Master Playbook v2
The AI Opportunity Audit — Master Playbook v2
Section titled “The AI Opportunity Audit — Master Playbook v2”Integrated edition: all upgrades baked in. Your single source of truth. Supersedes the scattered patches across Assets 1–11.
Section titled “Integrated edition: all upgrades baked in. Your single source of truth. Supersedes the scattered patches across Assets 1–11.”What changed in v2:
- Corey Ganim’s 5-question scoping framework + AOA methodology integrated
- The $1,500/mo AI Concierge down-sell tier added
- The 4-pass data audit sharpens Dimension 2
- 3 Claude follow-up skills extend the n8n pipeline
- Mark Kashef’s “earned through organization” framing on the sales page
- The explicit value ladder (Nate Herk)
- NEW: a full value-engineering section on how to charge $3K → $50K+
PART 1 — THE OFFER & VALUE LADDER
Section titled “PART 1 — THE OFFER & VALUE LADDER”1.1 The explicit value ladder (name your rungs)
Section titled “1.1 The explicit value ladder (name your rungs)”Borrowed from Nate Herk and Liam Ottley. Show clients the path — the audit is Rung 2, not the destination.
| Rung | Offer | Price | Job |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Free AI Readiness Score (scorecard) | $0 | Capture leads, seed the viral loop |
| 1 | Free 15-min mini-assessment call | $0 | Qualify, find the one bottleneck |
| 2 | AI Opportunity Audit (paid) | $3K–$5K | Diagnose, rank, roadmap |
| 3 | Implementation sprint | $8K–$15K | Build the top 2–3 quick wins |
| 4a | AI Concierge retainer (down-sell) | $1,500–$2K/mo | Done-with-you, 2 calls + Voxer + Notion hub |
| 4b | Fractional CAIO retainer | $5K–$15K/mo | Done-for-you, own the AI roadmap |
| 5 | Transformation / dev deal | $50K–$250K+ | Org-wide AI build-out |
Price the audit at ~10× the first-year savings you expect to find. If you project $30K/yr savings, a $3K audit is 10×. Defensible and value-based. This is the core pricing logic.
1.2 The three audit tiers (graduated)
Section titled “1.2 The three audit tiers (graduated)”| Tier | Launch price | Graduate-to | What’s different at the higher price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snapshot | $1,500 | $2,500 | Add a 2nd interview, governance mini-review |
| Opportunity Audit | $3,000 | $5,000 | Add board-ready 1-pager, 4th interview, ROI money slide |
| Deep Dive | $5,000 | $7,500–$10,000 | Add full compliance audit (GDPR/PDPL/NIST), board deck |
Start at the launch prices. After 5–10 audits + 2 case studies, move to the graduate prices. Western markets (AU/EU/UAE) absorb $5K–$10K without friction.
PART 2 — THE SCOPING CALL (upgraded)
Section titled “PART 2 — THE SCOPING CALL (upgraded)”2.1 The Corey Ganim 5-question framework (replaces generic discovery)
Section titled “2.1 The Corey Ganim 5-question framework (replaces generic discovery)”This is the upgrade. Corey converts 30–50% of free mini-assessments into $999 paid work with these exact questions. Use them in every scoping call.
The lens (memorize): One bottleneck. One tool. One upsell.
The 3 ROI levers — let the client pick which matters most, then weight everything toward it:
- Effectiveness (more revenue)
- Efficiency (hours back)
- Quality (happier customers)
The 5 questions (verbatim)
Section titled “The 5 questions (verbatim)”1. The forking question — routes the conversation to their actual business model and which lever they care about.
2. The repetition question — “What’s the task you or your team does over and over, every day or week, that you wish you didn’t?” (Surfaces high-frequency tasks = automation candidates.)
3. The friction question — “Where’s the friction — the thing that’s slow, painful, or keeps breaking?” (Surfaces high-friction tasks = pain points.)
4. The ROI anchor question — “If that friction disappeared, what would it be worth — in hours, in money, in customers?” (Quantifies the value. This is your ROI hook for the whole audit.)
5. The magic wand question — “If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing in your business, what would it be?” (Reveals their real priority, which may differ from what they said before.)
How to pick the bottleneck
Section titled “How to pick the bottleneck”Find the task at the intersection of high frequency AND high friction. That’s your one bottleneck — the highest-leverage thing to fix. This becomes the anchor of your audit and the proof you know their business.
