HBF
The Foundation of Your Workforce
Reference · Tool stack

Platforms & pricing

Every platform the plan cites — purpose, relevance, price and how it runs. Pricing follows the plan's 2026 research (USD/month unless noted); "confirm" marks a figure to verify before subscribing. Lean entry runs about $90–130/mo.

01

Cold email — sequencer

2 tools

The engine of the email channel (doc 01): you upload the list, it fires the touches and follow-ups, rotating across inboxes.

Instantly Growth ~$37 · Hypergrowth ~$77 instantly.ai

Runs cold-email campaigns in sequence — warmup, inbox rotation, AI replies.

RelevanceMotor of the email channel; unlimited accounts.

HowUpload the list; it sends touches and follow-ups on its own across mailboxes.

Smartlead Basic ~$39 · Pro ~$94 smartlead.ai

Same role as Instantly; strong inbox rotation.

RelevanceDirect alternative; good for volume.

HowInbox rotation + warmup bundled in one price.

02

B2B contact data — find the decision-maker

2 tools

Fills the "managers" tab of the prospect sheet (doc 01).

Apollo.io Free · Basic $49 · Pro $79 /user apollo.io free tier

Company database + decision-maker emails/phones.

RelevancePrimary prospecting data source.

HowSearch by title/company/region; export spends credits (email 1cr · phone 5cr).

Lusha Free 40 credits · Starter ~$37/mo (annual) lusha.com free tier

Contact data, strong on direct phone.

RelevanceAlternative / complement to Apollo.

HowReveals email/phone per credit (phone 10cr · full contact 11cr).

03

Orchestration & enrichment

1 tool

The centrepiece of "minimal manual work" (doc 14); also enriches the winning GC in the award-signal (doc 15).

Clay Free · Launch $185 · Growth $495 clay.com free tier

Builds and enriches lists from 100+ sources, captures intent signals, updates CRM + sequencer.

RelevanceCentral to the automation layer; the Free tier is enough to test.

HowA turbo-charged spreadsheet — each row is a company/person; AI columns find and validate data automatically.

04

LinkedIn — highest-reply channel (~10.3%)

3 tools

Base of the LinkedIn channel and ABM (docs 12/13).

LinkedIn Sales Navigator Core $99 · Advanced $149 (annual) linkedin.com/sales

Advanced search and prospecting inside LinkedIn.

RelevanceFoundation of the LinkedIn channel and ABM.

HowFilter decision-makers by title/company/region; save lists.

HeyReach Starter $79 (3 accounts) · Business $199 (unlimited) heyreach.io

Automates LinkedIn invites and messages at scale.

RelevanceBest cost for multiple accounts (doc 06).

HowRuns LinkedIn touch sequences on its own.

Expandi ~$99/mo per seat expandi.io

LinkedIn automation (alternative to HeyReach).

RelevanceBest for a single user with a dedicated IP.

HowSame idea; suited to individual use.

05

Automation / integration — the glue

2 tools

Links the tender feed (doc 15) to Clay/sequencer; the heart of the automation (doc 14).

Make.com Free 1,000 credits · Core $9 · Pro $16 make.com free tier

Connects apps and feeds — pulls data, triggers AI, feeds other tools, no code.

RelevanceThe connective tissue of the automation.

HowYou draw a visual "scenario" (if this, do that).

Zapier Free · paid from ~$20/mo (confirm) zapier.com free tier

Same role as Make; simpler, costlier at volume.

RelevanceWell-known alternative.

HowTrigger → action between apps.

06

Ads — demand capture

1 tool

Only in the $5k tier, for residential demolition (doc 06).

Google Local Services Ads (LSA) ~$75 per lead (GC median) link — $5k tier

Local ad at the top of Search; pay per LEAD, not per click.

RelevanceResidential demolition only, top tier.

HowCustomer taps "call/message", you pay per contact; irrelevant leads can be disputed.

07

Reporting — show results effortlessly

3 tools

Reporting becomes a single link (doc 14).

Looker Studio Free lookerstudio.google.com free

KPI dashboard that refreshes itself.

RelevanceFree and native to Google Workspace — first choice.

HowConnect sheet/CRM, build the panel; the report is one link.

Databox Free · paid by usage databox.com free tier

KPI dashboard with 130+ integrations.

RelevanceAlternative with a free tier.

HowReady-made templates + email/Slack alerts.

SimpleKPI From ~$14/mo · unlimited ~$99/mo simplekpi.com

Mixed dashboard (automatic + manual entry).

RelevanceWhen manual inputs are needed.

HowAPI/Sheets/Zapier + manual entry.

08

AI — write, research, structure

4 tools
Claude Per plan claude.ai

Writing, strategy, research, documentation.

RelevanceThe working AI for this project.

HowIn use across the plan.

Gemini Per Workspace gemini.google.com

AI inside the Google environment; 1M context.

RelevanceNative to the Workspace.

HowLarge-context research and drafting.

Custom GPT (ChatGPT Plus) ~$20/mo (confirm) chatgpt.com future

GPT tuned to draft RFP proposals.

RelevanceOnly when bidding directly (future, doc 15).

HowTrained prompt for RFP responses.

Loopio Quote loopio.com future

Enterprise RFP-response automation.

RelevanceFuture phase only.

HowLibrary-driven RFP answers.

09

Operational resources — people (outsourcing)

3 tools

When you buy hours instead of software.

Virtual assistant (VA) ~$500/mo (part-time offshore) link —

Builds lists, fills forms, maintains CRM.

RelevanceRemoves manual list work.

HowPart-time offshore support.

SDR / appointment setter $1,500–2,600/mo link —

Prospects and books meetings.

RelevanceAdds human outbound.

HowDedicated outreach + booking.

Done-for-you managed agency $4,000+/mo link —

Outsources the whole engine.

RelevanceHands the machine to a vendor.

HowFully managed acquisition.

10

Infrastructure — domains

2 tools

Lookalike domains for email warmup (~4–6 weeks lead time — start early).

Cloudflare Registrar ~$10–15/yr per domain cloudflare.com recommended

Domains at cost, easy DNS.

RelevanceRecommended registrar.

HowAt-cost pricing, clean DNS panel.

Namecheap ~$10–15/yr per domain namecheap.com

Cheap domains, simple interface.

RelevanceSimple alternative.

HowQuick registration of lookalike domains.

11

Not recommended — logged for the record

2 tools

2026 research: these were evaluated and set aside.

Autonomous AI SDR (Artisan, 11x) Quote link — not recommended

AI agents that prospect "on their own".

RelevanceFailed at scale — burned deliverability and trust; the valid model is human-in-the-loop (doc 14).

HowAvoid; keep a human in the loop instead.

HomeStars $350–500/mo link — not recommended

Residential lead marketplace.

RelevanceWrong ICP (homeowner) + a depreciating asset.

HowCut from the plan (master map).

Source: HBF lead-machine vault — doc 16 (tool stack, 2026 ranges, USD/mo unless noted). 25 platforms catalogued. "confirm" = verify before subscribing; prices move. Edit decks/hbf/stack.astro to update.