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MVP NINJA

MVP Ninja Labs · 01Built in-house

Scout

An AI sales agent that researches, scores and follows up — so reps only talk to people ready to buy.

Category
AI sales agent
Build shape
21-Day Launch
Platforms
Web app, CRM integration, Email + calendar

What Scout does

Scout watches inbound leads, researches each company, scores fit against your ideal customer, drafts a personal first message, updates the CRM and schedules follow-ups. Reps approve, edit and send.

Key decisions

  • The rep sends every email.

    Scout researches, scores and drafts, and a person approves each message. Sending on someone’s behalf is a trust line, so the first version proves the drafts are good before anything goes out alone.

  • Every claim shows its source.

    Reps act on research they can check. Reasoning they can’t see gets ignored, however good it is.

  • Inbound leads first, no bulk sequences.

    Outbound list building is a different product with different risks. Leaving it out kept the build on the part that proves the idea.

Small sales teams spend their best hours on the worst leads.

Inbound leads arrive with a name and an email. Before a rep can decide whether to call, they open LinkedIn, the company website, the CRM and a news search. Most leads turn out to be a poor fit — and the good ones wait.

  1. 01Research takes 10–20 minutes per lead, done by hand
  2. 02Good-fit leads wait hours or days for a first reply
  3. 03Follow-ups slip because nobody owns the reminder
  4. 04CRM data is incomplete, so reporting can't be trusted

The founder-led sales lead

Head of sales at a 10–50 person B2B company

Owns the pipeline, still sells personally, and manages two or three reps without a sales-ops team.

What they need to get done

  • Know which new leads deserve attention today
  • Reply to good-fit leads while they are still interested
  • Keep the CRM accurate without nagging the team
  • Never let a promising conversation go quiet

The assumption to prove

Reps will trust AI research and drafts if they can see the sources and approve before anything is sent.

Keep the human as the sender. Scout does the research, scoring and drafting; the rep reviews a queue and sends with one click. Trust is earned through visible evidence, not hidden automation.

In the first version

  • Inbound lead capture from forms and CRM
  • Company research with cited sources
  • Fit scoring against an editable ideal-customer profile
  • Personal first-message drafts
  • CRM record updates and follow-up scheduling

Deliberately left out

  • Fully autonomous sending
  • Outbound list building and bulk sequences
  • Call recording and coaching
  • Multi-currency forecasting

The core journey

  1. Step 01

    Lead arrives

    Form fill or new CRM contact triggers Scout

  2. Step 02

    Research

    Company site, public profiles and news, with sources

  3. Step 03

    Score

    Fit against ideal-customer rules, with reasons

  4. Step 04

    Draft

    Personal first message referencing real context

  5. Step 05

    Approve

    Rep edits and sends from the review queue

  6. Step 06

    Follow up

    CRM updated, reminder or meeting scheduled

Design exploration

We explored three ways to present the agent's work before settling on a review queue. The question underneath every option was the same: how much should a rep have to read before they trust a lead?

Scout

Sales

Review queue12LeadsFollow-ups5AccountsAgent activity

Setup

Fit rulesIntegrations

Agent active

Researching 3 new leads

Review queue

Tuesday · 12 leads researched since 08:00

Search leads or companiesReview next

Researched today

186 since 10:00

Strong fits

53 to answer today

Drafts ready

9Avg. 112 words

Follow-ups due

52 overdue

All12Strong fit5Possible4Weak3Sorted by fit, then time
LeadVerdictTop signalDraftIn
PNPriya NairHalden Dental GroupStrong fit3 reasonsOpening 3 new clinicsDemo requestReady9 min
TOTom OkaforNorthwind FreightStrong fit3 reasonsHiring two SDRsHubSpotReady26 min
AKAisha KhanOakridge LogisticsStrong fit4 reasonsReplacing legacy CRMWebinarReady48 min
MLMarta LindqvistFerro Coffee RoastersPossible fit2 reasonsViewed pricing twiceDemo requestReady1 h
DSDaniel SatoBrightline StudioPossible fit2 reasonsTeam of 8, below ICPNewsletterResearching1 h
LBLena BrandtLumen PhysioPossible fit2 reasonsCalendly + HubSpotHubSpotReady2 h
JRJonas ReiterPersonal emailWeak fit1 reasonNo company matchContact formNo draft3 h
PN

