Ask what they need to understand first.
Start with the app, priority market, business objective and current concern. A useful discovery conversation should expose missing context before recommending a package. Ask which evidence would change the proposed starting point.
If the recommendation never changes with the problem, investigate whether you are buying a standard deliverable or a diagnosis. Neither label substitutes for a clear explanation of why the work fits your app.
Ask to see the shape of the output.
Request a description or appropriately shareable example of the deliverable. For an audit, ask how findings separate observations, interpretations and actions. For keyword research, ask how product relevance is documented.
You do not need another client’s confidential data. A fictional example can demonstrate the method. Use proposal evaluation to connect the promised output to an acceptance criterion.
Ask who does and approves the work.
Name the researcher, strategist, designer, reviewer and publisher where relevant. Clarify whether the person in the sales call is involved in the delivery and who handles questions after the handoff.
The consultant versus agency guide helps examine responsibilities without assuming that a company label guarantees a particular staffing arrangement.
Ask how priorities and results are evaluated.
A long recommendation list is not a sequence of decisions. Ask how importance, confidence, dependencies and available evidence affect the order. Then ask how the provider will distinguish completed work from measured outcomes.
Use reporting guidance to inspect the proposed review. No provider controls every influence on visibility, audience mix or product performance.
Ask what is excluded and what happens next.
Confirm revision rounds, access needs, implementation responsibilities and the end of the engagement. Ask what would trigger a scope change and how that change would be agreed.
Put the answers in the proposal rather than relying on a reassuring call. Prepare your own context with the project brief guide so both sides are evaluating the same work.
