Ep 96 - Say This on Discovery Calls For More “Yeses”

 

 

 

If the words discovery call make your stomach do a tiny somersault… you’re not alone.

Most health professionals were trained to assess, diagnose and support. Not to lead sales conversations. Not to confidently ask for payment. And definitely not to “close”.

So when you step into private practice and realise that discovery calls are now part of the job, it can feel deeply uncomfortable.

You might find yourself:

• Talking too much

• Undercharging

• Giving away half your expertise for free

• Ending calls with “Have a think about it” and hoping they email you later

And then lying awake that night replaying every sentence.

The good news? Discovery calls are not about being persuasive or pushy.

They’re about learning how to convert discovery calls by guiding someone through a clear, confident decision-making process.

Let’s simplify this.

 

What a Discovery Call Actually Is

A discovery call is usually a 15 to 30 minute conversation before someone commits to working with you.

It’s not a free advice session.
It’s not a clinical assessment.
It’s not a chat for the sake of being nice.

It’s a structured conversation where:

• You understand their struggles

• You determine whether you’re a good fit

• You invite them into paid support

And if you run them well, they become one of the most powerful client-generating tools in your business.

If you run them poorly, they become a draining loop of “I’ll think about it.”

 

Why Your Discovery Calls Might Not Be Converting

If you’re not hearing enough yeses, it’s usually one of these things:

1. You’re not leading the call

2. You’re staying at surface-level problems

3. You’re over-explaining your offer

4. You’re avoiding asking for the sale

And here’s the truth.

People do not buy purely on logic.

They buy based on emotion first, then justify it with logic afterwards.

If you want to learn how to sell without feeling salesy, you have to understand that your job is not to convince. It’s to guide.

 

Step One: Lead the Conversation

This is the part many clinicians struggle with.

We’re trained to respond. To assess. To follow the client’s lead.

But on a discovery call, you must gently take control.

Set the agenda at the start.

Let them know:

• How long you have

• That you’ll ask questions

• That you’ll decide together if it’s a good fit

This creates safety. Structure builds trust.

And trust builds conversions.

 

Step Two: Let Them Talk (Properly)

You should aim for them to speak for at least half of the call.

Not because you’re being polite.

Because their words are your roadmap.

When you hear:

• What’s frustrating them

• What’s draining their energy

• What they’re missing out on

You can reflect that language back later when positioning your support.

This alone can dramatically improve how you convert discovery calls.

People feel understood.

And when someone feels understood, they feel safe.

 

Step Three: Connect to Emotion

Here’s where most discovery calls fall flat.

We stay in practicalities.

Calories. Symptoms. Protocols. Session numbers.

But what you actually need to uncover is:

• How does this make you feel?

• How is this affecting your day-to-day life?

• What is this stopping you from doing?

• How is this impacting the people around you?

When someone says:

“I’m exhausted.”
“I don’t feel confident eating out.”
“I’m snapping at my kids.”

That’s not manipulation territory. That’s clarity.

You’re not manufacturing emotion. You’re allowing it to surface.

This is how to sell without feeling salesy. You don’t create urgency. You reveal it.

 

Step Four: Future Pace

Future pacing is one of the simplest psychological tools you can use.

Ask questions like:

• Where would you like to be six months from now?

• How soon would you like this resolved?

• On a scale of one to ten, how committed are you?

When someone verbalises their commitment out loud, it becomes more real.

You’re helping them picture success.

And once someone clearly visualises the outcome, staying stuck becomes less appealing.

 

Step Five: Position Yourself as the Guide

This is not the moment for a long CV recital.

It’s the moment to demonstrate credibility through relevance.

You might:

• Mention similar clients you’ve supported

• Share a short case study

• Reference your specialist training

Story builds belief.

When someone hears, “A client I worked with had something similar and here’s what changed,” they begin to think, “That could be me.”

That shift is powerful.

 

Step Six: Share Your Offer the Right Way

When it’s time to explain how you can help, focus on benefits not features.

Not:

Three consultations over 12 weeks.

