health and wellness coaches.

After the call

Follow-up is where deals are won or lost. Do the first three tasks within an hour of ending the call. Our marketing agency email templates include proposal and follow-up wording.

Task	Detail	Done
Write up your notes	Problem, goal, deadline, budget, decision makers	[ ]
Send a thank-you email with a summary	Use the template below	[ ]
Log the contact and next step in your CRM or sheet	Date, stage, follow-up date	[ ]
Prepare the proposal or recommendation	Mirror their language and priorities	[ ]
Send it by the date you promised	Keeping your word builds trust	[ ]
Schedule a follow-up	A reminder [3] working days after sending	[ ]
Record the outcome	Won, lost or paused, with the reason	[ ]
Review the call	One thing that went well, one to change	[ ]

The notes template

Field	Notes
Name and company	[ ]
How they found you	[ ]
Problem in their words	[ ]
Goal	[ ]
Deadline	[ ]
What they have tried	[ ]
Cost of doing nothing	[ ]
Budget	[ ]
Decision makers	[ ]
Fit (good, unclear, poor)	[ ]
Agreed next step and date	[ ]

The follow-up email

Subject: Notes from our call

Hi [Name], thank you for your time today. To check I understood: your main issue is [problem], you would like [goal] by [date], and [decision maker] will be involved in the decision. I will send [proposal or recommendation] by [date]. If I have missed anything, reply and I will adjust it. Speak soon, [Your name]

Getting prospects onto the call

A discovery call is easier to fill when prospects have already seen something useful from you. A branded page offering a short guide or checklist, with a booking link in the follow-up message, gives people a lower-risk first step. Gatedleads has templates for several of the fields covered here, and leads can be pushed to your other tools through Zapier on the Pro plan. Our consulting lead magnet examples suggest offers, and you can start from the consultant templates, the business coach templates or the marketing agency template pack.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a discovery call be?

Thirty to forty-five minutes suits most services. Choose a length that lets you ask real questions without feeling rushed, and tell the prospect at the start.

What is the most important part of a discovery call?

Listening to the problem in the prospect's own words and agreeing a clear next step. A call with no agreed next step often leads nowhere.

Should I talk about price on a discovery call?

Ask about budget and expectations, and give a range if you can. A detailed price usually follows in the proposal once you understand the scope.

Can I use the same checklist for every prospect?

Use the same structure but change the questions to suit each field and each prospect. Prepare a hypothesis from what you have read before the call.