Automation Discovery Blueprint: Paid Audits That Lead to Bigger Builds

Who It's For

• Automation consultants and n8n builders.

Not for

• Builders who only take fixed-scope tickets.

The Bot Stack

• Pain in the Taskby @gambrillInterviews the owner about repetitive work.
• Automation Scoutby @ericzakariassonMines their tools for repeat work.
• Business Context Interviewerby @nateherkCaptures business context.
• Requirement Engineer Botby @FishxCDWrites the build spec.
• Case Skeletonby @paulopierrondiOutlines the case study.

Full write-up with the flow diagram: Sell Automation Projects from a Discovery Audit.

The First 10

Who

10 past clients or contacts who complained about repetitive work.

Where to find them

Your client list and network.

The first message

Hi {first name}, you mentioned {task} takes hours each week. I run a short paid discovery that maps where time goes and what to automate first. Want details? If not, just reply no thanks. {your name}

Then

Run Pain in the Task on your own business first to test the interview.

• Start with people who know you: past clients, referrals and contacts. This is not a cold list.
• Include an easy way to say no thanks, and stop if they do.

Costs and Break-Even

Setup

• VRun It With Us setup: $1,500 founding price for the first 3 setups (normally $2,500), one time for one bot setup, starting with a $300 deposit that counts toward it. Source, checked 30 Oct 2026.

Monthly tool bill

• VGrok Bot Premium: $30 a month (runs every Grok bot in this stack). Source, checked 27 Oct 2026.
• VNotion: Free $0; Plus $10 per member a month. Source, checked 27 Oct 2026.
• EExample bill: Grok Bot Premium $30 + Slack, Notion, Linear and GitHub free plans $0 = about $30 a month. Basis: Sum of the listed prices; your plans and volumes will differ.

Your time

• EAbout 3 hours per discovery. Basis: Our estimate for a small business in its first month; measure your own in week 1.

Work out your own break-even

• Clients needed to cover the tools = monthly tool bill / your monthly fee per client. Set your own fee; we do not publish a typical one.
• Months to recover the setup = setup price ($1,500 founding, normally $2,500) / (monthly fees from clients you won with this - monthly tool bill).
• Track two numbers from week 1: conversations started and clients signed. Use your own numbers, not ours.

Cost to Run

List prices first. Offer prices are shown only with their terms, and they end. Check each vendor page before you buy.

Weekly Cadence

1. MondayYouBook interviews.The botsPain in the Task interviews the owner.
2. TuesdayYouReview findings.The botsAutomation Scout mines tools for repeat work.
3. WednesdayYouAdd context.The botsBusiness Context Interviewer captures business context.
4. ThursdayYouApprove the spec.The botsRequirement Engineer Bot writes the build spec.
5. FridayYouSend the proposal.The botsCase Skeleton outlines the case study.
6. WeekendYouNothing required.The botsNothing sends.

When to Stop

Baseline first. Write down discoveries sold and builds closed a month.

E These thresholds are our rules of thumb, not benchmarks.

Rules to Follow

• Client confidentialityConnect only the accounts you or your client own, give each bot the least access it needs, and check client contracts for rules on where their data may be stored.
• Data protection (EU and UK customers)If you hold personal data about people in the EU or UK, GDPR or UK GDPR applies: collect only what the job needs, tell people how you use it, and keep access to the connected accounts to the people who need it. Source.
• No income claimsNothing on this page promises income, savings or any business result. The value lines are labelled estimates with their basis. Bots draft and you approve. Source.

What Is Typical

• Caveat. We have no verified data on discovery-to-build conversion. Measure yours.

FAQ