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Discovery call questions to send before the first call
A discovery call spent on background leaves little time to talk about the work.
These fifteen questions cover what to ask a new client, and which ones to send ahead so the call is about decisions.
A discovery call is the first proper conversation with a potential client: what they need, whether you can help, and whether you'd work well together. For consultants, freelancers and agencies, a lot of it tends to go on background the client could have given you in advance. The questions below are grouped by what you need to know, and each one says whether to send it before the call or keep it for the call.
Before the call, as a form
- What the business does, and for whom
- Why now
- What a good result looks like
- What has been tried
- Who decides, and the budget
On the call
- Follow-ups on the answers
- Trade-offs between scope, time and budget
- What worries them about the project
- Whether you're a fit
- Next steps and dates
The business
Background you need, and the client can answer without you in the room.
- 1
What does your business do, and who is it for?
The version they'd tell a friend, which is often clearer than their website.
Send before the call - 2
Where does most of your revenue come from?
Tells you which part of the business the project has to protect.
Send before the call - 3
Who do you lose customers to?
Their competitors, as they see them. Often different from the list you'd guess.
Send before the call
The problem and why now
Every project has a trigger. Find it and you know what the client will judge you on.
- 4
What made you look for help now?
The real reason for the project. Ask it before they start describing deliverables.
Send before the call - 5
What have you tried already, and what happened?
Saves you from proposing the thing that failed last year.
Send before the call - 6
What happens if this doesn't get fixed this year?
Shows how urgent it is. Worth asking live, where you can follow up.
Ask on the call
What a good result looks like
Get something you could check in three months. "More leads" isn't enough; "20 a month" is.
- 7
What would a good result look like in three months?
A number or a thing they could point to.
Send before the call - 8
How will you know it worked?
Who measures it, and where. Agree on it before the work starts.
Ask on the call - 9
What would make this project a failure?
Surfaces the fear behind the brief, which a success question misses.
Ask on the call
Decision, budget and timing
The awkward questions. They're easier to answer in writing or out loud on a form than face to face.
- 10
Who else has a say, and who signs off?
A short answer that saves weeks of waiting on someone you never met.
Send before the call - 11
What budget do you have in mind?
Ask for a range. Without one, you're writing a proposal blind.
Send before the call - 12
When do you need it done, and what's behind that date?
A launch, a season, a board meeting. The reason tells you how firm the date is.
Send before the call
Working together
Whether you'd work well together. Best asked live, once the background is out of the way.
- 13
How do you like to communicate, and how often?
Weekly calls, a shared document, or a message when something's ready.
Ask on the call - 14
Who will be my main contact day to day?
Often not the person on the call.
Ask on the call - 15
What went wrong with the last agency or freelancer you hired?
The answer tells you what to do differently, and what this client is sensitive to.
Ask on the call
Send the background questions as a voice form
A long intake form gets skipped or answered in a few words. A SendMyVoice voice form takes the answers out loud and gives you the audio and a transcript of each, so you start the call already knowing the trigger, the goal and the budget. The client needs no account and no app.
The client intake form template has five of the “send before” questions above. The free plan allows 3 questions per voice form; Pro allows 8. On Pro, each client's answers can go to your Notion database or Google Sheet.
About your business and project
A few questions before our first call.
A working demo. Recordings stay in your browser and nothing is sent.
A message to send with the link
Hi Sam,
Looking forward to our call on Thursday. So we can spend it on your project rather than the background, would you answer five short questions first? You answer out loud on the link below, whenever suits you.
[link]
Questions
What questions should I ask on a discovery call?
Ask what made the client look for help now, what a good result looks like, what they've tried, who decides and what budget they have in mind. Send the background questions beforehand and keep the call for follow-ups and fit.
What is a discovery questionnaire?
A short list of questions a new client answers before the first call: what the business does, why now, the goal, who decides and the budget. It lets you spend the call on the work instead of the background.
Should you ask about budget on a discovery call?
Yes, and ideally before it. Ask for a range rather than a number. Without one, a proposal is a guess.
How many questions should a discovery questionnaire have?
Five to seven. Enough to cover the business, the trigger, the goal, the decision-maker and the budget, short enough to finish in one go.
Is there a discovery call template?
The SendMyVoice client intake form template has five discovery questions ready to send as a voice form. The questions also work in any form tool or an email.