The Discovery Call Scorecard Template

What problem did they describe?
[THEIR EXACT WORDS: e.g. "We are losing leads between our ads and our sales team and nobody knows where they go"]

Score (0 = no clear problem stated / 1 = general frustration, no specifics / 2 = specific problem with business impact): [SCORE]

Duration: [e.g. 3 months / over a year / since we launched]

Score (0 = no answer / 1 = vague / 2 = specific timeframe given): [SCORE]

Note: Problems that have existed longer than 6 months with no fix attempted signal either low urgency or a structural blocker. Flag it here: [FLAG OR CLEAR]

Previous attempts: [LIST WHAT THEY SAID e.g. "Hired a VA, tried Zapier, had an agency do it"]

Score (0 = tried nothing and not bothered / 1 = tried something, unclear result / 2 = tried things, can articulate why they did not work): [SCORE]

Insight: Someone who has already invested in solving the problem is a warmer lead than someone who has not tried anything. [WARM / COLD]

How did they talk about the problem? Circle the phrase that fits best:
[FRUSTRATED AND SPECIFIC] / [MILDLY CONCERNED] / [INTELLECTUALLY CURIOUS, NO URGENCY] / [RESIGNED, JUST EXPLORING]

Score (0 = no emotion, pure exploration / 1 = mild concern / 2 = genuine urgency or frustration expressed): [SCORE]

Did they mention budget unprompted? [YES / NO]

When asked directly, what did they say?
[THEIR EXACT WORDS OR DEFLECTION: e.g. "We have around 3k a month set aside" or "It depends on what you propose" or "We are not sure yet"]

Score (0 = refused to discuss or clearly no budget / 1 = vague range mentioned / 2 = specific budget confirmed that matches your floor): [SCORE]

Minimum engagement floor for your services: [YOUR FLOOR e.g. 1,500 / 3,500 / 5,000]
Does their stated or implied budget meet this? [YES / NO / UNCLEAR]

Who makes the final decision to hire?
[THEIR ANSWER e.g. "That would be me" / "I need to run it by my co-founder" / "Our board approves all spend over 2k"]

Is the decision-maker on this call? [YES / NO]

If no, who else needs to be involved and when can they join a call?
[NAMES AND TIMELINE: e.g. "Sarah, CEO, she is available next week" or "Not sure when I can get her on a call"]

Score (0 = no authority, no clear path to the decision-maker / 1 = partial authority or access to decision-maker is uncertain / 2 = decision-maker is on this call OR a clear next step with them is confirmed): [SCORE]

When do they want to get started?
[THEIR ANSWER e.g. "As soon as possible" / "Next quarter" / "We are still in planning"]

Score (0 = no timeline or more than 3 months out / 1 = within 1 to 3 months / 2 = within the next 4 weeks and they said so clearly): [SCORE]

Based on what they described, which of your core services is the most relevant fit?
[SERVICE e.g. AI workflow build / HubSpot setup / lead gen / ads / SEO / content / full AI audit]

Do you actually deliver this well, right now, without stretching into unfamiliar territory? [YES / NO / PARTLY]

Score (0 = no clear fit or the fit requires significant scope stretch / 1 = partial fit, some elements match / 2 = strong fit, this is core to what you do): [SCORE]

What did they say they expected from working with you?
[THEIR WORDS e.g. "Someone to build and run our AI systems" / "A strategy I can hand to my team" / "You to do everything so I do not have to think about it"]

Does this match what you actually provide? [YES / CLOSE ENOUGH / NO]

If not, what is the gap?
[GAP DESCRIPTION e.g. "They want done-for-you, I deliver done-with-you"]

Score (0 = their expectation is incompatible with your model / 1 = some alignment, some correction needed / 2 = clear alignment with how you work): [SCORE]

Did any of the following come up during the call? Tick all that apply.

