The discovery call isn’t where discovery happens anymore.
By the time someone contacts you, they’ve usually done a fair amount of homework. They may have looked at your website, checked your LinkedIn profile, read your reviews, scrolled through your recent posts and compared you with a few other businesses. They may even have asked an AI tool to summarise what you do.
So, when they finally get in touch, they’re rarely starting from scratch. They’re checking whether the impression they’ve already formed is correct.
That means your marketing is having conversations with potential clients long before you are.
The question is: what is it saying?
I was reminded of this recently while listening to Susan Canny, Key Account Director for LinkedIn Sales Solutions APAC, speak at a Local Link Melbourne event.
One thing became very clear: the way people make buying decisions has changed, but many businesses are still relying on marketing that assumes the first real conversation happens when someone picks up the phone.
It doesn’t.
The first conversation now happens through everything a potential client can find about you online.
Before Someone Contacts You, They’re Trying to Answer a Few Questions
Most potential clients aren’t looking for every detail about your business. They’re trying to work out a few simple things:
- Do you understand their problem?
- Can you help?
- Do you seem credible?
- Are you the kind of person or business they would feel comfortable working with?
- Is contacting you worth their time?
Your website, content, reviews and profiles are answering those questions, whether you’ve intentionally designed them to or not. That’s why clarity matters so much.
A potential client shouldn’t need to spend twenty minutes decoding what you do. They should be able to understand it quickly:
- Who do you help?
- What do you help them with?
- What makes your approach different?
- What should they do next?
If those answers are vague, inconsistent or buried under too much jargon, people often move on. Not because you aren’t capable, but because they can’t easily see that you are.
Being Experienced Isn’t Enough If No One Can See It
I come across this all the time.
A business owner may have decades of experience, excellent client relationships and a strong reputation offline. But online, their expertise is almost invisible.
Their LinkedIn profile hasn’t been updated in years. Their website speaks in broad, generic terms. Their testimonials say they were “great to work with” but don’t explain what result they achieved. Their social media is either quiet or filled with posts that don’t really tell people anything.
Then there’s a competitor with less experience but a clearer website, a stronger profile and a few useful posts that answer common client questions.
Who looks like the safer choice?
Usually, the person who is easier to understand. That can feel unfair, but it’s also fixable.
You don’t need to become louder.
You need to make your expertise easier to see.
Your Content Should Reduce the Need for Explanation
Good content does more than keep your social media accounts active. It helps potential clients understand how you think. It answers the questions they’re already asking. It shows them what you notice, what you value and how you approach problems.
By the time someone books a call, they may already understand:
- The kinds of clients you work with
- The problems you solve
- The way you work
- What matters to you
- What makes your approach different
That makes the first conversation easier for everyone. You spend less time explaining the basics, the potential client arrives more informed, and the conversation becomes less about convincing them and more about confirming whether you’re the right fit.
This is why useful content matters.
Not content for the sake of content. Not posts designed simply to satisfy an algorithm.
Content that answers real questions and helps people make a decision.
AI Is Now Part of the Research Process
There’s another layer to all of this.
People are increasingly using AI tools to research businesses, compare services and find providers. That means your potential clients may not only be reading your website themselves. They may be asking an AI assistant to do some of the research for them.
But AI can only work with the information it can find. If your messaging is unclear, outdated or inconsistent, that may shape the answer it gives.
For example, your website might describe one service, your LinkedIn profile might focus on another, and your business directory listings might still include offers you no longer provide.
That creates confusion for people. It also creates confusion for AI.
This is one of the reasons consistency matters.
Your business should be described in roughly the same way across your website, LinkedIn profile, Google Business Profile, social media accounts and directory listings. Not word for word, but the core message should be clear:
- Who you help
- What you do
- Why someone should choose you
Trust Starts Before the First Meeting
Most people don’t contact a business simply because they saw one polished post. Trust is usually built through a collection of small signals:
- A useful article
- A clear website
- A thoughtful LinkedIn post
- A relevant testimonial
- A recent review
- A profile that actually explains what you do
None of these things may feel particularly powerful on their own. Together, they create reassurance.
They tell a potential client that you understand your field, that you’re active in your business and that other people have had a positive experience working with you.
This is where small businesses can have a real advantage. You don’t have to sound like a large corporation. In fact, you probably shouldn’t.
People want to know who they’re dealing with. A clear, genuine voice often builds more trust than perfectly polished corporate language.
People trust people.
Take a Ten-Minute Look at Your Business Through a Buyer’s Eyes
Here’s a simple exercise.
Imagine someone has been referred to you but knows nothing else about your business. They have ten minutes before deciding whether to contact you or one of your competitors.
What would they find?
Start by Googling your business name and your own name. Then look at:
- Your website homepage
- Your LinkedIn profile
- Your Google Business Profile
- Your most recent reviews
- Your last six social media posts
Try to look at everything as though you’ve never seen it before.
Is it immediately clear what you do? Does your content reflect the work you want more of? Are your profiles current? Do your testimonials explain the problems you solve? Does everything tell a consistent story?
And most importantly, does what they find make you feel like the obvious person to contact?
You Don’t Need More Marketing Noise
The answer isn’t necessarily to post more often. It isn’t to jump onto every new platform or follow every trend. And it definitely isn’t to make more noise for the sake of being visible.
The goal is to make your business easier to understand and easier to trust.
That might mean:
- Updating your LinkedIn profile
- Rewriting your website headline
- Asking clients for more specific testimonials
- Publishing content that answers the questions you hear every week
- Making sure the same core message appears everywhere someone might research you
Small improvements can make a big difference because your potential clients are already forming an opinion.
The only question is whether your marketing is helping them reach the right one.
The Discovery Call Has Changed
The discovery call still matters, but its role is different now.
It’s no longer the first time someone learns who you are and what you do. It’s the point where they decide whether the business they’ve researched matches the person in front of them.
Your website, LinkedIn profile, reviews and content have already done much of the talking.
Make sure they’re saying the right things.
About the Author
Sam McFarlane is the Founder and Lead Strategist at Sam Says, a marketing consultancy specialising in social media, content and digital strategy for small and medium-sized businesses. Drawing on more than 25 years of marketing experience, Sam helps businesses develop clear messaging, create useful content and build trust with their audiences. Her practical, audience-first approach helps business owners improve their visibility and communicate their expertise with greater consistency and purpose.
To contact Sam, click here.