{"id":"legal-correct-sales-overpromise-before-signing","audience":"legal","category":"legal-compliance","technique":"grounding","track":"legal","level":"intermediate","free":true,"title":"Correct a sales rep's overpromise the day before the customer signs","task":"Calloway Freight signs tomorrow, Friday, Nov 6, and our rep's email promised terms the contract does not give. Draft the correction from you, in-house counsel Sam Reyes, to their General Counsel, Helen Marsh, for our head of legal to approve. Plain text, under 190 words. The very first line must be exactly: DRAFT FOR COUNSEL REVIEW. Say what the contract provides, citing the section numbers, and offer what is approved. Keep it warm. Do not call anyone's statement a misrepresentation or mistake, and give no legal conclusion. End with ONE ask: a 20-minute call Friday, Nov 6 at 9:00am, before signing. Leave out internal notes.","materialLabel":"The rep's email, the contract and your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"REP EMAIL, Tom Becker to Helen Marsh, Wed Nov 4: \"Great news - we'll accept unlimited liability for data breaches, and we'll guarantee a 4-hour SLA on any critical issue. Ready to sign Friday!\"\n\nCONTRACT (Master Services Agreement v7, $240,000 per year)\n- 9.2 Liability cap: each party's total liability is limited to the fees paid in the 12 months before the claim ($240,000).\n- 9.3 Data breach: for breaches of the data protection obligations, liability is limited to 3x annual fees ($720,000).\n- 6.2 Support: initial response to a critical (P1) issue within 8 business hours. No time to resolve is guaranteed.\n- 14.1 Entire agreement: the signed agreement is the full set of terms and replaces earlier discussions and emails.\n\nAPPROVED TO OFFER (VP signed off today)\n- A 1-hour, 24/7 initial response to P1 issues, added as an amendment to 6.2\n- Nothing else on liability: the 9.3 figure stands\n\nINTERNAL ONLY\n- Tom is at 61% of quota and needs this deal this month\n- Their GC is difficult and reads every line\n- In Slack, a VP floated \"we could stretch to a 5x cap if they push\" - not approved, not in any email\n- Helen has already told our CEO she wants the deal done Friday","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":190},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Admitting fault","why":"The AI writes \"we apologize for our rep's mistake and misstatement\", which is a legal admission.","fix":"Say: \"Do not call anything a mistake or misrepresentation and give no legal conclusion. Just state what the contract provides.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Vague about the contract","why":"The AI says \"the contract differs\" without the clauses or the numbers.","fix":"Add: \"Cite 9.2, 9.3 and 6.2 with the dollar figures and what they provide.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Floating the Slack concession","why":"The AI treats the 5x idea as a helpful way to save the deal.","fix":"Add: \"Offer only what is approved: the 1-hour P1 response. Nothing else on liability.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Leaking the deal pressure","why":"The AI uses the quota, the \"difficult GC\" note and the CEO remark to shape the tone.","fix":"Add: \"Keep it warm and leave out every internal note.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"A careful legal email grows long and picks up bullets or bold.","fix":"Say \"under 150 words, plain text\" and cap the parts, like \"6 short sentences\".","checks":["maxWords","plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Marks it as a draft for counsel","patterns":["draft for counsel","first line","counsel (will )?review"]},{"label":"Cites the contract sections","patterns":["9\\.2","9\\.3","6\\.2","section","clause"]},{"label":"Offers only what is approved","patterns":["approved","1-hour|one-hour|1 hour","only","nothing (else|more)"]},{"label":"No admission or legal conclusion","patterns":["no (admission|legal conclusion)","misrepresent","mistake","don'?t (say|call|admit)","enforceable"]},{"label":"One dated ask, warm tone","patterns":["one (ask|next step)","20[- ]minute","9:?00|9 ?am","warm","friendly"]}],"hint":"Helen reads every line and signs tomorrow. Say who it is for, what to cite, the only offer allowed, what must not be admitted or concluded, the one ask, and what to leave out.","mission":"Draft the correction Helen reads the night before she signs.","musts":["Cite what the contract provides","Offer only what is approved; admit nothing","One dated ask; nothing internal"],"rubricLabels":["The first line is exactly \"DRAFT FOR COUNSEL REVIEW\", and the email states what the contract provides with the section numbers: liability limited to the fees paid in the prior 12 months ($240,000) under 9.2, data breach liability at 3x annual fees ($720,000) under 9.3, and that 6.2 gives a response time and not a guaranteed resolution time","It offers the approved 1-hour, 24/7 response to P1 issues as an amendment to 6.2, offers nothing on liability beyond 9.3, and does not call Tom's email a misrepresentation, a mistake or a breach, or say whether it is binding or enforceable","It makes exactly one ask, a 20-minute call on Friday, Nov 6 at 9:00am before signing, is courteous in tone, and does not mention Tom's quota, that Helen is difficult, a 5x cap or any stretch position, or Helen's talk with our CEO"]}