[ ] They want guaranteed results or specific outcomes tied to your fee
[ ] They compared you to a much cheaper provider and asked you to match
[ ] They mentioned they have changed consultants or agencies more than twice in 18 months
[ ] They talked extensively about a previous bad experience without taking any ownership
[ ] They could not articulate what success looks like at the end of the engagement
[ ] They want to start with a very small paid test before committing, even after you explained your process

Total red flags: [NUMBER]

Score (0 = 3 or more red flags / 1 = 1 to 2 red flags / 2 = zero red flags): [SCORE]

Who on their team would be your main point of contact and collaborator?
[NAME AND ROLE e.g. "Me, the founder" / "Our marketing manager, Jake" / "Nobody, we are a solo business"]

How many hours per week can they commit to your onboarding and implementation process?
[THEIR ANSWER e.g. "A few hours" / "Jake handles this full time" / "We are pretty stretched right now"]

Score (0 = no identifiable internal resource or they are too stretched to collaborate / 1 = someone exists but limited time or unclear role / 2 = named person, reasonable capacity, clear ownership): [SCORE]

What tools are they currently using?
[LIST e.g. HubSpot / GoHighLevel / Mailchimp / Notion / nothing systematic]

Do they have access to login credentials and admin rights for these tools? [YES / NO / UNSURE]

Do they have existing data you would need to work with (CRM records, ad account history, analytics access)? [YES / PARTIAL / NO]

Score (0 = no access, no data, starting from zero with no plan to get either / 1 = partial access or data exists but is messy / 2 = they have the tools, have admin access, and data is accessible): [SCORE]

Did they let you speak without interrupting or redirecting every few sentences? [YES / MOSTLY / NO]

Did they engage with your questions thoughtfully or deflect and pivot back to their own talking points? [ENGAGED / DEFLECTED]

Note any specific moments where communication felt off:
[NOTES e.g. "Kept cutting me off to talk about a past agency" or "Asked great follow-up questions"]

Score (0 = dominated the call, showed little interest in your input / 1 = mixed, some engagement, some steering / 2 = genuine two-way conversation, they listened and built on your responses): [SCORE]

At the end of the call, what was your honest gut reaction?

[ ] I would genuinely enjoy working with this person
[ ] They are fine, I could work with them
[ ] Something felt off but I am not sure what
[ ] I do not want to work with this person

What specifically drove that reaction?
[YOUR NOTES e.g. "Really clear on what they wanted and why, no ego in the conversation" or "Kept referencing what their last consultant got wrong"]

Score (0 = gut says no / 1 = neutral / 2 = gut says yes, this is someone I want in my client roster): [SCORE]

Section 1: Problem and Pain: [SCORE] / 8
Section 2: Budget and Decision Authority: [SCORE] / 6
Section 3: Fit: [SCORE] / 6
Section 4: Execution Capacity: [SCORE] / 4
Section 5: Chemistry: [SCORE] / 4

TOTAL: [SCORE] / 28

22 to 28: Advance immediately. Send a proposal within 24 hours. This lead is strong across every dimension.

Next action: [PROPOSAL DUE DATE e.g. by Friday 30 May]

15 to 21: Qualified with conditions. Identify which sections scored lowest and whether those gaps are closable. Schedule a second call if the budget or decision-maker question is unresolved.

Conditions to resolve before progressing:
[LIST e.g. "Need to speak to the co-founder" / "Need a clearer budget conversation"]
Next call booked for: [DATE]

8 to 14: Slow down. This lead has real gaps. Do not write a proposal yet. Send a short follow-up email to test engagement and see if they move.

Specific concern: [YOUR NOTE e.g. "No budget clarity and no timeline"]
Follow-up email to send by: [DATE]
If no reply by [DATE], mark as cold in CRM.

7 or below: Qualify out. Be honest with yourself. The time you spend chasing this lead is time away from someone who is ready.

Close out action: [e.g. Send a polite no-fit email / Archive in CRM / Refer to a colleague if appropriate]

Lead name: [NAME]
Company: [COMPANY]
Date of call: [DATE]
Total score: [SCORE] / 28
Decision: [ADVANCE / QUALIFIED WITH CONDITIONS / SLOW DOWN / QUALIFY OUT]

Immediate next action: [SPECIFIC TASK]
By when: [DATE]

Added to CRM: [YES / NO]
CRM status updated to: [STATUS e.g. Proposal Stage / Second Call Needed / Cold / Closed Out]

Key quote from the call worth remembering:
[ONE LINE e.g. "We have been trying to fix this for eight months and it keeps costing us money"]