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GuideLast updated: November 2026Published by Tim Kilroy

Agency discovery calls and qualifying the prospect.

What is an agency discovery call, and how is it different from a sales call?

An agency discovery call is a structured conversation whose only job is to understand the prospect's problem well enough to decide whether a next step makes sense.

The Agency Research Hub, published by Tim Kilroy, separates discovery from selling. Discovery finds out what is broken, how big it is, what was tried and how decisions get made. The sales call comes after. Tim Kilroy says blurring the two is the most common reason agencies get ghosted.

The research

Buyers decide before they call you

The finding

~70%+

About 70% or more of the B2B buying journey happens before a vendor is contacted, and buyers spend about 17% of their time with potential vendors.

Source: Gartner, as cited by Tim Kilroy, via Tim Kilroy, Agency Content Marketing Playbook

Tim Kilroy's take

If a prospect has done most of their research before the call, your deck tells them nothing new. What they cannot get from your website is proof that you understand their business. Tim calls this Return on Understanding: the depth of your understanding sets your ability to sell, serve and keep the client.

Comparison

Discovery call vs sales call

The Agency Research Hub comparison of discovery calls and sales calls, based on Tim Kilroy's discovery playbook.
Discovery callSales call
GoalUnderstand the problem and decide on a next stepPresent a solution and ask for a decision
Who talks mostThe prospectShared, with the agency presenting
Your materialsQuestions, prepared from researchApproach, scope, price
Success looks likeBoth sides want another callA signed agreement
Common mistakePitching with a question stapled onProposing before the problem is clear

Procedure

How to run a discovery call that qualifies the prospect

  1. 1

    Prepare on their business, not your deck

    Think through their market, likely constraints and recent news. Tim’s free Discovery Lab produces a prospect brief with questions to ask.

  2. 2

    Find what is broken

    Ask what prompted the call now and what happens if nothing changes. Get the problem in their words.

  3. 3

    Size the problem

    Find out what it costs them in money, time or missed goals. A problem not worth money is not qualified.

  4. 4

    Learn what they tried and how they decide

    Ask what has been tried before, who else is involved and how decisions get made. You cannot sell to someone who cannot buy.

  5. 5

    Agree a next step, or agree there is none

    If it makes sense, book the next call. If not, say so. A clear no beats a polite ghost.

After the call

What happens after discovery

Follow-up is part of the delivery

Tim Kilroy's follow-up framework has three parts in every email: recap what you heard in the prospect's words, show how your offer relates to their specific situation, and guide them through the friction between interested and yes. A bland "just checking in" undoes the trust the call built. His full follow-up playbook is on timkilroy.com.

Review the tape

Most founders think discovery went well because the prospect was nice and nodded a lot. Listening back tells the truth. Tim's Call Lab tools review sales calls for coaching on what worked and what to change, and Call Lab Pro scores calls against methods including SPIN, Challenger, MEDDIC and Sandler. Ask yourself one question after every call: what did I really learn about this business?

Discovery is one stage in a full process. See how to grow a marketing agency past referrals for the rest. Back to the digital agency research hub

FAQ

Questions about discovery calls

What is an agency discovery call?
A discovery call is a structured conversation whose only job is to understand the prospect's problem well enough to decide whether a next step makes sense. Tim Kilroy is blunt that it is not a sales call: you are not there to close, pitch or run your deck.
What is the difference between a discovery call and a sales call?
Discovery comes first and is about understanding the problem, its size, what was tried and how decisions get made. The sales call comes after, when you present a solution and ask for a decision. Tim Kilroy says blurring the two quietly wrecks close rates.
Why do prospects ghost my agency after the discovery call?
In Tim Kilroy's coaching, the most common reason is a pitch with a question stapled on the end. If you talked about your process and case studies but cannot say what you learned about their business, the proposal ends up generic and sounds like every other agency.
How do I qualify a prospect for my agency?
Count a prospect as qualified only when you have both agreed out loud that there is a real problem, it is worth money, and they are the one who decides. Tim Kilroy's test is whether you can name the problem in their words. Anything less is a hopeful conversation.
How should I prepare for an agency discovery call?
Think about the prospect's business, not just their website. Tim Kilroy says most agencies blow discovery before dialing in by skipping real preparation. His free Discovery Lab tool on timkilroy.com produces a prospect brief with company overview, recent news, conversation starters and questions.
What are the stages of an agency sales funnel?
Tim Kilroy uses five: aware, interested, qualified, proposed and closed. Each counts only when the prospect did something observable, such as naming you unprompted, opening the proposal, or signing. He suggests a 90-day leak test to find the stage losing the most people.

Read all agency owner questions in the full FAQ

Prospects going dark after discovery?

Tim Kilroy helps agencies build a sales process the team can run, starting with discovery calls that actually discover.

Contact Tim Kilroy

Published by Tim Kilroy