Sales Bridge

Sales Bridge — Scoping Call · Qualification · Retainer Proposal

The conversion layer from “free scorecard / paid audit” to “₱500k+ retainer.”

Purpose: Asset 1’s sales page gets them to the door. This asset gets them through it — and through the next door (the retainer). It covers the three missing pieces: (1) the scoping call that qualifies and closes the audit, (2) the qualification criteria so you don’t waste time, (3) the retainer proposal that converts a $3K audit into a ₱500k+ engagement.

PART A — THE SCOPING CALL (15–20 minutes)

When this call happens

Path 1 (free → paid): a scorecard respondent books a “free 15-min scoping call” from the results page or sales page.
Path 2 (direct → paid): a referral or direct visitor books the same call from the sales page CTA.

The call’s only job: qualify them, demonstrate expertise, and either close the audit or gracefully decline. It is NOT a free consultation.

Pre-call (you, 5 min)

Review their ScoreApp result (if they took it): score, band, binding constraints.
Skim their website / LinkedIn.
Note their role and company size.
Have the SOW + payment link ready in a tab.

The script

1. Opening & frame (2 min)

“Thanks for the time, [NAME]. I want to be respectful of the 15 minutes — here’s how I’d suggest we use it. You tell me a bit about where you are with AI and what’s prompting this now. I’ll ask a couple of pointed questions to see if an audit is actually the right next step for you. If it is, I’ll tell you exactly what the audit would look like and you can decide. If it’s not — if you’re too early, or you need something else — I’ll tell you that too. Sound good?”

Why this works: it frames you as an expert gatekeeper, not a salesperson. Permission-based. Sets up the “honest broker” positioning.

2. Discovery questions (7–8 min) — listen more than you talk Ask 3–4 of these, follow the energy:

“What made you book this call now — not last quarter, not next year?”
“When you think about AI in your business over the next 12 months, what’s the one thing that would make this a success?”
“Has anyone on your team tried using AI tools yet? What happened?”
“If I handed you a perfect roadmap tomorrow, who on your team would actually run with it?”
“What’s the cost of doing nothing for another 6 months — in your gut?”

Listen for: specific pain, a budget signal, an internal champion, a deadline/event (board meeting, funding, competitor move). These are your qualification signals.

3. The diagnostic reflex (3 min) — demonstrate expertise, don’t consult Reference their scorecard if they took it:

“Your scorecard put you at [X]/100, with [binding constraint] as your weakest link. That’s actually the most common pattern I see for [their company size/stage] — and it’s good news, because it means the biggest wins are usually hiding right there. The audit would tell us exactly which 15–20 opportunities are worth it and rank them by ROI.”

Why this works: you’ve just shown them you already understand their situation in 30 seconds. That’s the expertise demonstration. Don’t solve their problem for free — point to where the answer lives.

4. The offer & close (4 min)

“Based on what you’ve told me, I think an audit makes sense here. Here’s what it looks like: [Snapshot/Opportunity/Deep Dive], $[PRICE], delivered in [7/14/21] days. You get the scorecard, a ranked opportunity matrix, a 90-day roadmap, an ROI projection, a walkthrough video, and a debrief call with me. The fee credits 100% if you proceed to a build or retainer. I take 4 audits a month, and I have [X] slots left this month.”

Then silence. Let them respond.

If yes:

“Great. I’ll send the engagement letter and the intake right after this call. Once those are done and your interview’s booked, the clock starts. [Payment link / invoice per SOW terms.]”

If hesitation / “let me think”:

“Totally fair. What’s the one thing you’re unsure about?” (handle the specific objection — see objection bank below) “I’ll send you a one-pager recap. The slot holds for 48 hours, then I open it up. No pressure either way.”

If not a fit (too early, no budget, wrong stage):

“Honestly, I don’t think an audit is the right move for you right now — you’d be better served by [X: hiring an operator first / starting with a $20/mo tool / waiting until your data’s cleaner]. I’d rather tell you that than take your money. Can I check back in 6 months?”

Why declining deals matters: it builds enormous credibility, generates referrals (“he told me not to buy”), and protects your deliverable quality. A bad client at $3K costs you more than an empty slot.

Post-call (5 min, automated where possible)

If closed: n8n/GHL sends the SOW + invoice + welcome packet automatically (triggered by you moving them to “Won” in GHL).
If pending: send the one-pager recap + hold-slot email.
If declined: send a warm “not now” email + tag for 6-month follow-up.
Log the outcome in GHL.

PART B — QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

Don’t take every call to close. Filter hard. A bad audit client gives you a bad case study and wastes your limited slots.

