Stack Table — component → recommended → alternatives → why
Directional pricing; verify current before quoting. “J&M internal” = tools J&M runs its own business on. “Client build” = what J&M installs for clients.
J&M’s own sales & delivery infrastructure
| Component | Recommended | Alternatives | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI brain (everything) | Claude (Projects, skills, Cowork) | GPT/Custom GPTs | The whole method is Claude-native; skills + projects + context files are the delivery unit. |
| Scheduling | cal.com | Calendly | Strong free tier; 4 call types (discovery/strategy/scoping/contract). Text reminders lift show rates. |
| Call recording + transcript | Zoom + Fathom | Fireflies, tl;dv, Otter | Fathom auto-transcribes; transcript is the raw material for the AI analysis + proposal. |
| Report / proposal design | Claude Design | Gamma, Canva, Google Docs (md_to_gdoc.py) |
The audit deliverable. AOA switched from Gamma and canceled it: templates import as HTML in ~60 s, and dropping the call transcript into the chat fills the assessment. |
| Proposal from data | 04-proposal-generator/ (J&M’s own) |
manual | Deterministic: findings JSON → consistent proposal + ROI math. |
| Client hub / docs | Notion | Coda, Google Drive | The renewal mechanism — quantified build log per client. |
| Async client support | Voxer or Slack | WhatsApp, Loom | Unlimited async with a 12-business-hour SLA. |
| CRM (prospects) | prospect system / knowledge.db → Twenty CRM (J&M’s own) | HubSpot free | Registry rule: never research a company twice. Prospects sync into self-hosted Twenty (every prospect from first contact, outreachStage lifecycle). |
| Outbound email infra | warmed domain + Smartlead/Instantly | Apollo sequences | Deliverability-first cold email (AAIC Outreach Infra). |
| LinkedIn outreach | Heyreach | Manual, Dripify | Scaled LinkedIn touches (AAIC Outreach Infra). |
| Freelance lead source | Upwork | Contra | AAIC Upwork Mastery — fast reps and portfolio. |
| Remote access — client workstations | RustDesk (self-hosted relay on the Hetzner box) | Splashtop SOS, ScreenConnect (~$10–40/mo); avoid TeamViewer/AnyDesk (scam-association, commercial nagging) | Attended support during Concierge/DFY work: client runs one portable app, reads the ID + one-time password, J&M drives while they watch. Self-hosted relay = client screens never transit third-party infra (a real DPA talking point). Graduate to an RMM (Atera ~$129/mo flat, or NinjaOne) for unattended agents once recurring clients justify it — that’s the enterprise-IT model (persistent agent + scripts + monitoring) and a sellable “priority remote support” retainer line. |
| Remote access — client servers | Tailscale + SSH/RDP | Cloudflare Tunnel, plain VPN | No open ports; client joins the server to a tailnet and can revoke J&M’s access in one click. Already how J&M runs its own infra. |
What J&M installs for clients
| Job | Recommended | Alternatives | Why / when to switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missed-call text-back | GoHighLevel (native) | Twilio + n8n + CallRail | GHL if client wants one system; composable if they’re technical or cost-sensitive at scale. |
| AI voice receptionist | Retell.ai | Vapi, Bland.ai, GHL voice AI | Real free tier, starter agent live in <1 hr; pay only for a live number. |
| Speed-to-lead / follow-up | Claude skill + Zapier/n8n | GHL workflows | Personalized drafts, not templates; human-in-the-loop. |
| Workflow automation glue | n8n (self-host/cloud) | Make.com, Zapier | n8n = power + cost control (AAIC Automation with n8n); Zapier/Make = fastest for simple. |
| Quote/proposal drafting | Claude skill + price book | PandaDoc + AI | Turns notes → priced quote in 2 min. |
| Reviews / reputation | GoHighLevel | Podium, NiceJob, Birdeye | Bundled with CRM; standalone tools if not on GHL. |
| CRM + pipeline | GoHighLevel (SMB) / Twenty (OSS) | HubSpot free, Pipedrive | GHL for all-in-one local; Twenty when self-hosting/data control matters — it’s the OSS CRM J&M runs itself (Node Zero). |
| Booking + dispatch | cal.com + Jobber/Housecall Pro | GHL calendars, Acuity | cal.com for booking; field-service apps for trades dispatch. |
| Company knowledge base | Claude Project / Custom GPT | Self-hosted “Company Brain” (Nextcloud + pgvector) | Project for speed; self-host when data control is required (DPA first). |
| Dashboards / reporting | Metabase | Looker Studio, GHL reports | OSS BI on the client’s data (business-os stack). |
Marketing & growth (client demand-gen — turn on after capture works)
| Job | Recommended | Alternatives | Why / when to switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI-search visibility (AEO/GEO) | Profound (“Aim”) — visibility/citation tracking + agentic action | Peec AI, Otterly.ai, Scrunch, Goodie; manual prompt-set tracking | The successor to local SEO. One agency seat services many clients; verify pricing tier fits SMB — skews enterprise. See 05-delivery-plans/answer-engine-visibility.md. |
| Paid social ads — research/creative/campaign/reporting | gooseworks Claude skills (competitor-ad-intelligence, remix-graphic-ad-from-reference, meta-ads-campaign-builder, meta-ads-analyzer) |
AdCreative.ai, Pencil/Typeface (creative); Foreplay, Motion (intel/reporting); native Ads Manager | Open-source, Claude-native, cheap labor — but new: vet each skill, human-edit output, media spend is separate. See 05-delivery-plans/paid-social-ads-and-creative.md. |
| Run the paid media | Meta Ads Manager (client’s own account + pixel/CAPI) | Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads | Account/pixel/audiences stay client-owned; J&M operates with delegated access. |
Compliance tooling (never optional for SMS)
| Need | Tool/step |
|---|---|
| SMS sender registration | A2P 10DLC brand + campaign (via Twilio/GHL) |
| Consent + opt-out | Capture consent at source; honor STOP automatically |
| Data handling | Mutual NDA + simple DPA before touching client data |
| Remote access | Written authorization in the engagement agreement before any session (add a remote-access clause to the MSA); per-session codes by default, unattended agents only with a standing retainer + client sign-off |