But:

Three consultations over 12 weeks so that we can reduce your bloating, rebuild your confidence with food, and help you eat out without anxiety.

Use the phrase “so that”.

It forces you to link what you provide with the outcome they care about.

Keep it simple. Clear. Relevant.

Over-explaining overwhelms.

 

Step Seven: Ask for the Sale On the Call

This is where many health professionals retreat.

They say:

“Have a think about it and let me know.”

But here’s what I’ve found after years of running calls with an 88% conversion rate.

Momentum matters.

When the connection is warm and they feel understood, that is the moment to ask.

Not aggressively.

Simply:

“Based on everything we’ve discussed, would you like to go ahead?”

If they say they need to think about it, treat it as curiosity, not rejection.

Ask if they have any further questions.

Often objections are simply areas that need more clarity.

 

Step Eight: Follow Up Like a Professional

The fortune really is in the follow up.

Send a message within 24 hours.

Not because you’re chasing.

Because you’re organised.

Because you care.

Because this is a business.

Follow up again if needed.

People are busy. Not uninterested.

 

If You Want Higher Conversion Rates

Discovery calls are a skill.

And like any skill, they improve with practice, structure and strategy.

If you’re building a health business and you’re tired of inconsistent income, awkward sales conversations and feeling like you’re making it up as you go along, this is exactly the kind of thing we work on inside Accelerate, my 12 month mastermind for regulated health professionals .

We cover:

• Ethical sales psychology

• Messaging that converts

• Offer positioning

• Client attraction systems

So that you can build consistent income without compromising your professional integrity.

You don’t need to become someone else to convert discovery calls.

You just need structure.
Clarity.
And the confidence to lead.

And if you’re wondering whether you can really learn how to convert discovery calls without feeling salesy…

You absolutely can.

 

The Master Plan:

Helping you build the business of your dreams. Get your 22 point step-by step workbook here: https://www.sarahalmondbushell.com/master-plan

 

 

Connect with me:

Website: https://www.sarahalmondbushell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dietitiansinbusiness/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dietitiansinbusiness

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beyondtheclinicbusiness

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheClinicPodcast

 

Episode transcription:

Today's episode is all about what to say on discovery calls if you want to hear more yeses. Now, if the words discovery call make your stomach do a tiny somersault or you've been having lots of these kinds of calls with potential clients, but they haven't exactly been filling your diary, then this episode is for you because I'm going to give you some of my very best tips and tricks.

 

to help you ask the right kind of questions and guide clients to see the value of working with you, but all without feeling salesy. What you'll be learning in this episode will ultimately help you better structure your discovery calls and hopefully get more yeses, more bookings and less, I'll think about it. Who knows, you might even enjoy your next discovery call. Now, before we go any further, if you're brand new to starting your private practice, you might be thinking,

 

Well, wait, Sarah, what even is a discovery call? Well, a discovery call, also known as a sales call, is usually a short sort of 15 to 30 minute conversation with a potential client before they commit to working with you. And it's where you'll explore what they need, see if you're a good fit, and then invite them into your paid support.

 

So discovery calls are often needed for high priced offers like our one-to-one services or any coaching programs because people need to feel sure about investing before they commit. Maybe you've never done one of these calls before and the whole thing feels slightly terrifying. What if they ask me something that I can't answer or what if I come across as pushy or what if they say no?

 

Or maybe you've done a few discovery calls and you felt a bit awkward doing them. Maybe you came off the calls replaying in your head wondering what could have gone wrong? Did I talk too much? Did I not talk enough? Did I sound a bit weird? Or perhaps you've done loads of discovery calls. You're perfectly confident talking about your work, but those calls aren't converting into paying clients as much as you want them to be. Maybe you often hear people saying,

 

they'll think about it or that they need to chat things through with their partner. And then all that effort doesn't end up turning into actual bookings. The thing is, if you spent most of your career in the NHS, which many of you listening to this will have, you were never trained for this part. You were not trained to lead a sales conversation. And yet in private practice, this becomes one of the most important skills that you'll ever need to develop.