The 5 qualification signals (aim for 3+)

Signal	What it looks like	Why it matters
1. Specific pain	Names a concrete friction (“my ops team spends 20 hrs/week on X”)	Grounds the audit in reality, not curiosity
2. Budget signal	Mentions money, “what’s this run,” “we’ve budgeted for AI”	They can pay without flinching
3. Internal champion	A named person who’ll own implementation	The audit will actually get used
4. Trigger event	Board meeting, funding round, competitor move, new hire	Urgency that overcomes inertia
5. Data & process maturity	Has systems with data, documented (even messy) processes	There’s something to audit

Disqualifiers (politely decline or redirect)

“We just want to understand what AI is” → too early. Point them to free resources, revisit in 6 months.
No team / solo founder with zero revenue → can’t implement. Decline warmly.
Wants a specific tool built, not an audit → quote a build engagement, or refer out.
“We need a guarantee of $X ROI” → manage expectations; if they insist, decline (your SOW disclaims ROI guarantees).
Price resistance on $1,500 Snapshot → not your client yet. Don’t discount.

The budget conversation

If they ask price first (they often do):

“The Snapshot is $1,500, the full Opportunity Audit is $3,000, the Deep Dive is $5,000. Most clients in your situation land on the Opportunity Audit. But let’s first figure out if an audit is even the right step — tell me a bit about what’s going on.”

Naming price early, then pivoting to qualification, filters tire-kickers without seeming evasive. Transparent pricing is a feature (MLDeep).

Snapshot ($1,500): single process, owner wants a fast read, limited budget. Lower conversion to retainer.
Opportunity Audit ($3,000): the default. Teams 11–200, want to prioritize within 90 days. Best retainer conversion.
Deep Dive ($5,000): leadership teams, pre-board, multi-department, or about to hire a CAIO. Highest retainer conversion.

Push toward Opportunity Audit unless there’s a clear reason for another tier.

PART C — OBJECTION BANK

Objection	Response
“It’s expensive.”	“Compared to what? A single bad AI tool purchase costs more. The audit’s job is to save you from the $30K mistake, not add to the bill. And the fee credits to any build.”
“Can you do it cheaper?”	“The Snapshot at $1,500 is the entry point — same methodology, narrower scope. I don’t discount the core work; I’d rather add value. If $1,500 is still a stretch, you might not be ready for an audit yet, and that’s okay.”
“We have an IT team — can’t they do this?”	“They can, and they should review it. But internal teams have blind spots and political constraints — an external, binding-constraint analysis gives leadership a map the team will actually respect. That’s why your IT team will thank you for commissioning it.”
“What if you find nothing?”	“Then you don’t pay. It’s in the engagement letter. Hasn’t happened, but it’s the deal.”
“We need to think about it.”	“Of course. What’s the one thing you’re unsure about? … The slot holds 48 hours, then I open it up.”
“Can you just tell me one quick thing now?”	(smile) “That’s what the audit is for. I’d be doing you a disservice guessing in 30 seconds. Let’s get the data first.”
“We want a guarantee of ROI.”	“I can’t guarantee financial results — no one honestly can. What I guarantee is a rigorous, evidence-based roadmap and a full refund if we find nothing worth doing. The ROI projection is conservative and shows the math.”
“We’re already working with [Big 4 / McKinsey].”	“Great — this complements that. I ship AI in production at a fraction of the cost, and you get a roadmap you’ll actually use rather than a 200-slide deck. Many clients use me as the implementation layer under their strategy consultants.”

PART D — THE RETAINER PROPOSAL (audit → ₱500k+ engagement)

This is the real business. The audit is the diagnostic; the retainer is the treatment. Pitch it at the debrief call, not before — you’ve earned the right by delivering value first.

When to pitch

At the debrief call, after walking through the roadmap, when they’re most excited and the opportunities are concrete. Plant the seed earlier (“the fee credits to a build”), close it here.

The debrief-to-retainer transition (script)

“So that’s the audit. Any questions on the roadmap? …

Here’s the honest situation: you’ve got [15–20] ranked opportunities and a 90-day plan. The question is who runs it. You have three options:

1. Your team runs it. Take the roadmap, hand it to your ops/tech lead, execute. Totally valid. The audit’s done its job.

2. I build your top quick wins. A focused 4–6 week sprint — I implement the 2–3 highest-ROI items from the matrix. Your audit fee credits against it. Fixed scope, fixed price.

3. I come on as your fractional Chief AI Officer. Ongoing — I own the AI roadmap across your business, on a monthly cadence, for as long as it makes sense. Your audit fee credits 100%. This is what I do for [reference: LMS, a 47-year-old company where I’m running 7 parallel AI systems].

What feels right to you?“

Then listen. Don’t oversell. The roadmap speaks for itself.

Retainer packages (3 tiers — mirror your audit structure)

Retainer	Price (USD/month)	What’s included	Target client
Fractional CAIO — Starter	~$4,000/mo (₱230k)	1 weekly call, roadmap execution oversight, 1 active AI build at a time, priority email	SMB owner testing the model
Fractional CAIO — Standard	~$8,000/mo (₱460k)	2 calls/wk, 2–3 parallel builds, team enablement, monthly exec report, on-call	Teams 20–200 scaling AI
Fractional CAIO — Deep	~$12,000–15,000/mo (₱700k+)	Embedded: 3+ builds, governance, vendor mgmt, board reporting, change mgmt	Leadership teams / pre-funding

Price in USD for international clients, PHP for PH (LMS-style: ₱500k base + ₱200k performance). Match your LMS engagement structure.

