{"id":"sales-exec-sponsor-help-email-stalled-deal","audience":"sales","category":"sales-work","technique":"context","track":"sales","level":"advanced","title":"Ask your executive sponsor for help on a stalled deal, factually","free":false,"task":"Write an email to your VP of Sales, Carmen Ortiz, asking her to call the customer's COO. Plain text under 130 words, subject line first. Use exactly three labeled sections on their own lines: Situation, Ask, What I need from you. Facts only; do not blame the buyer or your team and don't promise Carmen's availability or a result. Use the corrected days stalled and the corrected amount.","materialLabel":"Deal facts and corrections (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Deal: Rowan Manufacturing, new business. Rep: Elias.\n\nCRM shows: amount $210,000; stage: Proposal; last activity: Oct 1. \nCorrections (Elias, Nov 5): the amount was reduced to $185,000 after Rowan removed the third plant from scope on Oct 14. Last real contact was the Oct 14 call, not Oct 1 (a rep note was mis-dated). Today is Nov 6, so the deal has had no reply for 23 days.\n\nSituation: Proposal sent Oct 6; revised Oct 16. The buyer lead, Tomas Reyes (plant manager), has gone silent after the Oct 14 call. The COO, Anika Voss, signs contracts over $150K. Elias has never met Anika; Tomas has not offered an intro.\n\nPossible ask: Carmen calls Anika to introduce herself and ask for 15 minutes about the project.\nElias's guesses (not facts): \"Tomas is probably blocked by procurement.\" \"The competitor probably got in.\"\nTimeline: Rowan's fiscal year ends Dec 31; the proposal assumes a Jan start.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":130}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using the CRM numbers","why":"The AI uses $210,000 and Oct 1.","fix":"Add: \"Use the corrected amount and days stalled.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Including guesses","why":"The AI says procurement is blocking or a competitor got in.","fix":"Add: \"Facts only; no guesses or blame.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Vague ask","why":"The AI says 'any help would be great'.","fix":"Add: \"State the specific call and 15 minutes.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Wrong structure","why":"The AI writes a long email.","fix":"Add: \"Three headings on their own lines, plain text, under 130 words.\"","checks":["r0","plainText","maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the three headings","patterns":["situation","ask","what i need from you"]},{"label":"Uses corrected facts","patterns":["corrected","185,000","23 days"]},{"label":"Bans guesses and blame","patterns":["facts only","guess","blame"]},{"label":"States the specific ask","patterns":["15 minutes","call anika","specific"]},{"label":"Limits form","patterns":["subject","plain text","under 130"]}],"hint":"Name the three headings, say which figures are correct and ban guesses and blame.","rubricLabels":["Line 1 starts with \"Subject:\" and the email uses exactly three headings on their own lines: Situation, Ask, What I need from you","Situation uses the corrected figures $185,000 and 23 days without a reply (not $210,000 or the Oct 1 date), and states the proposal dates of Oct 6 and Oct 16 and that the COO Anika Voss signs contracts over $150K","Ask is for Carmen to call Anika for 15 minutes, What I need from you is a specific request such as a yes or no and a time window, and the email contains none of Elias's guesses, no blame, and no promise about the result"]}