The close
Section titled “The close”At the end of call 1, book the follow-up. In call 2 (or the paid audit), bring: (1) the one bottleneck named specifically, (2) the one tool/skill that solves it, (3) the ROI projection tied to the lever they picked.
2.2 The rest of the scoping call structure
Section titled “2.2 The rest of the scoping call structure”Use the opening, diagnostic reflex, offer, and objection handling from Asset 9 Part B — they still apply. Just swap the discovery questions for the 5 above.
PART 3 — THE AUDIT INTERVIEW (upgraded with AOA)
Section titled “PART 3 — THE AUDIT INTERVIEW (upgraded with AOA)”3.1 Open the use-case inventory with AOA framing
Section titled “3.1 Open the use-case inventory with AOA framing”Borrowed from Corey Ganim. Say this before you start mapping their tasks:
“Quick note on how I work: I’m not going to automate a broken process — that just makes the inefficiency run faster. We’ll audit how you do it today, optimize it (your 12 steps are probably 7), then automate what’s left. So when I ask you to walk me through a task, I want the full, ugly, manual version — not the cleaned-up one.”
This sets expectations, positions you as a professional, and prevents scope creep into “just automate everything.”
3.2 The interview questions stay the same
Section titled “3.2 The interview questions stay the same”Use the full 60-min interview script from Asset 9 Part D — the 24 dimension questions + the use-case inventory. They’re universal and rigorous. The AOA framing above is the upgrade.
3.3 The 5 workflows to audit first (if they don’t name their own)
Section titled “3.3 The 5 workflows to audit first (if they don’t name their own)”If a client can’t articulate their friction, probe these — they’re universal high-frequency/high-friction tasks (Corey’s list):
- Lead follow-up
- Quote requests
- Client reporting
- Support tickets
- Sales call follow-ups
PART 4 — THE DELIVERY PIPELINE (upgraded with 3 Claude skills)
Section titled “PART 4 — THE DELIVERY PIPELINE (upgraded with 3 Claude skills)”4.1 The new 3-skill back-end (extends Asset 3)
Section titled “4.1 The new 3-skill back-end (extends Asset 3)”Borrowed from Corey Ganim. After your existing Loom-script-draft node, add 3 Claude skills/n8n workflows. Post-call time drops to under 5 minutes.
| Skill | What it does | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Follow-up email drafter | Drafts the client follow-up email after each call (recap + action items + next steps) | Call transcript lands in Supabase |
| Portal build-log updater | Adds the call’s takeaways, action items, and built automations to the client’s Notion/portal build log | Same trigger |
| Orchestrator | Runs both back-to-back | Same trigger |
Total post-call time: under 5 minutes.
4.2 The Notion build log = the renewal mechanism
Section titled “4.2 The Notion build log = the renewal mechanism”This is the key insight from Corey. Every call adds to a visible, accumulating build log in the client’s portal:
- Recording link
- Top 3 takeaways
- Action items (both sides)
- Quantified list of everything built that month
“When a client can see ‘we built two skills and three context files this month,’ the $1,500 justifies itself in their head. The ledger does the talking.”
This makes renewals automatic — clients see accumulated value and renew without a pitch. Build it into your portal from day one.
PART 5 — THE RETAINER OFFERINGS (upgraded with Concierge down-sell)
Section titled “PART 5 — THE RETAINER OFFERINGS (upgraded with Concierge down-sell)”5.1 The full retainer ladder (4 options)
Section titled “5.1 The full retainer ladder (4 options)”| Retainer | Price/mo | Model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Concierge (NEW) | $1,500–$2,000 | 2× 45-min calls + Voxer + Notion build log. Done-WITH-you. | Clients who can’t afford fCAIO but want ongoing help |
| Fractional CAIO — Starter | $5,000 | 1 weekly call, 1 active build, priority async | AU/APAC SMB |
| Fractional CAIO — Standard | $9,000 | 2 calls/wk, 2–3 builds, team enablement, monthly exec report | EU/AU mid-market |
| Fractional CAIO — Deep | $15,000–$25,000 | Embedded: 3+ builds, governance, vendor mgmt, board reporting, change mgmt | UAE/EU enterprise |
5.2 The AI Concierge offer (the new down-sell)
Section titled “5.2 The AI Concierge offer (the new down-sell)”This is Corey’s $1,000/hr model. Offer it to clients who want ongoing help but balk at $5K/mo.
