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How to Choose a Software Development Partner: The First-Call Test

How to Choose a Software Development Partner: The First-Call Test
Published

12 Oct 2026

Author
Akash Shakya

Akash Shakya

How to Choose a Software Development Partner: The First-Call Test
5:07
 
Table of Contents

Most first calls with a software partner take an hour and leave you knowing little more than when you started. Here's a simple standard you can hold any first call to, ours included. Use it on the next one, and that hour starts paying you back. 

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Why we wrote this

We wrote this because of something buyers tell us once they've spoken to a few software companies. The calls were friendly and professional, yet they found it hard to name one thing they'd taken away. So the choice of partner ends up resting on who presented best, which says little about who will do the work well.
 
We'd rather buyers expected more from a first call and knew exactly what to ask for. That holds us to the same standard, which is the point. This is for anyone weighing up partners for work that matters, whether or not we end up on your list.
 
 

30 minutes and a brochure

You blocked out the time on Thursday. You explained the problem twice, once to the salesperson and once to someone who joined late. Then you heard about the company's history, its awards and a project for a bank you'd never heard of.

The call ended on time and everyone was friendly. Afterwards you opened your notes and found almost nothing new. A brochure arrived an hour later, with three suggested times for "a deeper session".
 
When your manager asked what you'd learned, you summed it up in one sentence. It was the sentence you'd walked in with.
 

The short answer: A good first call leaves you clearer about your own problem, even if you never sign. You should leave with a sharper problem definition, an honest view on fit, the main risks named, the factors that drive effort and cost, and one clear next step. Fewer than three means it was a pitch. 

Why most first calls feel like a pitch

Most first calls are built to sell the second call. The safe move for the vendor is to impress you and say nothing unwelcome. That's why so many calls are long on credentials and short on questions.

The cost lands on you. You give up an hour, your problem is no clearer, and every comparison call starts from zero.
 
Here's what vendors rarely say: the most useful thing a first call can give you is sometimes a reason not to go ahead. NSW's principles of industry engagement say "the best way to be an informed buyer is to target your industry engagement effectively from the beginning". A call that only says yes doesn't do that.
 

Ours is a sales call too. We'd like your business, and we won't pretend otherwise. The standard we hold ourselves to is that it must still be useful if you never speak to us again. 

Five things a good first call gives you

1. A sharper problem definition

You arrive with a symptom. A good call turns it into a problem you can act on, by asking what happens today, who it affects and what it costs. 

  • What it looks like: more questions than slides, and follow-ups that build on your answers.

  • What good looks like: you could rewrite your brief afterwards, and it would be shorter and more specific. 

2. An honest view on fit, including "not us"

A partner who has understood you can tell you where they're a poor fit. One who can't name a single reason hasn't listened yet.

  • What it looks like: a direct comment such as "this part suits a packaged product" or "you need a specialist here".

  • What good looks like: you hear at least one thing they'd do differently from what you asked.

3. The main risks, named early

A good call names what could go wrong while it's still cheap to plan for. 

  • What it looks like: questions about your data, integrations, compliance obligations and who else has to approve.
  • What good looks like: two or three risks, each framed as something to check, not something to fear.

For security, the Australian Cyber Security Centre publishes questions to ask managed service providers. Several apply to any partner who will touch your systems. 

4. The drivers of effort and cost

It's too early for a reliable price, and anyone who offers one hasn't seen enough. What you can get is the list of things that will move it up or down.

  • What it looks like: "this gets bigger if the legacy system has no documentation".

  • What good looks like: you could explain to your finance lead why an estimate might land high or low.

5. One clear next step, without pressure

The call should end with one sensible option and room to say no. That might be a short scoping exercise, a document to read, or nothing at all.

  • What it looks like: "here's what we'd suggest, take your time".

  • What good looks like: you know exactly what would happen next, and that you can stop there.

