Prepared for a fictional discovery call with Mara Ellison, founder of Fern & Field Botanicals. This packet is what the skill produces before the call starts: research, agenda, questions, bands, and a close.
Fifteen minutes of research, boiled to one page. One observation to open with, one hypothesis to test, and the lines you will not cross.
Mobile booking takes 5 taps — and stops at payment.
Reference it in minute one. It proves you did the work before asking for their time.
The problem is checkout friction, not traffic.
If the call proves otherwise, the scope changes — that is what the questions are for.
No band No decider No date
Any one missing after the call means no proposal yet — a summary and a gap-closing call instead.
Click each block to see what happens in it. The call is about their problem for the first 20 minutes — your credentials enter only when asked.
“Thanks for making time — I've got 30 minutes. I'd like to understand the problem, check whether I'm the right person, and leave with a clear next step: either a proposal, or a no. Sound fair?”
No pitching, no portfolio, no screen share. Two questions, then silence.
Cost of doing nothing, 90-day outcome, budget band, deciders, deadline with a consequence. Each answer changes the next question.
“So if I have this right — mobile buyers drop out at payment, it's costing roughly $4,000 a month in lost bookings, and you need it fixed before the spring launch. Did I miss anything?”
One of four endings, all dated: proposal path, second call with deciders, clean no, or dated check-in. “Let's stay in touch” is not a next step.
Eight of the skill's 24, chosen for this prospect. Each one moves the deal forward — none of them fills a form.
Pick a band to see the scope line that goes with it. A band named on the call is a commitment — a precise quote invented live will haunt the proposal.
Acknowledge, ask, answer briefly — then back to a question. Never argue, never discount live.
Click to see the reply.
“Understood — worth being clear now. What range had you planned?” If the gap is scope, shrink the scope. Never drop the price to hold the call.
Click to see the reply.
“Happy to — so it's useful, can I ask two quick questions first?” A proposal sent to someone who hasn't answered budget, authority, and timeline is a document that gets ghosted.
Click to see the reply.
“Totally fair — is it the scope, the timing, or the investment?” Name the blocker, then agree a dated decision. A think-it-over without a date is a no wearing a polite mask.
Click to see the reply.
“Good — you should compare.” Then: “What would make the choice easy for you?” Differentiation comes from their criteria, not your pitch.
Tick what this fictional call established. The scorecard decides by number, not by how good the call felt.
0 / 24 — tick the boxes above to score this call.
A score below 14 means no proposal yet — close the gap or walk away.
The recap is not admin. It is the document Mara forwards to the stakeholder you never met.
Subject: Fern & Field — what we agreed today
Hi Mara,
Thanks for the call. Here's what I heard: mobile buyers drop out at payment, costing roughly $4,000 a month in lost bookings, and the fix needs to land before the spring launch.
Scope band: $6,900 – $9,400 for the full redesign + booking flow, including launch-week support.
Next step: I'll send the proposal by Thursday noon, and we'll speak Friday at 10 — with your operations lead — to decide yes or no.
Let me know if I've got anything wrong.
— You
This page is a sample output of the Discovery Call Writer skill — fictional prospect, fictional numbers. The full method (intake gate, 24-question bank, 8 objection cards, scorecard) is inside the paid skill.