 

Because discovery calls? Well, they're the moment someone decides whether they trust you and whether they believe that you are the right person to help them.

 

Now, over the years, I've perfected my discovery call process to the point where my conversion rate is consistently high at around 88%. I deeply understand the psychology behind decision-making and how to most effectively structure a call. So in this episode, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to run a discovery call that actually gets people to say yes.

 

You'll learn how to structure the call, the right questions to ask and the simple sales psychology strategies to help steer the call towards a really positive outcome. So if discovery calls have ever felt scary or awkward or frustratingly endless loop of maybe laters, then this episode is going to change all of that for you. You might want to make a few notes so you don't forget any of these golden nuggets. So please grab a pen and

 

notebook and let's dive in. Okay, before we get into the good stuff, it's important to remember that discovery calls are always one to one. So they take your time and they demand your energy. And of course your time and your energy is money. A typical discovery call might last half an hour. Let's say you're doing five calls a week. That's two and a half hours of your week.

 

And that's before you factor in any pre-call prep and follow-up, which of course is all time well spent if you are converting these calls into clients. But if those calls are consistently not converting, that's hours of effort and energy and brainpower that just isn't bringing in any income. And so that's why mastering discovery calls is actually so crucial. And the better you get at them, the less money you're going to be leaving on the table.

 

Now I want to start with a quick recommendation around when to do your discovery calls, because how and when you schedule these calls can make a huge difference. I highly recommend batching your calls or doing them on specific days of the week. And the reason I like to do this is because not only are you being efficient with your calendar, but being in the right mindset for discovery calls actually directly impacts your conversion rate because you're in a rhythm and a flow.

 

You can also begin to notice what's worked in previous calls earlier in the day, like the kind of questions or phrases that got great responses, and then you can use them again in the next call.

 

And another thing to consider is if you've ever had a break from sales calls, like a holiday or Christmas, your conversion weights will drop. So simply because you're out of practice. So batching your calls can also help for this reason.

 

For me, I tend to do these calls on Mondays and Thursdays, but you can pick whatever schedule works best for you. these sessions via video call rather than telephone call. And that's so that the participant can see your face, notice your body language and hear your voice and vice versa. And this will instantly form a much deeper connection than if you just do phone calls.

 

Okay, now let's talk about how to actually conduct a discovery call and how to bring some strategies from sales psychology that will help your chances of hearing a yes.

 

Okay, so you run the call. The first thing you're going to do is introduce yourself. Then aim for about one to three minutes of small talk maximum though. So you might want to ask where they're from, for example. Then you're going to set the agenda straight away. It's really, really important that you are the one to lead the call. So start by saying something like this. Thank you so much for booking in your call today.

 

I've got us down for about 30 minutes, so I'd love us to kick off here. I'm going to ask you to share some of your story and some of the specific struggles that you're experiencing. And I might chip in with a few questions to make sure that I fully understand your situation and can advise whether my support is a good fit for you. So straight off the bat, you're setting expectations for the time that you have. You're also signaling that you're going to interrupt politely if they go off on tangents.

 

and you make it clear that this isn't a free advice session.

 

The next thing I would typically say is this. by telling me what made you want to look into booking a... Start by telling me what made you want to look into working with a... And then say here, whatever your title is. So for instance, what made you want to look into working with a good health dietician? This question...

 

is really useful to ask straight away because then you can hear how they describe their personal struggles and then use that same language towards the end of the call when you're talking about how you can help them.

 

So how much should you be talking versus them? When the conversation starts, aim to let the other person speak for at least half of the time. This isn't to be polite. By letting them do half the talking, you're really getting to hear what's frustrating them and what they really want to achieve from working with you.

 

And that's exactly the information that you're going to need in order to show how you can help in a way that makes sense to them. Plus it shows that you care and you want to truly understand them, which builds trust. You can also display this by nodding to show active listening, as well as using their name and reflecting back what they've said. So when there's a pause, you can paraphrase what they've said to show that you've really heard and truly understood them.