Priya Nair

Halden Dental Group

Strong fitScored 08:14 · Fit rules v3

Why it's a fit

  • Multi-site practice with 14 clinics1
  • Opening 3 clinics this autumn2
  • Already runs HubSpot and Calendly3

Budget not confirmed — ask on the first call

Draft

118 words

Hi Priya — congratulations on the three clinics opening this autumn. That's a lot of new patient enquiries to route…

Open dossierSnooze
Wireframe · layout and priorities
Scout

Sales

Review queue12LeadsFollow-ups5AccountsAgent activity

Setup

Fit rulesIntegrations

Agent active

Researching 3 new leads

Review queue

Tuesday · 12 leads researched since 08:00

Search leads or companiesReview next

Researched today

186 since 10:00

Strong fits

53 to answer today

Drafts ready

9Avg. 112 words

Follow-ups due

52 overdue

All12Strong fit5Possible4Weak3Sorted by fit, then time
LeadVerdictTop signalDraftIn
PNPriya NairHalden Dental GroupStrong fit3 reasonsOpening 3 new clinicsDemo requestReady9 min
TOTom OkaforNorthwind FreightStrong fit3 reasonsHiring two SDRsHubSpotReady26 min
AKAisha KhanOakridge LogisticsStrong fit4 reasonsReplacing legacy CRMWebinarReady48 min
MLMarta LindqvistFerro Coffee RoastersPossible fit2 reasonsViewed pricing twiceDemo requestReady1 h
DSDaniel SatoBrightline StudioPossible fit2 reasonsTeam of 8, below ICPNewsletterResearching1 h
LBLena BrandtLumen PhysioPossible fit2 reasonsCalendly + HubSpotHubSpotReady2 h
JRJonas ReiterPersonal emailWeak fit1 reasonNo company matchContact formNo draft3 h
PN

Priya Nair

Halden Dental Group

Strong fitScored 08:14 · Fit rules v3

Why it's a fit

  • Multi-site practice with 14 clinics1
  • Opening 3 clinics this autumn2
  • Already runs HubSpot and Calendly3

Budget not confirmed — ask on the first call

Draft

118 words

Hi Priya — congratulations on the three clinics opening this autumn. That's a lot of new patient enquiries to route…

Open dossierSnooze
Final · the same screen, designed
  • Question

    Chat assistant or work queue?

    Decision

    Work queue

    Reps don't want to ask questions — they want a prioritised list of what to do next. Chat stays available inside each lead.

  • Question

    Show the score as a number or a verdict?

    Decision

    Verdict with reasons

    A number invites arguments; 'Strong fit — 3 reasons' invites action and makes the logic reviewable.

  • Question

    Auto-send or approve?

    Decision

    Approve, one click

    Sending on someone's behalf is a trust line. The MVP proves value first; autonomy can be earned later.

Scout’s design system

Calm, dense and evidence-forward. Teal signals the agent's work; amber is reserved for things that need a human.

  • Scout Teal

    #0F766E

    Agent activity, primary actions

  • Mint

    #C7E3DD

    Evidence highlights

  • Amber

    #E0A43B

    Needs your review

  • Deep Green

    #0B1F1D

    Text and navigation

  • Mist

    #F6F8F7

    Workspace background

Typography

System UI stack at compact sizes; tabular numerals for scores and dates; mono for source citations.

