Prep and outline your agenda

To begin, create an outline – also known as an “agenda” – detailing what you will discuss during the call. You may trust that the conversation will happen naturally, but having a clear vision of what you want out of this call will maximize the precious time you have to collect information and impress your prospect.‍

Discovery prep goals

1. Identify with whom you’ll be speaking

2. Get to know the company profile

3. Calculate how you may be able to help

The idea is to figure out answers to a few fundamental questions such as the ones listed below. ‍

Pick a client you have an upcoming call with or even a dream client. You will build a script for a discovery call with them. In your workbook to take notes on the answers.

Identify with whom you’ll be speaking

• Who are you going to talk to?

• What authority do they hold in the company?

• What are some commonalities to connect you two together – outside of offering them your services?

Expert tip: Linkedin is likely the best place to check out who you will be speaking to and a professional feel for the company. Look at recent events, updates, and job postings. 

Get to know the company profile

• What do they sell or produce?

• How long have they been in business? For example, is this a start-up, SMB, or Fortune 500 company?

• Where do they have a presence? Is their website running smoothly and they are active on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, etc? 

• How big is their team – or the team you may be working with?

• What might be their budget for this project? Do you think they may need an introductory offer or a higher-tiered offering?‍

Expert tip: To get an idea of the budget they might have, try Growjo – an index of fast-growing companies, including their funding and annual revenue. ‍

Calculate how you may be able to help

• What is it they are trying to solve with your product?

• Are there any glaring improvements you would suggest right off the bat?

• Do you have work from collaborating with clients in their industry that you can showcase?

Based on the preliminary details you’ve already received via email and the information you uncover, you can use your expertise to sketch out a plan for the discovery call. 

Why it’s important: By setting an agenda, you’re letting them know this call is about understanding their problems and then presenting your solutions – so you both get what you need out of this call. 

What's included in the agenda?

• A purpose: Learning about the future client

• Specifics of what you are looking to learn

• An about: Sharing your expertise and process

• A goal: Next steps for when the call ends  ‍

There is no need to write an essay – just a short, simple, outcome-driven outline to set the expectations.

Take a look at the agenda Alex built for his upcoming call with the aforementioned SaaS company. ‍

The purpose of today’s call is to:

• Learn about your company, the product launch, timeline, and where the copywriter fits into the workflow

• Provide an overview of my experience and process as a landing page copywriter

• Discuss logistics and see what the best next step may be

Head back into your workbook to create your own agenda with the client you selected in the previous step.‍

In this section, you collected and organized useful background information which helps you show up prepared and increases the chances of a closed deal later down the line. This information will also help you with building out your script in the upcoming steps.