 

It's also important to avoid any sort of yes, no questions because you want them to open up. You want them to share their story fully, giving you all the details and context that you need to guide the conversation towards a positive outcome. So now for the good stuff, I'm going to teach you a few sales psychology strategies to help guide your discovery call towards a positive outcome, but without feeling pushy or salesy.

 

The key really is to connect to the emotion behind the story because people don't buy purely on logic. They buy based on how they feel too. So your goal here is to get them to share how their current situation truly impacts them, their day-to-day life and even the impact on the people around them. So I'd recommend asking questions like, and how does this make you feel? That question helps uncover their emotional drivers like,

 

frustration or worry or overwhelm. And when you tap into these feelings, you're not just addressing their surface level problems, you're going deeper and building this emotional connection is key. I'd also ask, how is this affecting your daily life? Now this question helps you see the practical impacts of their problem. So it could be from energy drains to loss of confidence, to stress, to disrupted routines.

 

It also gives you some concrete examples to reference towards the end of the call when you're explaining your solution and how it can make a real difference to them. Another great question is, what is this stopping you from doing that you really want to do? So again, this question shows what opportunities, what experiences or goals they're missing out on because of their problem.

 

Again, their answers to this question gives you concrete examples to reference towards the end of your call when you're positioning your offer and you're explaining how your support can help them.

 

And the fourth question that's amazing to ask is how is this impacting your family, your friends or those closest to you? So this question can be really important because sometimes it's not just about them, it's about the people they care for, which can increase their urgency to take action.

 

So now we're going to move into another really powerful sales psychology strategy. It's actually all about encouraging them to future pace. So in other words, getting them to really visualize what life would look like for them if their problem went away. So some questions that you can use to help you do this include, where exactly do you want to be, say in six months from now? This helps them articulate what successful outcomes might look like for them.

 

and also allows you to align your support with their vision. You could also ask, how soon do you want to overcome this? This question helps you understand their timeline and their priorities. Some clients might feel frustrated for years, but still aren't ready to act immediately, while others are itching for a solution and they want to start yesterday. So knowing this lets you tailor your approach and potentially focus more on the people who are ready to move forwards.

 

Another question is, how committed on a scale of one to 10 are you in overcoming this problem? So this question quantifies their readiness to invest in a solution that helps you gauge whether they're likely to follow through. It also helps you tailor your approach during the call. The higher their commitment, the more confident you can position yourself as a solution. Plus, getting them to articulate their commitment out loud makes it more real for them.

 

It's just a bit of a psychological nudge that can help increase their likelihood of saying yes. Okay, so by now you'll likely be around halfway through the discovery call. So what's next? Well, the next step after you've heard about their personal struggles and how these struggles have been showing up in their everyday life, we're now going to subtly position yourself as the best person to help this potential client. So to be really clear, this isn't the moment you start selling.

 

yet. This is the stage about establishing trust by positioning yourself as an authoritative figure and showing why you're credible. So that means when you do talk about your offer later, they already see you as the solution to the problem. So how can you build trust and credibility? Well, there's tons of ways you can do this. Firstly, you can talk about your qualifications, of course. You don't just want to give them a whopping

 

great big list of different things that you've studied for and got certificates in, but you can weave them naturally into the conversation if it feels right. So for example, you can talk about areas you've chosen to specialize in and the type of clients that you've worked with. You can also reference real results that you've achieved for other clients. One of the best ways to build trust is through story.

 

And it can help them picture that change is possible for them too. So for instance, you could say, one client I worked with had quite similar IBS issues that left them bloated almost every day, struggling with unpredictable bathroom trips and feeling anxious about eating even very simple meals. But over the next 12 weeks, we adjusted their diet and removed some high FODMAP foods. And by the end of that period, their bloating had reduced significantly

 

and they were now able to eat a real wide variety of breakfast foods, lunches and dinners without any bloating.