Components

  • Lead queue row
  • Fit verdict badge
  • Source citation chip
  • Draft editor
  • Agent timeline
  • CRM sync status

Principles

  1. 01Show the evidence
  2. 02Humans send
  3. 03One next action per lead

Key screens

Scout

Sales

Review queue12LeadsFollow-ups5AccountsAgent activity

Setup

Fit rulesIntegrations

Agent active

Researching 3 new leads

Review queue

Tuesday · 12 leads researched since 08:00

Search leads or companiesReview next

Researched today

186 since 10:00

Strong fits

53 to answer today

Drafts ready

9Avg. 112 words

Follow-ups due

52 overdue

All12Strong fit5Possible4Weak3Sorted by fit, then time
LeadVerdictTop signalDraftIn
PNPriya NairHalden Dental GroupStrong fit3 reasonsOpening 3 new clinicsDemo requestReady9 min
TOTom OkaforNorthwind FreightStrong fit3 reasonsHiring two SDRsHubSpotReady26 min
AKAisha KhanOakridge LogisticsStrong fit4 reasonsReplacing legacy CRMWebinarReady48 min
MLMarta LindqvistFerro Coffee RoastersPossible fit2 reasonsViewed pricing twiceDemo requestReady1 h
DSDaniel SatoBrightline StudioPossible fit2 reasonsTeam of 8, below ICPNewsletterResearching1 h
LBLena BrandtLumen PhysioPossible fit2 reasonsCalendly + HubSpotHubSpotReady2 h
JRJonas ReiterPersonal emailWeak fit1 reasonNo company matchContact formNo draft3 h
PN

Priya Nair

Halden Dental Group

Strong fitScored 08:14 · Fit rules v3

Why it's a fit

  • Multi-site practice with 14 clinics1
  • Opening 3 clinics this autumn2
  • Already runs HubSpot and Calendly3

Budget not confirmed — ask on the first call

Draft

118 words

Hi Priya — congratulations on the three clinics opening this autumn. That's a lot of new patient enquiries to route…

Open dossierSnooze
Screen 01Review queueToday's leads, ranked by fit, with the agent's reasoning a glance away.
Scout

Sales

Review queue12LeadsFollow-ups5AccountsAgent activity

Setup

Fit rulesIntegrations

Agent active

Researching 3 new leads

Review queue /Halden Dental Group

PN

Priya Nair

Operations Director · Halden Dental Group · Demo request, 9 min ago

Strong fitHubSpot synced

Company research

Industry
Dental care
1
Size
About 180 people
1
Locations
14 clinics, 3 opening
2
Tools
HubSpot, Calendly
3
Based in
Leeds, UK
1

Sources

  1. 1haldendental.example/about
  2. 2haldendental.example/news
  3. 3careers.haldendental.example

Scout only states facts it can link to a source. Anything else is marked for review.

Fit rules

4 of 5 matched
  • 5+ locations14 clinics
  • Uses a CRMHubSpot
  • Growing this year3 openings, 6 roles
  • UK or IrelandLeeds
  • Budget signalNot found

Agent activity

  1. 08:12Lead received from demo request form
  2. 08:12Read 4 pages, cited 3 sources
  3. 08:14Scored against fit rules v3 — strong fit
  4. 08:15Drafted first message (118 words)
  5. 08:15HubSpot contact and company updated

First message

WarmShorterFormal

Topriya.nair@haldendental.example

SubjectThree new clinics, one front desk?

Hi Priya,

Congratulations on the three clinics opening this autumn 2 — that's a lot of new patient enquiries to route.

Since your team already books through Calendly, we could plug straight into your existing setup.

Would a 20-minute look next Thursday be useful?

Follow up Thu 10:00 if no reply

Approve & sendEdit
Screen 02Lead dossierResearch with sources, fit reasons and a draft ready to edit and send.
Screen 03Approve on the goApprove, tweak or snooze drafts from a phone between meetings.

How it works underneath

An event-driven agent: each new lead starts a job that calls research and scoring tools, stores evidence, and waits in a queue for human approval before any external action.

