Welcome back to the podcast. I’m so happy you’re here. In today’s episode, we’re talking all about discovery calls.
This is something that isn’t talked about too much in the online space so I want to kind of demystify the discovery call process and give you some tips and tricks on how to make selling yourself on a discovery call easier because it definitely can be a little stressful when you’re first starting your business, especially if you’re an introvert.
So let’s first dive into my discovery call process and then I’ll give you the tips and tricks to make them easier.
So in last week’s episode (go check it out if you haven’t listened yet), I talked about elevating your client experience and went through my full process from lead to client and briefly touched on the discovery call process, but now it’s time to dive a bit deeper.
So after they fill out the inquiry form, the potential client is immediately emailed with a link to book a call with me. There they can choose the day/time that works best for them. Most potential clients will immediately book a call but some will wait for me to reach out to them first and then book the call.
Once they choose the day/time that works best for them, I do ask a couple of questions that differ slightly based on the service they selected they were interested in.
I ask them if they are ready to purchase a package today if it fits their budget then I ask them their current budget, then I ask for their website, and then there’s a dropdown where they can select what they need help with when it comes to podcasting.
This helps me prepare for the call so I know what they currently are in need of so that I can have a package in mind that will work best for them.
If they book a call for a pre-existing podcast, I like to go check out the podcast and see what it’s all about and I always try to come to the call with a couple of suggestions in mind on how they can improve because this usually really wows them and even if they don’t end up working with me, they know that I know my stuff when it comes to podcasts.
I usually set aside 20-30 minutes before the call to review everything. (Sometimes this has to happen the night before if I have a particularly busy day filled with calls and won’t have time to prep right before the call.)
Once we’re on the discovery call, I like to break the ice and ask them where they’re from and engage in a little small talk before we dive into the meat of the conversation where I’m getting a feel for them and their podcast (or podcast idea).
Once we’ve kind of kicked it off, then we dive into it. I usually start off with saying so on your form, I saw that you’re struggling with x, y, and z. Can you tell me out of these three, which one is the one you’d like to hand off immediately?
And then we just get to talking from there and the conversation flows naturally into what they’re looking for help with and how the agency can help them.
A lot of the time the potential client has already gotten familiar with my packages and pricing but after listening to their needs, then I’ll usually say, “Hmm, I think that you could benefit from package X or potentially even package Y which has this added bonus.”
Sometimes it even ends up being completely custom packages based on their unique needs. This isn’t something I do too often because it can add a little more onto my plate in the onboarding process making sure I’ve included everything that they need.
This is something I run into occasionally where people already have an editor they’ve worked with for a long time and want to keep the editor but want to outsource all the other aspects of their podcast to us so I’ll just nix the editing part of our package and update the price.
Once the call has wrapped, I’ll send over an email recapping our conversation + a proposal outlining the different package options we think would be a good fit for the potential client, and then it’s a bit of a waiting game until they give us their final answer.
So that’s my process – pretty straightforward and now it feels so routine but I am not going to pretend it’s always felt this easy. The ease has come with years of doing these calls and each one feels slightly easier than the last.
Now I want to give you some tips for selling yourself on a discovery call so that you can start signing your own clients with ease.
Don’t overthink it – A lot of the time the reason that discovery calls feel so hard is that we overthink it before it even happens so then we end up psyching ourselves out and then ultimately we don’t end up performing well on the call because we got too far in our own heads.
Do your research – Sometimes winging it is great but sometimes it’s not. Especially if your client already has a pre-existing podcast, it may be great to check it out and listen to some episodes and get a feel for them and their brand before hopping on a discovery call with them. This will make it much easier to relate to them as you’re chatting it up on the call.
Don’t be afraid to share some of your knowledge with the potential client – A lot of people shy away from offering any of their knowledge on a discovery call because they have a lack mindset and they’re scared that if they tell the potential client too much then they’re not going to hire them and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The art is in the follow-up – Sometimes I won’t hear back from someone that I had a discovery call with for a while and then when I follow up with them, then they decide they want to move forward so it’s important to follow up with the potential client after you’ve given them the information they need to know. People are busy so while you definitely should give them adequate time to make a decision, the follow-up can often be what seals the deal in them working with you or someone else.
Okay, I know this one was a long one but I really hope that it helped to see my process from start to finish and also some tips on how to close more clients on your discovery calls going forward.
I’d love to hear from you on Instagram, do you struggle with discovery calls and closing the deal? Let me know @jenny.suneson or in the Profitable Podcast Manager Society FB group.
