Service · Booking funnel
Paid Discovery Call Funnel for Consultants
Written by Dion Williams, AI Business Systems Strategist · Updated
A paid discovery call funnel replaces the free intro call with a short, paid strategy session: the buyer picks a published price, checks out, and only then sees the calendar. ConsultWithDion runs this funnel on its own booking page, with sessions at $250 for 30 minutes and $400 for 60 minutes, and builds the same system for other consultants.
Why charge for the first call
A free discovery call asks you to spend your best hour on someone who has not decided anything yet. The call drifts into unpaid consulting, the buyer leaves with your ideas, and the calendar fills with conversations that were never going to close.
A paid strategy session changes the order of decisions. The buyer makes a small, clear commitment first, and the hour becomes a working session instead of a pitch. You are paid for the thinking you were already giving away, and the person on the call has shown they are ready to act.
The point is not to put up a wall. Buyers who are not ready to pay still have a door: an intake form that collects what they need and routes them to the right next step.
The live example on this site
The booking page on this site is the funnel this page describes. It is not a mockup. Here is how it is put together:
- Four engagements are listed with fixed, public prices and lengths, so nobody has to ask what it costs.
- The buyer chooses an engagement and pays at checkout.
- The calendar opens after checkout, so every slot that gets booked is a paid one.
- The Operating Retainer ($2,000+/mo) is the one exception to instant checkout. Ongoing operator-level counsel. Starts with a deposit and a conversation.
- Buyers who would rather start with a form use the intake at /#intake, which is tagged by the system they need most and routed to a strategy call.
Every price shown on the page comes from the same catalog the checkout charges from, so the page, the checkout, and the structured data cannot disagree.
Who this is for
- Consultants, coaches, and advisors whose free intro calls keep turning into unpaid consulting.
- Service owners who already have demand and want the first conversation to be a working session.
- Operators who want pricing, payment, and scheduling connected in one pass instead of separate tools stitched together by hand.
- Anyone who wants intake, a CRM, and follow-up behind the booking page, not just a payment link.
Who this is not for
- Businesses without a clear offer or price yet. Set those first; an advisory session is a good place to do it.
- Anyone looking for a template to copy without changing how they sell. The funnel only works when the offer behind it is clear.
- Anyone who needs a promised number of bookings. A funnel converts the demand you have; it does not create demand on its own.
What gets built
Lead Capture
Every inquiry lands in one place. A booking page that lists each engagement, its price, and its length in plain text, plus an intake form for buyers who are not ready to pay yet.
Invoices
Bills go out; payments come in. Checkout charges the price from one server-side catalog. The buyer never types an amount, and the price on the page is the price charged.
Scheduling
Calls book themselves onto your calendar. The calendar opens only after checkout, so a booked slot is a paid slot.
CRM
Every contact and deal, on record. Intake submissions are tagged by the system the buyer needs most and kept on record next to paid bookings.
Customer Follow-up
No one falls through the cracks. Buyers who start but do not finish get a follow-up instead of silence.
Analytics
See what's working, in numbers. You can see how many people reach the booking page, start checkout, and book.
How it works
- 01
Intake
Submit the intake form. It is tagged by the system you need most and routed to a strategy call. If you already know what you want, skip it and book a paid strategy session at /book; the calendar opens after checkout.
- 02
Paid strategy session
A working session on how your operation actually runs today. It ends with a written next-step plan you walk away with, not a sales pitch.
- 03
Build
The funnel is built around your real offer: the pricing page, checkout, calendar, intake form, and the CRM records behind them.
- 04
Handoff
The system goes live on your site and books without you in the loop. Ongoing changes can continue under the Operating Retainer.
Pricing
ConsultWithDion publishes four engagements, and they are the same ones this funnel sells. A funnel build is project work: it is scoped after a $750 Blueprint Review, or you can start with a $250 30-minute advisory session to pressure-test the idea first. There is no published fixed price for a build.
Advisory Session (30 min)
One focused problem, one working session. Walk out with a decision. (30 minutes)
$250
Advisory Session (60 min)
Full working session. Systems, sequencing, and the plan on paper. (60 minutes)
$400
Blueprint Review
Your event or operations plan, stress-tested line by line. Written findings. (90 minutes)
$750
Operating Retainer
Ongoing operator-level counsel. Starts with a deposit and a conversation. (Monthly engagement)
$2,000+/mo
Prices are fixed and public on the booking page, where a paid strategy session can be booked directly.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge for discovery calls?
- If your first call keeps turning into free consulting, charging for it is worth testing. A paid session asks the buyer to commit before the hour, and lets you deliver real value in that hour instead of pitching. Buyers who are not ready can still use an intake form.
Will people really pay before talking to you?
- Some will and some will not, and that sorting is the point. Buyers who are ready book a paid session. Buyers who are not submit the intake form, which is tagged and routed to a strategy call. Results depend on your offer and audience; no funnel guarantees bookings.
How much does a paid discovery call cost here?
- On this site: Advisory Session (30 min) $250 and Advisory Session (60 min) $400. A Blueprint Review is $750 for 90 minutes, and the Operating Retainer is $2,000+/mo. Prices are fixed and public at /book.
What happens after checkout?
- The calendar opens and you pick your time. Payment comes first, so every slot on the calendar is a booked, paid session.
Can you build this funnel on my site?
- Yes. Booking funnels, CRM, and follow-up systems are part of the work. A build is scoped after a $750 Blueprint Review, or you can start with a $250 30-minute advisory session.
What if a buyer needs more than one session?
- The Operating Retainer covers ongoing operator-level counsel at $2,000+/mo. It starts with a deposit and a conversation instead of instant checkout.