04How we work
The first call
No slide deck, no packaged offer read off a script. Here is exactly what gets covered, in order, and what to bring so the conversation is worth both sides' time.
Why it’s structured, not freeform
What the call covers
An unstructured first call tends to produce an unstructured scope. These five points exist because each one directly determines something in the written scope that follows: the question being answered, the evidence required, who has to be involved, what “done” means, and whether this is the right engagement at all. The same structure applies to a free call about what AI could automate. Bring your own list as well: the guide to questions to ask before hiring a consultant is written for exactly this call.
In one line
A recommendation with no one empowered to enact it is a report, not an engagement.
What gets covered
The five points
- 01
What's actually being decided
Not the department or the budget line: the decision itself, stated as plainly as possible. Most of the value in the first fifteen minutes comes from restating a vague concern ("our growth has stalled") as a specific, answerable question ("should we expand the product line or defend the core market").
- 02
What's already known, and what isn't
What analysis, data, or prior attempts already exist. An engagement should never repeat work you've already paid for or already done internally: this is where that gets ruled in or out, honestly, even when the honest answer is that you've already answered part of the question yourselves.
- 03
Who has to be involved, and who has to decide
Which people on your side hold the information the work will need, and (separately), who actually has the authority to act once the answer arrives. A recommendation with no one empowered to enact it is a report, not an engagement.
- 04
What 'done' looks like
Whether the engagement ends at a recommendation, at a roadmap, or further into execution. Agreeing this upfront is what keeps a defined-scope engagement defined: see /how-we-work/engagement-models for how that boundary gets set.
- 05
An honest read on fit
If the question doesn't suit an outside advisory engagement (or doesn't suit this one in particular), that's said on the call, not discovered three weeks into a contract. See /how-we-work/not-the-right-fit for the specific situations where that's the answer.
What to bring
What to bring
- A one-paragraph statement of the concern, even a rough one: the call is where it gets sharpened, not where it needs to already be precise.
- Whatever analysis or data already exists, even informally. Nothing needs to be prepared or polished for this call.
- A rough sense of timeline pressure: whether this is urgent, or whether getting it right matters more than getting it fast.
- Whoever else on your side would need to be part of the actual engagement, even if they're not on this first call.
What happens next is covered in how scoping and pricing work. Terms that come up on the call, such as scope, diagnostic and statement of work, are defined in the plain-language glossary, and shorter answers to what happens on the call and how engagements are priced sit on the frequently asked questions page.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
- How long does the first call take?
- Long enough to get through the five points above properly: usually 30 to 45 minutes, not a rigid slot.
- Do I need to know the answer to my own question before the call?
- No. Sharpening a vague concern into a scopeable question is part of the call's job, not a prerequisite for booking it.
- What happens right after the call?
- If it's a fit, a written scope and quote follow: see /how-we-work/pricing-and-scoping. If it isn't, you'll be told plainly, and where possible, pointed toward what would actually help.
More on how we work
The rest of the methodology.
- 01Engagement modelsThe three shapes an engagement takes: defined-scope, phased, or an advisory retainer, and which one fits which kind of decision in front of you.
- 02Pricing & scopingHow pricing and scoping work here: no rate card; the scope is built from the decision, and the variables that move a quote before you ever see one in writing.
- 03What you receiveThe concrete deliverables behind the word 'strategy': what you receive, in what order, and in what form.
Book a scoping call
A first conversation is a scoping conversation: no obligation, no packaged pitch, and we'll say plainly if we're not the right fit.
No obligation · a scoping conversation first