When to be wary, or skip the call

Four patterns say the call is built for the vendor, not for you: 

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Price before understanding

A number in the first ten minutes is a guess dressed as an answer.
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A demo before questions

They're showing what they have, not finding out what you need.
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More talking than asking

If you spoke for less than half the call, they learned little about you.
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A contract pushed early

A discount that expires on Friday is about their quarter, not your project.
 

Sometimes you don't need the call at all. If you already have a tight specification and only need a quote, or the job is small and low-risk, a written request is faster for everyone. 

What our first call covers

Here's how our own first call maps to the five. It's the standard we'd ask you to judge us against. 

The standard
What we do on the call
Sharper problem
Ask what happens today, who it affects and what it costs, before discussing any solution
Honest fit
Say where we fit, where we don't, and when a simpler option or another provider makes more sense
Risks named
Name the two or three risks we'd check first, such as data access, integrations or compliance
Effort and cost drivers
List what would make the work bigger or smaller, without guessing at a price
One next step
Suggest one next step, or none, and leave the decision with you

Each item is a question we'd have to answer for ourselves before we could quote honestly. Answering it with you on the call means you leave with the answers too.

What drives the scale of the work

Raise these on the call. They set the scale of the work more than anything else: 

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Systems and data involved

One system is quicker than six, and direct access beats exports by email.
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Compliance and data sensitivity

Health, financial and personal data need more review and tighter controls.
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The state of what exists

An undocumented system takes longer to change than a well-kept one.
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How fixed the deadline is

A hard date narrows the options and shapes the team.

How we prepare

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EB Pearls Approach

Before the call, we read what you've sent and decide which questions matter most. We also consider where the work might sit within NEXUS, our way of working that pairs machine intelligence with human expertise.
 
That might be Foundation, Studio, or Sustain for a system that's already running. It might be none of them, and we'll say so.
 

Three things to bring

Answer these before your next call, with anyone:
 
  1. Can you describe the problem in two sentences, including what it costs you today?
  2. Do you know which systems and data it touches?
  3. Do you know who else has to say yes?

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a written brief before the call?

No. A few sentences on the problem and what it costs you today is enough. A good call should help you write a better brief, so don't spend days on one beforehand.

What is a discovery call with a software company?

A discovery call is a first conversation where a software company learns about your problem before proposing anything. A useful one gives you a sharper problem definition, an honest view on fit, the main risks, the drivers of effort and cost, and one clear next step. If it is mostly slides about the company, it is a pitch, not discovery.

What questions should I ask a software development company on the first call?

Ask where they would be a poor fit, which risks they would check first, and what would make the work bigger or smaller. Then ask who would actually do the work and what they suggest as a next step. Vague answers to these tell you more than a polished presentation does.

How do I choose a software development partner?

Judge partners on how well they understand your problem, not on how impressive they sound. Compare who asked better questions, who was honest about fit and risk, and who explained what drives cost without guessing a price. The partner who leaves you clearer about your own problem is usually the safer choice.

Why won't a software company give me a price on the first call?

Because a reliable price depends on details a first call rarely uncovers in full. The main drivers are how many systems and data sources are involved, how sensitive the data is, the state of what already exists and how fixed the deadline is. A number offered before those are understood is a guess.

How long should a first call with a software company take?

Long enough to cover your problem, fit, risks, cost drivers and a next step, and no longer. The balance of the conversation matters more than its length. If you spent most of it listening to the vendor talk about themselves, it ran long for the wrong reasons.

Should I talk to more than one software company?

Yes, if the work is significant, because comparing calls shows you who understood the problem best. Use the same five things as a scorecard for every call, so you compare understanding rather than presentation. For a small job with a tight specification, a written quote request may be all you need.

Who should join the first call?

Ideally, someone who would actually work on your project, not only a salesperson. Ask the vendor beforehand who will be on the call, because questions about risk and effort are best answered by the people who would carry them.

Will I be sold to?

Yes, it is a sales call, and we won't pretend otherwise. But a good first call should still leave you with something useful: a clearer problem, the main risks and one next step you're free to ignore.
 
 
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