A useful first conversation and a business assessment are different pieces of work. The first helps us understand what you need and whether we can help. The second investigates an operating area closely enough to support a decision.
Applied Margin offers a free introductory conversation. A paid audit is not a mandatory first purchase. If your team wants hands-on help using AI, the AI Workflow Sprint may be the better starting point. If a solution is already understood, we can scope implementation directly. When the problem is complex or uncertain, the optional Margin Scan gives that discovery a defined scope.
When deeper discovery earns its place
You may have several departments asking for different tools, an unclear handoff between systems, or a workflow whose cost and ownership are difficult to establish. Building before those questions are answered can mean solving the wrong problem.
The Margin Scan is $1,500 for seven business days. It includes a 45–60 minute owner interview, a review of one department or operating area, three to seven ranked opportunities, a buy, build, redesign, or leave-alone decision, an impact, cost, effort, and risk comparison, and a four-day quick-win plan with a live decision readout.
The report is yours. Implement it internally, use another qualified partner, or apply the full $1,500 to an Applied Margin implementation authorized within 14 days.
The Margin Scan's Clarity Guarantee remains: receive at least three relevant opportunities, one ranked first move, and a written implementation decision by business day 7—or receive a full refund. These credit and guarantee terms apply to the Margin Scan. They do not apply to the AI Workflow Sprint or extend to other services.
What we investigate
We look at real work: how demand arrives, where information gets re-entered, which decisions require judgment, what gets delayed, and who owns the outcome. We compare opportunities against effectiveness, efficiency, and quality rather than the novelty of a tool.
The recommendation might be to configure software you already have, shorten a process, organize approved knowledge, or build a focused connection between systems. Leaving something alone is also a valid decision.
Costs and benefits should show their assumptions. A saved staff hour is capacity; it becomes a cash benefit only when the business can use that capacity or avoid a cost. A list of optimistic savings is not evidence that a build will pay for itself.
When the Sprint is the better first step
If the immediate need is helping people use AI on real tasks, the $1,500 fixed-price AI Workflow Sprint delivers hands-on practice as well as an opportunity map. It covers one team of up to five people, a short leadership kickoff, two working sessions, two to three reusable workflows, written instructions, and one follow-up session.
Session lengths and scheduling are agreed before booking. Custom software, integrations, and subscriptions are separate. The Sprint fee does not automatically credit toward a later build. Your team keeps its materials whether or not we continue.
Discovery happens during that practical work, but the Sprint and the Margin Scan are distinct purchases. We recommend the one that fits the question you need answered. You do not need both by default.
What to bring to the conversation
You do not need a completed process map. A short description of the work, the people involved, and what you want to improve is enough to begin. If you already have a documented workflow, we can use it when scoping the next step.
Avoid sending sensitive customer, employee, patient, or client material through the initial inquiry. We agree what information is needed and how it will be handled before detailed discovery.
For a broader recognition checklist before choosing AI help, read Eight Things We Look for Before a Useful AI Engagement.
FAQ
Do I need to buy an AI audit before we work together? No. Choose a Sprint for practical team adoption, direct implementation scoping for a defined solution, or the optional Margin Scan for deeper discovery. The starting point depends on the work.
What is included in the free introductory conversation? A discussion of your business, your goals, and a suitable next step. It does not include an audit, report, or implementation plan.
Does the Sprint have the same credit and guarantee as the Scan? No. The Scan's existing 14-day implementation credit and Clarity Guarantee are specific to that assessment. The Sprint is a separate fixed-price engagement with its own listed deliverables.
Let’s talk about your business. Tell us where the team needs help. We will agree the right engagement and its scope before work begins.