{"id":"sales-discount-request-with-math","audience":"sales","category":"sales-work","technique":"constraints","track":"sales","level":"advanced","title":"Write a deal desk discount request that shows the math","free":false,"task":"Ostrander Labs asked for 25% off. Write your deal desk request as 3 lines labeled List price, Their counter, Policy, each showing its math, then a last line starting \"Recommendation:\". Use the final seat count of 120. Your policy allows at most 15% with a 2-year prepay and manager approval, so recommend within that. Don't mention end-of-quarter pressure or any deadline. Plain text, under 130 words.","materialLabel":"Your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"DEAL: Ostrander Labs - analytics platform\nOriginal quote (Oct 14): 150 seats x $40/seat/month, 1-year term.\nUpdate (Nov 3): they cut to 120 seats after a reorg. Confirmed by their procurement lead, Wes Dunmore.\n\nTheir ask (Nov 4 email from Wes): \"We need 25% off list to get this past our CFO. Our budget for this is $45k a year.\"\nAlso: Wes said they'd consider paying 2 years up front if it helps.\n\nDiscount policy (Sales Handbook, section 4):\n- Reps can approve up to 10% off list.\n- Multi-year prepay (2+ years paid up front): up to an extra 5%.\n- Anything over 10% needs sales manager approval. Over 15% needs VP approval, rarely given.\n\nMy manager: Bea Lindqvist.\nMy own note: quarter closes Dec 31, I'm at 82% of quota, would love this in Q4.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":130}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using the original seat count","why":"The quote says 150 seats; the AI may not notice the Nov 3 update to 120.","fix":"Add: \"Use the final seat count, 120.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Skipping the math","why":"The AI writes \"significant savings\" without showing how it got there.","fix":"Add: \"Show the math in each line, like 120 x $40 x 12 = $57,600.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Asking for what they asked","why":"The AI passes on the 25% request without checking it against your policy.","fix":"Add: \"Recommend only what policy allows: max 15% with a 2-year prepay and manager approval.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Using your quota as a reason","why":"The AI sees your quarter-end note and turns it into pressure language.","fix":"Add: \"Don't mention the quarter, quota or any deadline.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Forgetting it's plain text","why":"AI adds bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in the deal desk form.","fix":"Add: \"Plain text only. No bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting and runs long when you only give a total like 130 words.","fix":"Cap each part instead, like \"each line under 25 words,\" so the total lands well under 130.","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Uses the final seat count","patterns":["120"]},{"label":"Asks for the math","patterns":["show (the )?math","x \\$?40","calculat","working"]},{"label":"States the policy limit","patterns":["15%","policy","manager approval"]},{"label":"Bans deadline pressure","patterns":["quarter","quota","deadline","urgency"]},{"label":"Asks for plain text","patterns":["plain","no bold","no markdown","no formatting","no headings"]}],"hint":"Deal desk approves numbers, not stories. Give the final seat count, ask for the math on every line and keep the recommendation inside policy.","rubricLabels":["The List price line shows 120 seats x $40 x 12 months = $57,600 per year (using 120 seats, not 150)","The last line starts with \"Recommendation:\" and recommends 15% off with a 2-year prepay needing manager approval (not 25%)","Does not mention the quarter end, quota, or any deadline as a reason for the discount"]}