Selling with AI 2 · Consulting Playbook|INEMA.CLUB-PRO

Lesson 2 · 18 min

The discovery call

Nobody leaves the doctor's office with a prescription before the exam. In AI consulting this happens all the time: the client names a pain and the consultant already answers with the solution. The discovery call puts things in the right order: diagnose, say what happens if nothing changes, and only then propose.

Start the lesson
A consultant on a video call with a company owner, taking notes by hand in a notebook.

In this lesson you will

  1. 1Open the call as the best-prepared person in the room
  2. 2Ask the 3 questions that decide the project
  3. 3Spot the 4 red flags and hit the brakes
  4. 4Practice on a simulated call with a scoreboard

Goal: run the discovery call with the 3 questions (scale, stack, knowledge) and hit the brakes when the red flags show up.

01The path of the call

Six moves, always in this order. Click each one.

Click each block in the diagram to see what it does.

The 3 middle questions fit in twenty minutes and set everything that comes after.

02Simulated call: the clinic owner

Simulated conversation for practice. Pick the answer you would give; the comment appears right after.

Dental clinic ownerdecides alone · 12 employees

Choose your answer. The comment appears right after, and the conversation continues based on your choice.

    03The 4 red flags

    None of them is a reason to decline on its own. Each one calls for a ready answer.

    1. "Autonomous agents now"

    Even in the best workflows, the agent shows up once or twice in the process; the rest is fixed steps.

    Predictability is what makes automation work in a company.

    AnswerThe agent comes in where the path changes every time. For the rest, a fixed step is cheaper and auditable.

    04Templates to copy

    Keep the script open beside you during the call. Run the prompt beforehand.

    Discovery call script
    DISCOVERY CALL SCRIPT · <company> · <date>

OPENING (3 sentences)
- My goal here is to understand the pain you want to solve. What I propose afterward comes from that.
- I read what you filled in and researched the company before joining.
- Even so, I'd like to hear the day-to-day pains in your own words.

QUESTION 1 · SCALE
- How many people work here? Who decides about this?

QUESTION 2 · STACK (by category)
- communication · documents · CRM · projects · data and reports
- design · development · database · meeting notes
- Can I see the screen of the main system for 2 minutes?

QUESTION 3 · KNOWLEDGE
- Where does your data live? (single place / scattered but organized / all over the place)

RED FLAGS (check if they appear)
[ ] autonomous agents now   [ ] I saw it on social media
[ ] my competitor has one        [ ] it has to be the newest

HIT THE BRAKES (2 or more red flags)
- This is the minimum foundation the company needs. Even if it feels
  like a month behind, the following month you are caught up.

NEXT STEP
- Task for them: <list tools with number of users / map where the data lives>
- Next conversation: <date and time>
    Prompt · research before the call
    You are an AI consultant preparing a discovery call.
Company: <sector and what it sells>
Approximate size: <number of employees>
Who booked the call: <job title and department>
What the person wrote when booking: """<paste here>"""

Deliver, in this order:
1. The business model in 3 lines: where the revenue comes from and what
   is expensive in this operation.
2. Three likely operational pain hypotheses for this sector and size,
   from most likely to least likely.
3. For EACH hypothesis, two open-ended questions I ask on the call to
   confirm or rule it out, without suggesting a solution inside the question.
Do not propose tools. Do not use technology jargon.

    05Practice

    Do this before your next conversation with a client.

    1 · Your call script

    25 min

    Copy the script and adapt it to your niche: write the 3 questions in your industry's words, pick the 3 red flags that show up most in your market, and write your own hit-the-brakes line.

    Done when: the script is saved in a file or note with the 3 questions, 3 red flags and the hit-the-brakes line.

    2 · Simulated call with a score

    10 min

    Do the simulated call from this lesson. If you don't reach the top score, read the comments, click restart and try again.

    Done when: you finished the simulated call with the top score and can say in one sentence why each right answer was the right one.

    06Quick quiz

    4 questions. The explanation appears after your attempt.

    Question 1 of 4

    The company has 60 people, 14 paid tools, and says its data is "each in its own place, more or less." What do you propose first?

    07Summary

    Diagnose before you prescribeA solution stated too early closes the door on the bigger contract.
    Three questionsScale, stack, and where the knowledge lives. They fit in twenty minutes.
    Four red flagsTwo on the same call: hit the brakes with the minimum-baseline line.
    Closing is a calendarAgreed task and next conversation booked while still on the call.
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