{"id":5283,"date":"2023-07-06T21:01:58","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T21:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coachingoutsidethebox.net\/staging\/?p=5283"},"modified":"2025-01-13T12:27:48","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T12:27:48","slug":"discovery-session-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coachingoutsidethebox.net\/staging\/discovery-session-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Coaching Discovery Call Questions to Convert Clients"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Converting Your Clients Using a Coaching Discovery Session<\/h2>

By Lucia Baldelli<\/p>

Discovery sessions in coaching are our first opportunity to connect to a potential client that is interested in working with us. They are therefore essential to expand our business by converting clients. This puts a lot of pressure on many coaches, who feel nervous about giving the right impression and building rapport during this call. In this article I will explore how my discovery sessions have changed over time and the essential steps I cover now.<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is a Coaching Discovery Call?<\/h2>

At the beginning of my coaching career my discovery calls were \u2018chemistry sessions\u2019. I gave the client the opportunity of knowing who I am and I used them as a way to understand if I wanted to work with that client \u2013 I always look for people who are willing to do real work on themselves \u2013 and if I could help them in the first place.<\/p>

Some coaches use discovery calls to share a sales pitch about their services and the benefits of working with them. I always disagreed with the approach as I find it intrusive and inappropriate. I rather see it as the first encounter between two human beings who want to find out if there is potential to work together.<\/p>

I do not use discovery calls anymore for several reasons that I will share later in this article. If you decide to leverage them, it is important to have clarity about what you want to get out of these sessions and the questions you want to ask. I would avoid using a script<\/strong> as it might make the conversation clunky instead of being the first \u2018dance\u2019 with your client. Your goal is not to follow a pre-defined structure<\/strong> to tick all the boxes. It is instead to connect to someone who has a struggle and potentially start a coaching relationship that will grow your coaching business a bit more. Naturalness and ease<\/strong> should be present during these conversations, just like in every other coaching session.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why Are Coaching Discovery Sessions so Important?<\/h2>

My discovery sessions were aimed at understanding if I was a good match<\/strong> for the client and vice versa. I found value in understanding the client emotional space and hear a bit more about the challenge to mentally prepare for the first session. Who are they? What are they aiming for? What makes it difficult for them? What do they expect to achieve through coaching?<\/p>

I felt my clients gained clarity during those sessions too. They went deeper on what they wanted to achieve through coaching and made meaning of what was emerging during that initial conversation. It was a way to kick off the relationship and I never coached during these sessions. \u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPartner with an ICF MCC for valuable feedback and discover the nuances of coaching that will elevate your practice!\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn more\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How to Run a Coaching Discovery Call<\/h2>

You might want to add your own signature to your discovery process, so do not take mine as a universal approach or something to copy and paste. It has to work for you and for your clients!<\/p>

My discovery calls were about 30 minutes long, enough to break the ice<\/strong> and not too long to become a burden in my busy agenda, especially considering that I did not charge for those sessions. I felt that longer sessions would have led to a coaching demo, which I did not want for a few reasons:<\/p>

  1. \u00a0<\/li><\/ol>
    1. Coaching is a professional service that should be paid and not given for free, unless you have chosen to have a pro-bono client<\/li>
    2. Your first session with a client will never be perfect \u2013 it normally takes one or two sessions to get in flow and understand your client learning style, behavioural and thinking patterns. So, you do not want to set expectations based on a short \u2018demo\u2019.<\/li>
    3. They might even think they can do it by themselves, with the help of a friend or an AI app. But working with a coach brings much more value than that.<\/li><\/ol>
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      The role of the coach during a discovery session is to create a space that is safe enough<\/strong> for the client to start opening up and searching for new meaning inside themselves. They want to feel listened and understood. They want to connect on a deeper level with themselves with our help. Our questions should be direct and easily understood by the client. We should also negotiate who they want us to be with them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      Coaching Discovery Call Template<\/h2>

      Some coaches like to send an intake form<\/strong>, a questionnaire, to invite the client to reflect on the relationship goals before the discovery call, and look for coaching discovery call templates and scripts. I used this approach in the past.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\tLooking for ideas to structure your intake form?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\tCheck this out!\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGet our FREE form\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      I find more effective to ask questions that are based on what is emerging in our conversation. I value responsiveness<\/strong> over following a script as not every question might be useful.<\/p>

      Discovery sessions might differ from coach to coach but tend to have the same structure. Below you can find a different template that maybe ueseful for coaches who are just starting to leverage discovery calls. I am including tips that can make the call a success. \u00a0<\/p>

      Explore their previous experience with coaching<\/h3>

      Sometimes clients might not be fully aware of what coaching is and isn\u2019t<\/a>. Make sure you take the opportunity to clarify your role, how coaching differs from other service professions and in what cases you would suggest therapy instead of coaching. \u00a0<\/p>

      Discuss needs and expectations<\/h3>

      Clarify what they want and need from you and how you can best support them.<\/p>

      For example:<\/p>