The discovery call

The biggest mistake on a sales call is pitching. A great first call is mostly questions. By the time price comes up, you should understand their business better than they expected, and they should feel understood, not sold.

Set the frame in the first minute

That frame does three things: it gives you permission to ask questions, it promises them a concrete answer, and it signals you are willing to walk away, which paradoxically is the most trust-building thing a salesperson can do.

The five questions

• "Where is the business at right now, and what is working?" Let them talk. You are listening for how they get customers today.
• "What made you take this call?" This surfaces the real trigger: a slow season, a competitor, an ad budget being wasted.
• "What would 'this worked' look like six months from now?" Their answer is the outcome you will sell back to them.
• "What is a new customer actually worth to you?" The money question. Ask it plainly; owners know this number, and it sets up your pricing anchor.
• "What has stopped you from fixing this already?" Time, trust, a bad past experience. Whatever they say is the objection you will need to handle later, named in advance.

Then, and only then, the prescription

Once you understand the problem, the pitch is three sentences: here is what I would build, here is what it costs, here is when it is live. You are not convincing; you are prescribing. If you ran the demo-site hook, this is where you walk through their demo and let the conversation become "what would we change," which is a buying conversation, not a selling one.

End with a next step, always

Never end on "I will send some info." End on something with a date: "I will send the proposal tonight. If it looks right, reply yes and I will send the deposit link and book your build slot. Fair?" Every call ends with both of you knowing exactly what happens next and when.