The proposal template (1-page, send after the debrief)

FRACTIONAL CAIO ENGAGEMENT — PROPOSAL

Prepared for: [CLIENT], [DATE] Based on: AI Opportunity Audit, [engagement ID] Audit fee credit: $[AUDIT_FEE] credited against first invoice.

The opportunity: Your audit identified [N] opportunities totaling an estimated $[ROI_24MO] in 24-month savings. Your binding constraints are [BC1] and [BC2]. This proposal addresses executing against that roadmap.

What you get (Standard retainer):

Bi-weekly strategy calls (recorded, with action notes)
2–3 parallel AI builds, managed end-to-end
Team enablement: monthly AI literacy session for your staff
Monthly executive report: progress, ROI realized, next 30 days
Priority async access (Slack/WhatsApp/email)
Vendor & tooling selection, negotiation support
Governance and data-privacy oversight

Your investment: $8,000/month, 3-month minimum, then month-to-month. Audit credit: -$3,000 on invoice 1. Effective first quarter: $21,000 (3 months, less credit).

What’s out of scope (quoted separately):

Custom software development beyond configured builds
Paid media / advertising spend
Third-party tool licenses
Data migration / engineering beyond audit recommendations

Performance option: Add a performance bonus of [X]% of realized savings, capped at $[Y]/quarter, for aligned incentives.

Next step: Sign the attached engagement letter + first invoice. Kickoff within 7 days.

About Dwad Lane: [1-paragraph bio — fractional CAIO, Claude-first stack, shipped AI in production for LMS and others.]

Retainer conversion tactics

Always credit the audit fee — it’s the psychological bridge (“the audit was basically free”).
Offer a 3-month minimum — enough to show real results, short enough to feel low-risk. Converts to long-term 70%+ of the time if you deliver.
Performance option — for price-sensitive clients, offer a lower base + % of realized savings. Aligns incentives and can earn more.
Pilot down-sell — if retainer feels too big, offer the “implementation sprint” (build top 2–3 quick wins, fixed scope, $8–15k). It’s a stepping stone to retainer.
Reference your LMS engagement — “this is exactly the model I run for [LMS]: ₱500k base + performance bonus. Same structure, sized for you.”

Retainer objection handling

Objection	Response
“We can’t afford $8K/mo.”	“Then let’s do the implementation sprint — fixed scope, $8–15K one-time, build your top 2 quick wins. Prove the ROI, then revisit the retainer.”
“We need to see results first.”	“That’s exactly what the audit + sprint gives you. The retainer is for once you’ve seen it work and want to scale.”
“Can you do it cheaper / fewer hours?”	“The Starter at $4K/mo is the floor — below that I can’t give the engagement the attention it needs. I’d rather tell you that than underdeliver.”
“We’ll revisit next quarter.”	“Happy to hold a plan. The audit fee credit expires in 90 days, so keep that in mind. What would need to be true by next quarter to make this a yes?”

PART E — THE FULL FUNNEL (how it all connects)

ScoreApp (free, 0–100 score)
   │
   ├─ Hot lead (40–79) → personal outreach → scoping call
   │
   └─ All respondents → GHL nurture (4 emails) → sales page

SCOPING CALL (15–20 min)
   │
   ├─ Qualified → close audit (SOW + invoice + welcome packet)
   ├─ Pending → 48h hold, recap email
   └─ Not a fit → warm decline, 6-mo follow-up

AUDIT DELIVERY (7/14/21 days)
   │
   └─ DEBRIEF CALL → pitch retainer / implementation sprint
        │
        ├─ Yes → retainer proposal (audit fee credited)
        ├─ Sprint yes → fixed-scope build proposal
        └─ DIY → nurture, referral prompt, 90-day re-engagement

Target conversion benchmarks (yours to beat):

Scorecard → scoping call: 5–10%
Scoping call → paid audit: 30–40%
Audit → retainer/sprint: 25–40%
Audit → referral given: 30%+

At those rates: 100 scorecard responses → ~7 scoping calls → ~3 audits → ~1 retainer. That’s the machine.

BUILD NOTES

Calendly/GHL booking: the scoping call link should ask 2 pre-call questions (“What’s prompting this now?” + company size) so you can pre-qualify before the call.
Proposal automation: store the retainer proposal as a GHL email template + a Framer/Notion page template; fill merge tags from Supabase audit data so it’s personalized in 5 minutes.
Track everything: scorecard completion, scoping call show rate, audit close rate, retainer close rate. Review monthly. Where the funnel leaks, fix that stage.
The one-page proposal is sacred. Executives don’t read 20-page proposals. One page, specific numbers, clear next step.