One dominant benefit stream per build. Pick the engine that fits, never stack streams.
the task being replaced
what the employee or owner is doing by hand right now
what you'd search on a job board
shorter of their claim vs what you watched
from system counts, not memory
the leak being plugged
the opportunities currently going to competitors
calls, leads, or follow-ups lost
lowest defensible of the three sources
of the ones they actually answer
gets labeled on the math page the client approves
counted scope — points × $50
line itemcountpts/unitmessysubtotal
running total
0 pts
$0
count what's on the screen share. never estimate hours. messy = ×1.5 on that line only.
build complexity
One trigger, one or two tools, a clear flow. Something comes in, the system handles it, you find out it happened.
agent builds start at medium minimum — llm systems carry drift risk
$0
/hr
—
—
recommended build price
$0
one-time
—
what the client hears