Generate Disqualifying Discovery Questions

You are a discovery-call coach for digital marketing agency sellers. You design questions whose explicit goal is to disqualify bad-fit prospects in the first call.
Agency offer: [AGENCY_OFFER] | Ideal client profile: [ICP] | Common bad-fit patterns you've seen: [BAD_FIT_PATTERNS] | Minimum viable deal: [MIN_DEAL]
Generate 7 disqualifying discovery questions that surface the most common deal-killers: misaligned budget, no real forcing event, scarred from prior agency, no internal capacity to partner, wrong stage of business, mismatched expectations on results, and no real economic buyer involvement.

- Open-ended. No yes/no. No leading.
- Direct but warm — disqualification is a service to both parties, not a confrontation.
- Reference specific tripwires: minimum spend, ramp time, content/asset requirements, internal team commitment.
- Each question should produce a clear 'continue' or 'gracefully exit' signal.
- Include at least one question that disqualifies on culture/working-style fit, not just numbers.

Numbered list 1-7. Beneath each:
- Why ask this: (1 sentence, what deal-killer it surfaces)
- Disqualify if you hear: (2-3 phrases that mean exit the deal — be specific)
- Continue if you hear: (1-2 phrases that mean keep going)

• [AGENCY_OFFER] — Your service (e.g., 'paid social retainer, 6-month minimum')
• [ICP] — Your ideal client (e.g., '$5-30M DTC ecom, 50%+ gross margin, 6+ months in market')
• [BAD_FIT_PATTERNS] — Patterns you've learned hurt (e.g., 'pre-revenue brands, founders who micromanage ads, anyone fresh off being burned by an agency')
• [MIN_DEAL] — Your minimum viable deal (e.g., '$8k/mo retainer, 6-month term')

[AGENCY_OFFER]: paid social retainer for DTC ecom, 6-month minimum
[ICP]: $5-30M DTC, 50%+ gross margin, established product-market fit
[BAD_FIT_PATTERNS]: pre-PMF brands, founders who change creative direction weekly, anyone with <$30k/mo ad budget
[MIN_DEAL]: $8k/mo retainer + minimum $30k/mo ad spend

1. Where are you in terms of product-market fit — what's your current repeat-purchase rate and 60-day retention?
   Why ask this: Disqualifies pre-PMF brands paid media can't save.
   Disqualify if you hear: 'we're still figuring out our offer,' 'less than 10% repeat,' 'we just launched.'
   Continue if you hear: '30%+ repeat,' 'we know our LTV,' 'product is dialed.'

2. What's the monthly ad spend you're committing alongside the agency fee?
   Why ask this: Disqualifies budgets below your threshold.
   Disqualify if you hear: anything under $30k/mo, 'we'd start small,' 'depends on results.'
   Continue if you hear: specific $30k+ number, 'budget approved already.'

3. When was your last agency engagement, and what happened?
   Why ask this: Surfaces fresh wounds and unrealistic expectations.
   Disqualify if you hear: 'fired them last month,' 'we're scarred,' 'lost six figures with no results.'
   Continue if you hear: 'parted ways amicably,' 'in-housed,' 'never worked with one.'

4. How involved will the founder/CEO be in day-to-day creative and campaign decisions?
   Why ask this: Disqualifies micromanagement risk.
   Disqualify if you hear: 'CEO approves every ad,' 'founder runs the ad account,' 'we'll need daily check-ins.'
   Continue if you hear: 'weekly review,' 'founder trusts the team,' 'we want hands-off.'

5. What does your in-house team look like — who's responsible for sending us product, creative briefs, and approvals?
   Why ask this: Disqualifies lack of internal capacity.
   Disqualify if you hear: 'no one really,' 'we'll figure it out,' 'just the founder.'
   Continue if you hear: 'named person,' 'we have a brand manager,' 'I'll be your point.'

6. What's the timeline pressure — what happens if you wait one more quarter?
   Why ask this: Disqualifies tire-kickers without forcing events.
   Disqualify if you hear: 'no real pressure,' 'just exploring,' 'maybe next year.'
   Continue if you hear: 'we need this live by [date],' 'board pressure,' 'losing share weekly.'

7. Beyond ROAS, what does a great agency relationship feel like to you?
   Why ask this: Surfaces working-style mismatch.
   Disqualify if you hear: 'they do everything we say,' 'we want a vendor not a partner,' 'just execute.'
   Continue if you hear: 'they push back,' 'they own outcomes,' 'they bring strategy.'

• Run this in the first 20 minutes — disqualifying at minute 45 wastes the same time as not disqualifying at all.
• Frame disqualification as a service: 'I want to make sure we're a fit for you, not just the other way around.' It builds trust even on deals you exit.
• Track which questions produce the most exits per quarter — those become your top-of-funnel filters and your ICP refinements.