The offer:
- Done-WITH-you consulting (not done-for-you)
- 2× 45-minute strategy calls per month
- Unlimited Voxer (voice message) access, 12-business-hour SLA
- Shared Notion build log (the renewal mechanism)
- You run AOA on their biggest bottleneck each call
Why it works: At $1,500/mo with two 45-min calls, you’re effectively earning ~$1,000/hour. High margin, low effort, and it captures clients who’d otherwise walk. Corey closed 5 of 6 pitched at this price.
The delivery (7 steps, from Corey):
- Intake form (required before call 1 — if not filled, reschedule)
- Onboard to Claude Cowork on call 1
- Run AOA on the biggest bottleneck — ship one automation on day one so they feel progress
- AOA on every call
- Async access via Voxer (12-hr SLA)
- Shared Notion hub (build log = renewal)
- Automate your own follow-up with the 3 Claude skills above
PART 6 — THE DELIVERABLE (upgraded data audit)
Section titled “PART 6 — THE DELIVERABLE (upgraded data audit)”6.1 Sharpen Dimension 2 (Data Readiness) with the 4-pass audit
Section titled “6.1 Sharpen Dimension 2 (Data Readiness) with the 4-pass audit”Borrowed from Codebridge. This makes your data readiness dimension genuinely rigorous — Western/EU buyers will respect it.
For each data source the client mentions, run the 4 passes:
| Pass | What you do | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Source inventory | List every system, doc store, inbox, spreadsheet, human notebook | A data map |
| 2. Quality probe | Pull a 100-row sample, score completeness/correctness/consistency | A quality score per source |
| 3. Integration map | Document access route (API, export, OCR, manual), latency, cost, failure mode | An integration score |
| 4. Risk profile | Classify sensitivity, identify regulated fields (PII, PHI, financials), decide where workload must run | A risk classification |
The output per data source: a go / fix-first / no-go decision. This feeds your opportunity matrix — it tells you which opportunities are “data ready” vs “needs data work first.” It’s the difference between a generic audit and a professional one.
6.2 Add the 5 allowed AI actions to the opportunity matrix
Section titled “6.2 Add the 5 allowed AI actions to the opportunity matrix”Borrowed from Planfold. For each opportunity in your matrix, name its allowed AI action. Makes the roadmap concrete and governable.
| Action | What it means |
|---|---|
| Observe | Read, summarize, classify (lowest risk) |
| Draft | Prepare text or a task, not send it |
| Recommend | Rank or suggest, human decides |
| Prepare update | Propose a system change, owner approves |
| Stop | Route to human — data class/source/responsibility unclear |
This single addition makes your deliverable look like it was built by a governance-aware consultancy, not a freelancer.
PART 7 — THE SALES PAGE (upgraded framing)
Section titled “PART 7 — THE SALES PAGE (upgraded framing)”7.1 Add Mark Kashef’s positioning line to problem agitation
Section titled “7.1 Add Mark Kashef’s positioning line to problem agitation”In the problem agitation section of your sales page (Asset 1), add:
“AI is a luxury earned through internal organization. We check if you’ve earned it before recommending any tools.”
This positions you against the hype sellers and resonates with sophisticated EU/UAE buyers who’ve been burned by tool-first vendors.
7.2 Lead with data readiness, not tools
Section titled “7.2 Lead with data readiness, not tools”Mark Kashef’s entire audit leads with data readiness and compliance. Promote Dimension 2 (Data Readiness) and Dimension 6 (Governance) prominently on the sales page — they’re your credibility differentiators for Western markets.
PART 8 — VALUE ENGINEERING: HOW TO CHARGE HIGHER
Section titled “PART 8 — VALUE ENGINEERING: HOW TO CHARGE HIGHER”This is the new section. How to graduate from $3K audits to $10K, $25K, even $50K audits. Every lever below is proven by the practitioners in your catalog.
8.1 The 7 levers that justify premium pricing
Section titled “8.1 The 7 levers that justify premium pricing”Each lever adds perceivable value. Stack them as you grow.
