This article is part of the WorkflowMaps Certified Strategist course.
The 90-minute discovery session is the core delivery format for WorkflowMaps. You sit with a client (in person or on a video call), share your screen with WorkflowMaps open, build the map together in real time, and run the FixFlow report immediately afterwards. Done well, the session almost always creates a clear path to paid work.
WHY 90 MINUTES
60 minutes is too short. You will only scratch the surface of the workflow and run out of time before you reach the cost and time data.
120 minutes is too long. Attention fades, the conversation starts going in circles, and both you and the client lose energy.
90 minutes is the right amount of time to map a complete workflow, add time and cost data, and wrap up professionally with a clear next step.
BEFORE THE SESSION
Have WorkflowMaps open with a blank canvas ready.
Test your screen share before the call so only WorkflowMaps is visible. Close email, notes, other browser tabs, and anything else you do not want the client to see. A clean screen with only the map visible looks professional and keeps the client focused.
Know all seven step types without hesitation. You should be able to select the right one immediately without pausing to think. Hesitation breaks the conversational flow.
Decide which workflow to map. If you are not sure, start with the client's customer-to-conversion process. This is where the most money lives and where the clearest ROI opportunities are found.
THE FOUR PHASES
Phase 1: Welcome and Set-Up (minutes 0 to 10)
Thank the client and set expectations for the session. Explain the format:
"As you talk, I will be building a visual map on screen. My job is to listen and capture. Your job is to walk me through how things actually work."
"Afterwards, I will run this through our analysis tool and send you a short video with my recommendations. You will have it within 48 to 72 hours."
Share your screen with WorkflowMaps open. Create a new workflow and name it. Ask the client to confirm the name is right.
Phase 2: Build the Map (minutes 10 to 70)
This is the bulk of the session. The client talks. You map.
Start with the trigger: "What kicks off this process?" Set it as Manual or Event based on their answer.
Then keep asking: "What happens next?" Add each answer as a step. Choose the right step type. Repeat until you reach the end of the process.
Narrate as you build: "So I am adding this as a Manual Task, and I am noting that Sarah does this using HubSpot." Narrating keeps the client engaged, gives them a chance to correct anything, and shows them the map is being built in real time.
Do not diagnose. Do not suggest solutions. Do not say "that seems inefficient" or "you could automate that". Your job in this phase is to capture what exists, not to evaluate it. The FixFlow report does the analysis. You do the listening.
Phase 3: Add Time and Cost (minutes 70 to 85)
Go back through the completed map from the beginning. For each step, ask:
"How long does this step typically take?"
"What does this step cost? What would you pay someone to do this?"
Work through every step systematically. Accept estimates. If a client is unsure, offer a range: "Would you say it is closer to 10 minutes or 30 minutes?" Something is always better than nothing, and FixFlow will flag missing data.
Do not linger on any one step. Keep moving.
Phase 4: Wrap Up (minutes 85 to 90)
Scroll back through the full map: "Here is what we have captured today..."
Explain next steps: "I am going to run this through our analysis tool now and put together a short video with my recommendations. You will have it in 48 to 72 hours."
End the call professionally. Do not pitch solutions on the call. Solutions come in the video proposal, backed by the report. If you pitch now, you are guessing. If you pitch in the video, you have data.
THE GOLDEN RULES
They talk, you map. Aim for 80% the client talking, 20% you. The less you say, the more they reveal.
Build first, quantify second. Map the complete workflow before touching time and cost.
Never pitch on the call. Solutions come in the video proposal.
WHAT THE CLIENT EXPERIENCES
When you build the map in front of them, clients often say things like:
"Oh, I did not realise it was that complicated."
"No wonder things keep falling through the cracks."
"I cannot believe we have been doing it this way."
The map sells the project. You do not have to convince them of anything. Seeing their own process as a visual often creates a moment of genuine realisation that no amount of consulting language can replicate.
CHARGING FOR THE SESSION
You can charge for the discovery session as a standalone service (typically £100 to £250 or equivalent) or offer it as a free diagnostic knowing you will recoup it through the project or retainer that follows. Either approach works. Charging for it signals that the session itself has professional value, which it does.