The Question Bank
25 questions in five categories, each with what a good answer sounds like and what should worry you.
A Field Guide from B&A · $39
You don't need to understand the technology to vet the people selling it.
You need the right questions, a written record of the answers, and a score that doesn't reset every time someone demos well.
Duplicable Notion workspace + printable companion · No account, no code, no sales call.
The problem
Hiring an AI vendor as a non-technical buyer has a specific failure mode: every conversation is persuasive, because you can't independently check the claims. So the decision drifts to whoever demos best or promises fastest — and the gap between promised and delivered only becomes visible after the money is spent.
This workspace closes that gap before the contract.
What's inside
The questions, and the record.
The Vendor Comparison Board
Every vendor scored 1–5 on six criteria, ranked automatically, tracked by stage. Vagueness that survives one charming call does not survive a comparison board.
Contract & Scope Red Flags
14 things to find in the paperwork before you sign, not after.
The Reference Check Log
Because references are the cheapest diligence nobody does.
The six-criterion scoring rubric
With "5 looks like" and "1 looks like" spelled out for each (understood the problem, process & transparency, evidence & track record, cost clarity, exit & ownership, communication fit).
How it works
Four steps to a ranked shortlist.
1
Add every vendor
Duplicate the template. Add every vendor you're considering — especially the one you've already half-decided on.
2
Run the questions
Run the same 25 questions on each, answers written down during or right after the call.
3
Score after the third
Score after the third conversation, not the first — first calls measure charm. The board totals and ranks automatically.
4
Check the contract
Before signing, run the Red Flags list against the actual contract.
Who it's for
For not being oversold.
Who it's for
A non-technical buyer choosing between AI developers or agencies who doesn't want to be oversold.
Not for
Someone still deciding whether to hire anyone at all — price that with the Build / Buy / Wait Toolkit first.
This is the Intervene → Document stretch of the method — Identify → Investigate → Intervene → Document — choosing well, and keeping the record that holds everyone to it.
Format & delivery
Yours in two forms.
Duplicable Notion workspace + a printable companion (question bank, red flags, scoreboard). The companion is a standard .xlsx — works in Excel and Google Sheets.
Printable companion: question bank, red flags, scoreboard.
Licensed for single-user use.
Get the guide
Get the Workspace — $39
The right questions, a written record, and a score that doesn't reset when someone demos well.
Next rung
See the Scoping Kit →
Chose a vendor? Hold everyone to the method with the AI Project Scoping Kit ($49) — scope board, success metrics, decision log.