Lever 1 — Stakeholder depth (the biggest one)
Section titled “Lever 1 — Stakeholder depth (the biggest one)”This is the single biggest price driver. Liam Ottley charges $60K because he interviews 20–30 staff over 4 weeks.
| Interviews | Time | Price ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Snapshot) | 1 call | $1,500–$2,500 |
| 2–3 (Opportunity) | 1–2 weeks | $3K–$5K |
| 5–6 (Deep Dive) | 2–3 weeks | $7.5K–$15K |
| 15–30 (Transformation) | 4 weeks | $25K–$60K+ |
To charge more, interview more people. Each additional interview = more evidence = more defensible roadmap = higher price. Simple.
Lever 2 — Governance & compliance layer
Section titled “Lever 2 — Governance & compliance layer”Add a formal compliance review against recognized frameworks. This alone moves you from “freelancer” to “consultancy” in the buyer’s eyes.
| Framework | Use when | Price impact |
|---|---|---|
| GDPR / EU AI Act | EU clients | +$2K–$5K |
| UAE PDPL (Fed. Decree-Law 45/2021) | UAE clients | +$2K–$5K |
| NIST AI Risk Management Framework | US/APAC enterprise | +$3K–$10K |
| SOC 2 / ISO 42001 | Enterprise | +$5K–$15K |
How to add it: For Deep Dive and above, include a governance/risk review section in the deliverable (your Dimension 6 already supports this). Reference the specific framework by name. Buyers pay more when you name the framework they’re worried about.
Lever 3 — Board-ready deliverable (not just a PDF)
Section titled “Lever 3 — Board-ready deliverable (not just a PDF)”A PDF report is $3K–$5K. A board-ready package is $10K–$25K. The difference is format:
| Deliverable | Price |
|---|---|
| PDF report + Loom | $3K–$5K |
| + Board-ready 1-pager | $5K–$7.5K |
| + Full board deck with exec narrative | $10K–$15K |
| + Board presentation (you present live) | $15K–$25K |
Add the board deck and the live presentation. Executives pay for someone who can stand in front of their board and make the case.
Lever 4 — Value-based pricing (% of savings identified)
Section titled “Lever 4 — Value-based pricing (% of savings identified)”Instead of a fixed fee, price as a percentage of the savings you identify. This is the Hormozi/Ottley move.
| Model | How it works | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee | $3K regardless | Starting out, low trust |
| Fixed + success fee | $3K + 5–10% of first-year savings realized | When you have case studies |
| Pure success fee | 10–15% of first-year savings, capped | High-trust, repeat clients |
Example: You find $150K/yr in savings. At 10%, that’s $15K — 5× your $3K audit fee. And the client feels it’s fair because they only pay if you deliver. Borrow this once you have 2–3 case studies proving your savings estimates are accurate.
Lever 5 — Vertical specialization
Section titled “Lever 5 — Vertical specialization”Generalist AI audits cap at ~$5K–$10K. Vertical specialists charge $15K–$50K+ because they bring benchmark data and use-case libraries specific to the industry.
| Vertical | Premium you can charge | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Generalist | $3K–$10K | Competing with everyone |
| Logistics specialist | $10K–$25K | You know their workflows cold (you have LMS) |
| Financial services | $15K–$50K | Compliance + high stakes |
| Healthcare | $15K–$50K | HIPAA/regulatory complexity |
| Legal | $15K–$50K | Risk-averse, high margins |
Your move: Pick ONE vertical after your first 10 audits. Given your LMS experience, logistics/operations is the natural vertical. Position as “the AI audit for mid-market logistics and operations” and your price floor jumps to $10K.
Lever 6 — Risk-avoidance framing
Section titled “Lever 6 — Risk-avoidance framing”Don’t just sell the upside. Sell the downside you prevent. AI Automation Consultant anchors £2,997 against “£100,000+ in mistakes prevented.”
Reframe your audit:
- Cheap version: “We’ll find you $50K in savings.”
- Premium version: “We’ll prevent the $100K–$500K mistake of deploying AI on broken processes, AND find you $50K in savings.”
The risk-avoidance framing justifies 2–3× the price because the buyer’s loss aversion is 2× their gain motivation (Kahneman/Tversky, well-documented).
Lever 7 — Speed and exclusivity
Section titled “Lever 7 — Speed and exclusivity”- Speed premium: “48-hour flash audit” for urgency — charge 1.5–2× the normal price. Buyers in a hurry pay more.
- Exclusivity premium: “I take 4 audits per month” (you already have this). Scarcity raises perceived value. Keep it.
- Access premium: The Concierge/fCAIO retainer is access to you, not just deliverables. Price the access, not the hours.
