Introduction

An expert call is an excellent opportunity to gain insight for your next project: an hour with someone who has lived the market you’re trying to understand. They’ve sat in the buying meetings, negotiated the contracts and watched strategies succeed or fail.

But getting access to the right expert is only half the job. Two teams can speak to the same expert and walk away with very different results. The difference usually comes down to the questions they asked the expert.

Having reviewed transcripts from over 300 expert calls, we have concluded that they’re often used to confirm what the client already believes.

Our five tips below are based on analyzing over 300 expert call transcripts and interviewing five of our highly valued experts that are commissioned regularly for client work.

1. Let the expert go first

It’s tempting to open a call by explaining your thinking. But the moment you share your own view or numbers (“We think this market is worth $2bn”), you’ve given the conversation an anchor. The expert starts reacting to your figure rather than building their own opinion.

Instead, share the question, not your answer. Give the expert enough context to understand what you’re trying to decide, then ask for their view first: “Before I share our estimate, how big would you say this market is?”

Then compare. If your numbers line up, you’ve gained confidence. If they don’t, ask what’s driving the difference. The gap between your figure and theirs often reveals an assumption you didn’t know you were making.

2. Invite the opposite

Experts want to be helpful, and in a paid conversation, being helpful can quietly turn into being agreeable. If your questions signal what you hope to hear, a polite expert may give you a version of it.

The fix is to make disagreement part of the conversation. Ask the expert to argue against your view: “If you had to challenge my view, what would you say?”

Framing it as a role to play, rather than a criticism of your work, makes it easier for the expert to say what they really think. It gives them permission to disagree, and disagreement is where new information comes from.

3. Challenge your own hypothesis

Inviting the opposite asks the expert to push back. Challenging your hypothesis goes a step further: it breaks your view into the assumptions it depends on and tests each one.

Most strategies and investment cases rest on a handful of things that have to be true. Customers will switch. Pricing will hold. A competitor won’t respond. Put those building blocks in front of the expert: “What would need to be true for this to work? Which part looks weakest to you?”

Or simply: “What are we likely to be getting wrong?” – remember that one weak assumption can undermine a whole thesis.

4. Follow the unexpected insight

A question list keeps a call focused, but it shouldn’t become a script. Some of the most valuable moments arrive unannounced: a passing comment about a supplier, a pause before an answer, a detail that doesn’t fit the story you expected.

When that happens, stop and explore it: “That’s interesting. Can you tell me more about why that happens?”

Leaving your question set can feel uncomfortable when time is short. But the questions you wrote before the call only reflect what you already knew to ask. The unexpected comment is often the thing you didn’t know to ask about. If it matters, add it to the brief for your next call.

5. End with the “so what?”

The final minutes of a call are easy to waste as the conversation drifts toward pleasantries. Yet this is the best moment to ask the expert to step back and give you their overall view.

Make the final question count: “If you were in our position, what would you be most concerned about?” or “What’s the one thing we should take away from this conversation?” Questions like these ask the expert to prioritize, turning a wide-ranging discussion into a takeaway you can act on.

Then ask one more: “What else should I have asked you?” rather than “Anything else?”, which invites a quick “No, I think we covered it.” Asking what you missed assumes there’s more to say and there often is.

Question checklist:

1. “Before I share our view, how do you see it?”

2. “If you had to challenge my view, what would you say?”

3. “What would need to be true for this to work?”

4. “Can you tell me more about why that happens?”

5. “If you were in our position, what would concern you most?”

6. “What else should I have asked you?”

7. “What’s the one thing we should take away from this conversation?”

Conclusion

Accessing an expert is only half the job. The best expert call isn’t necessarily the one that confirms your hypothesis. It’s the one that gives you new information, challenges your assumptions and changes what you do next.

Planning your next expert call? Get in touch to find the right expert for your project.

FAQs

What is an expert call?

An expert call is a conversation with a subject-matter expert who has direct experience in a particular market, industry, company, technology or topic. Expert calls are commonly used to gather firsthand insight, test assumptions and better understand a market or business question.

How do you prepare for an expert call?

Start by defining what you need to learn from the conversation. Prepare a focused set of questions, identify the assumptions you want to test and avoid sharing your own conclusions too early. This gives the expert an opportunity to provide their independent perspective before reacting to yours.

What questions should I ask during an expert call?

Good expert call questions should encourage the expert to explain their experience and challenge your thinking. Examples include: “How do you see it?”, “What would need to be true for this to work?”, “What are we likely to be getting wrong?” and “If you were in our position, what would concern you most?”

How long should an expert call be?

The appropriate length depends on the research objective and the complexity of the topic. A focused expert call can provide substantial insight within an hour, provided the time is used effectively and the questions are prioritized.

What is the difference between an expert call and an expert interview?

The terms are often used interchangeably. Both involve speaking directly with someone who has relevant knowledge or experience. An expert call typically refers to a focused conversation used to gather insight for a specific research, strategy or business question.

How do you avoid confirmation bias during an expert call?

Avoid leading with your own answer or hypothesis. Ask the expert for their perspective first, invite them to challenge your view and explicitly ask what you might be getting wrong. This creates more space for information that contradicts your initial assumptions.

What should I ask an expert at the end of a call?

Use the final few minutes to ask the expert to prioritize their perspective. Useful questions include: “If you were in our position, what would you be most concerned about?”, “What’s the one thing we should take away from this conversation?” and “What else should I have asked you?”

How do I know if an expert call was successful?

A useful expert call should leave you with information that helps you understand the market, test an assumption or decide what to do next. The value is not necessarily in confirming your existing hypothesis. It can be in identifying a new perspective, challenging an assumption or uncovering something you did not know to ask about.