What to expect on a discovery call with Coyne Labs
Most agency discovery calls are pain-based sales pitches wearing a consultative costume. Agency rep asks a few leading questions designed to surface pain. Pain gets amplified. Product gets pitched. Prospect is either closed or ghosted.
The Coyne Labs discovery call is built differently, on purpose.
What the call is for
The discovery call has three goals:
1. Understand whether Coyne Labs can actually help your specific business 2. Give you genuinely useful information even if we do not end up working together 3. Make sure we are a fit on working style and expectations before either of us commits
It is a fit conversation, not a sales conversation.
What happens on the call
Opening 5 minutes. Brief introductions. You tell us about your business — what you do, where you are based, current revenue, current team size, current marketing situation. We listen. No pitch yet.
Middle 15-20 minutes. We ask specific questions designed to understand the business deeply: lead flow, close rate, capacity, pricing structure, typical customer lifetime value, competitive landscape, what is working, what is broken. We may screen-share your website and walk through specific issues we notice.
Working time 5-10 minutes. We give you our honest read. Sometimes that is "here are 3 specific things I would fix this month whether you hire us or not." Sometimes it is "I think you need a different kind of agency." Sometimes it is "here is what a Coyne Labs engagement would look like specifically for you."
Closing 5 minutes. If we both want to continue, we outline next steps — typically a proposal and a follow-up call to review it. If we do not, we refer you somewhere appropriate or wish you well.
What the call is not
It is not a 90-minute trap. Coyne Labs discovery calls are scoped at 30 minutes. We almost always finish inside that window.
It is not a sales pressure event. If you decide we are not a fit, we will not chase you. No follow-up drip sequences. No high-pressure closing.
It is not confidential in any way that disadvantages you. Feel free to record it, share what we discuss with others, or use any advice we give in working with a different agency.
Who takes the call
For founder beta clients and most standard engagements, James takes the initial discovery call personally. For some engagements, a senior team member takes the first call and James joins a follow-up if we proceed.
Either way, you are talking with someone who can actually make decisions and speak specifically about how we would work with you.
What to prepare
Nothing formal. Some things that help us be useful on the call:
- —Your current website URL
- —Rough sense of your current monthly marketing spend across all vendors
- —Rough sense of your current monthly qualified lead count
- —Your current close rate on qualified leads (if you know)
- —The #1 thing you would want fixed in your marketing
If you do not have these, we can still have a useful conversation.
What happens after the call
Within 24-48 hours, you receive a short summary email with: the key observations we made, the 2-3 suggestions we had that stood out, and (if applicable) a proposal outline for what an engagement would look like.
Whether or not you hire us, the summary is yours. Take it to another agency if you want. Use it to direct your internal team. Or ignore it. It is information, not a commitment.
Why we operate this way
Sales pressure and misalignment are the most common sources of bad agency relationships. We would rather lose the client at the discovery stage than sign a client who turns out to be a poor fit and dissolves the relationship 6 months in.
A clear discovery process protects both of us.
How to book
Book a discovery call here. Mention in the booking form anything specific you want to address. We will confirm a time within 24 hours.