8.2 The graduation path (your 18-month roadmap)
Section titled “8.2 The graduation path (your 18-month roadmap)”| Stage | Price | What you add | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | $1.5K–$3K | The 7-dimension scorecard, 2–3 interviews, PDF + Loom | Now |
| Tier 2 | $3K–$5K | + board-ready 1-pager, governance mini-review, 4th interview | After 5 audits + 2 case studies |
| Tier 3 | $5K–$10K | + full compliance audit, board deck, 5–6 interviews, vertical focus | After 10 audits + a vertical chosen |
| Tier 4 | $10K–$25K | + value-based component (% of savings), board presentation, org-wide scope | After 15 audits + 5 case studies |
| Tier 5 | $25K–$50K+ | + 15–30 stakeholder interviews, transformation roadmap, 4-week engagement | After 20 audits + vertical authority |
The rule: Move up one tier only after you have the case studies to justify it. Never raise prices without proof.
8.3 The 5 value-stacking moves (do these immediately, even at $3K)
Section titled “8.3 The 5 value-stacking moves (do these immediately, even at $3K)”These cost you nothing but let you charge more from day one:
- Name the frameworks. Reference Gartner AI Maturity, Microsoft RAI-MM, NIST AI RMF, GDPR/EU AI Act by name in your deliverable. Instant credibility, zero cost.
- Add the board-ready 1-pager to every Deep Dive. It’s just a formatted summary — 1 hour of work, $2K of perceived value.
- Quantify risk prevented, not just savings found. “You’ll avoid $100K+ in likely mistakes” is worth more than “you’ll save $50K.”
- Include a 90-day implementation estimate for every opportunity. Buyers pay more when the roadmap feels executable, not abstract.
- Offer the fee-credit guarantee prominently. It lets you charge more because the perceived risk drops to zero.
8.4 The premium positioning checklist (for the sales page)
Section titled “8.4 The premium positioning checklist (for the sales page)”As you graduate prices, update the sales page with these signals:
- Name specific frameworks (Gartner, Microsoft, NIST, GDPR)
- Show the value ladder explicitly (audit → sprint → retainer → transformation)
- Lead with data readiness, not tools (Mark Kashef framing)
- Include the “AI is a luxury earned through organization” line
- Quantify risk prevented, not just savings found
- Show vertical specialization once chosen
- Feature case studies with real before/after numbers
- Keep the “only 4 audits/month” scarcity (true, and it justifies premium)
- Add the board deck / live presentation as a premium tier
- Offer a value-based / success-fee option at the high end
8.5 The one question that justifies any price
Section titled “8.5 The one question that justifies any price”When a client says “that’s expensive,” the answer isn’t to discount. It’s:
“Compared to what? The audit finds $X in savings and prevents $Y in mistakes. The fee is [Z]% of that. If I charged less, you’d rightly wonder if I’d done the work. The price is the proof I take this seriously.”
Premium pricing is a feature, not a bug. Hormozi’s research: identical wine rated better when buyers believed it was expensive. Charge more, deliver more, attract better clients who implement and become case studies. The virtuous cycle.
PART 9 — THE UNIFYING PRINCIPLES (from all practitioners)
Section titled “PART 9 — THE UNIFYING PRINCIPLES (from all practitioners)”- One bottleneck, one tool, one upsell. (Ganim)
- Audit before you automate. Automating broken processes makes inefficiency run faster. (Ganim)
- The audit is a foot-in-the-door, not the business. Every practitioner uses it to sell the next thing. (Ottley, Herk, Ganim)
- Lead with data readiness, not tools. (Kashef)
- The deliverable earns the renewal. A visible build log makes retention automatic. (Ganim)
- Value-based pricing, not time-based. Price as ~10× first-year savings, or a fraction of the retainer it unlocks. (Herk, Ottley)
- Automate your own delivery. Use Claude skills for your own follow-up. Eat your own dog food. (Ganim)
- The 2-call structure converts. Free 15-min fact-finding → paid prescription. 30–50% conversion. (Ganim)
- Premium pricing is a feature. Charge more, attract better clients, deliver more, get better case studies. (Hormozi)
- The audit is a luxury earned through organization. Check if they’ve earned it before recommending tools. (Kashef)
This is the integrated master. Everything you need to promote, sell, assess, deliver, and graduate to premium pricing — in one place. The other 10 assets are now reference material; this is the working document.