    • ExternalWeb forms / CRM
    • InterfaceScout web app
    • ServiceAPI + job queue
    • AIResearch & scoring agent
    • ExternalHubSpot / Pipedrive
    • ExternalEmail + calendar
    • ExternalWeb search, enrichment
    • DataPostgres + evidence store

Connections

  • Web forms / CRMtoAPI + job queuewebhook
  • API + job queuetoResearch & scoring agentjob
  • Research & scoring agenttoWeb search, enrichmenttool calls
  • Research & scoring agenttoPostgres + evidence storeevidence
  • Scout web apptoAPI + job queueapprove
  • API + job queuetoHubSpot / Pipedrivesync
  • API + job queuetoEmail + calendarsend + schedule

Likely stack

  • Next.js + TypeScript
  • Postgres
  • Background job queue
  • LLM with tool calling
  • HubSpot / Pipedrive API
  • Gmail / Outlook API

A 21-day build plan

  1. Days 1–2

    Scope and ICP rules

    Define what 'good fit' means in plain rules, pick the CRM, map the fields Scout may write.

  2. Days 3–6

    Design the queue

    Wireframes for queue, dossier and approval; clickable prototype tested with a rep-style walkthrough.

  3. Days 6–14

    Agent + integrations

    Research tools, scoring prompts with evaluation examples, CRM sync and email drafting.

  4. Days 14–19

    Review loop

    Approval queue, follow-up scheduling, audit log and failure handling.

  5. Days 19–21

    Test and launch

    Run against historical leads, tune scoring, deploy and hand over.

Across devices

Research and editing happen at a desk; approvals happen everywhere. The mobile layout collapses the dossier into a swipeable card focused on one decision.

  • Queue becomes a single column with verdict first
  • Draft editing uses a full-screen sheet
  • Sources collapse into an expandable list

An inbox of anonymous leads, turned into a ranked, researched, ready-to-send queue — with the rep still in charge of every message.

Scout

Sales

Review queue12LeadsFollow-ups5AccountsAgent activity

Setup

Fit rulesIntegrations

Agent active

Researching 3 new leads

Review queue /Halden Dental Group

PN

Priya Nair

Operations Director · Halden Dental Group · Demo request, 9 min ago

Strong fitHubSpot synced

Company research

Industry
Dental care
1
Size
About 180 people
1
Locations
14 clinics, 3 opening
2
Tools
HubSpot, Calendly
3
Based in
Leeds, UK
1

Sources

  1. 1haldendental.example/about
  2. 2haldendental.example/news
  3. 3careers.haldendental.example

Scout only states facts it can link to a source. Anything else is marked for review.

Fit rules

4 of 5 matched
  • 5+ locations14 clinics
  • Uses a CRMHubSpot
  • Growing this year3 openings, 6 roles
  • UK or IrelandLeeds
  • Budget signalNot found

Agent activity

  1. 08:12Lead received from demo request form
  2. 08:12Read 4 pages, cited 3 sources
  3. 08:14Scored against fit rules v3 — strong fit
  4. 08:15Drafted first message (118 words)
  5. 08:15HubSpot contact and company updated

First message

WarmShorterFormal

Topriya.nair@haldendental.example

SubjectThree new clinics, one front desk?

Hi Priya,

Congratulations on the three clinics opening this autumn 2 — that's a lot of new patient enquiries to route.

Since your team already books through Calendly, we could plug straight into your existing setup.

Would a 20-minute look next Thursday be useful?

Follow up Thu 10:00 if no reply

Approve & sendEdit

Leads waiting while your team does the research?

Scout is one shape an AI agent can take. Tell us how your sales process runs today, and we’ll scope the first version around it.

Closest package

21-Day Launch

$3,700Fixed · 21 days

For fuller products: several roles, AI agents that take actions, heavier integrations or a mobile MVP.

  • Up to 5 core workflows
  • Up to 20 screens
  • Multiple roles & permissions

Your idea gets its own written scope and fixed price before anything starts. Compare packages

In the first version

  • Lead intake from one CRM and web forms
  • Research agent with cited sources
  • Editable fit rules and verdicts
  • Draft review and one-click send
  • CRM updates and follow-up reminders
  • Admin settings and activity log

Later, once it's proven

  • Outbound prospecting
  • Multi-step sequences
  • Call intelligence
  • Team performance analytics

7–21 daysFrom $1,500

Start my brief