 

Okay, so what happens next after you've talked about one or two client results and what makes you credible? The next step is to ask for permission. You want to ask that it's okay to share the details of what you can offer for their unique situation. So you might think, I don't want to ask, they might say no, but believe me, no one ever says no. This small step does quite a lot for you. It keeps the conversation client focused.

 

It shows that you're not forcing a pitch and it helps frame your offer as a tailored solution rather than a generic sales spiel. So once they said yes, it's time to then talk about your offer, but there's a right way to do it here. The key here is to focus on the benefits, not just the features, because people don't really buy three consultation calls They buy what those three consultations will do for them.

 

It can really help here to use the phrase, so that. So that can help tie the feature that you've just mentioned back to a tangible outcome that they care about. So for instance, we'll do three consultations a week, so that... You fill in the blanks here.

 

Remember, this really shouldn't be a deep dive into every detail of your offer. We don't want to be putting people off and we certainly don't want to be sending people to sleep. Too much information can overwhelm people and shift their focus away from how you're helping them solve their problem.

 

So the million dollar question is when it comes to discovery calls, how do you actually close the sale? So I always recommend asking for the sale on the call instead of just asking for the sale in the follow-up emails later. From the years and years I've been in business and the endless amount of discovery calls I've done in I found that it's always better to ask people there and then. Why?

 

because the energy, the interest, the connection you've built during the call is at its peak at that very moment and waiting until later in a follow-up email or a message risks losing that momentum. People are busy, they're distracted or they're second guessing themselves. But when you ask on the call, you're helping them make a decision while they're still engaged, while your expertise and your guidance is fresh in their mind and while they

 

feel seen and heard.

 

So often people will say, I need to think about it or discuss it with a partner. And actually these are their objections and it's an indication that they've not fully understood the benefits or how specifically they would benefit from working with you. So it's worth asking them if they have any further questions so that you can allay any fears.

 

Okay, so we're nearly there. We've nearly covered everything you need to know to conduct a successful discovery call. Yay! But this next part is arguably one of the most important steps and actually happens after the call.

 

So after a discovery call, please, please, please follow up. The fortune really is in the follow up. You'll be so surprised at how a simple follow up message can dramatically increase your conversion rates and a gentle follow up isn't pushy at all. It's often exactly what people because people live busy lives. So ideally follow up within 24 hours while the conversation is still fresh.

 

and then continue to follow up with them in the days and weeks afterwards.

 

So there you have it. about being persuasive or somebody you're really not. They're about confidently guiding someone towards the support they already know that they need. The main thing I want you to take from this episode is, first of all, it's really important that you're the one who leads the conversation. Set the agenda at the start. Secondly,

 

Let the person on the other side of the call speak for around about half of the time. The more they talk, the more you understand what truly matters to them.

 

And then at the end of the call, the easier it becomes for you to position your support in a way that feels relevant and personalised. And then the third thing to remember is people purchase based on emotion, not just logic. So really try and connect to the emotion behind their story. Fourth, ask for the sale on the Don't hide behind a follow-up email. It's your responsibility to confidently invite them to work with you.

 

And then finally, always, always, always follow up. Not because you're chasing the sale, because you're professional, you're organized, and you are serious about your business.

 

So now you have all of these golden nuggets under your belt, there should be no stopping you on these calls and no more need to break out in a cold sweat. Remember the more you do, the better you're gonna get at them. And I'd love to know if this was helpful and how your next discovery call goes after using a few of these tips and tricks.

 

And if this episode has been a bit of an eye opener as to the fact that you might need a little extra support with securing clients for your health business, then my Accelerate Business Support Program might be right for you. So this is me and you for 12 months. You learn everything you need to get consistent clients without risking your financial security or wasting time on things that actually don't fit UK healthcare. We have

 

different tiers. So whether you're looking for flexible, budget-friendly way to get started, or you want more hands-on, one-to-one support from me, there is something for you. Just DM me with the word accelerate over on Instagram. If you'd like to chat back and forth and grab a few more details, or you've got any questions about my business coaching, you can find the link to Instagram in the show notes of this episode.

 

Bye for now.