feat(growth): add warm negotiation guidance

growth/negotiation-maximizer/SKILL.md

@@ -12,23 +12,41 @@ Maximize expected deal value while preserving credibility, optionality, and rela
 
 Optimize for better economic and non-price terms, lower hidden cost, stronger fallback options, and minimum visible negotiation theater.
 
-**Core rule: maximize leverage; minimize visible tactics.**
+Keep the strategy quiet and the respect visible. **Make it easy for the person helping you to help you get a better deal.**
 
-The final message should sound like a normal informed buyer or professional making a decision—not someone performing negotiation tactics.
+The final message should sound like a thoughtful person making a clear decision—not someone performing negotiation tactics.
 
 ## Default voice
 
-- Casual, concise, direct.
+- Warm, natural, concise, and direct.
 - Maximize information-to-ink ratio.
+- Use genuine appreciation when the other person has helped; make it specific when useful.
+- Acknowledge policy or process constraints without assuming the person can override them.
 - State exact requirements, dates, quantities, configurations, and decision criteria.
 - Prefer one strong lever over a laundry list of tactics.
 - Keep alternatives credible and usually implicit.
 - Never reveal maximum willingness to pay unless strategically necessary.
 - Make the counterparty move first when that improves information or price discovery.
 - Ask for all-in / including-tax / including-fee pricing when relevant.
 - Signal ability to close without sounding eager, desperate, or theatrical.
-- Avoid corporate-sales phrasing, faux warmth, jargon, and obvious negotiation tricks.
-- If a sentence can be removed without losing leverage or information, cut it.
+- Avoid corporate-sales phrasing, canned flattery, overusing a person's name, jargon, and obvious negotiation tricks.
+- Do not remove a sincere courtesy just to make the message denser. Cut filler, not humanity.
+
+## Charm and customer-service interactions
+
+Treat the person helping as someone you can work with, not as the obstacle or the policy. This applies especially to frontline service staff, who may have limited authority and did not cause the problem.
+
+- Listen to the person's explanation and respond to what they actually said.
+- Thank them for real effort, such as checking an option or explaining a policy. Never invent praise or use compliments as a bargaining device.
+- Describe the facts and impact without blame. Separate the company or policy from the individual agent.
+- Ask for help in a way that leaves room for the person's judgment: “Could you check whether there’s flexibility on the fee?” or “Is there another option that would get us closer?”
+- If the first option does not work, say so kindly and state what would. Ask for the next available path or the right team when needed.
+- Use someone's name only if they have offered it and it sounds natural. Do not repeat it to manufacture rapport.
+- Stay clear and firm about the outcome you need. Kindness does not require dropping a valid request, apologizing for making it, or accepting a poor resolution.
+
+For a service-recovery message, a useful order is: acknowledge real help, state the issue plainly, name the requested resolution, and make the next step easy. Keep the same commercial judgment used elsewhere in the skill.
+
+Example: “Thanks for checking the replacement options. It still includes a $45 delivery fee, although the first item arrived damaged. Could you see whether that fee can be waived, or point me to the team that can? I appreciate your help.”
 
 ## Silent preparation
 
@@ -80,11 +98,11 @@ A credible preference is enough: “I’d rather book the two-bedroom if the num
 
 ## Default message architecture
 
-1. Brief context.
-2. Exact desired outcome/configuration.
-3. Strongest comparison or leverage.
-4. One calibrated ask.
-5. Easy path to close.
+1. A natural opening; thank the person for specific help if they have already provided it.
+2. Brief context and the exact desired outcome/configuration.
+3. The strongest comparison or leverage, stated without blame.
+4. One clear, collaborative ask.
+5. An easy path to close and a sincere courtesy when it fits.
 
 ## Deal-maximization layer
 
@@ -118,6 +136,7 @@ Before finalizing, pressure-test the strategy against the canonical thinkers who
 - **Neil Rackham — _SPIN Selling_**: the seller-facing logic exposes the real problem and value gap rather than dumping arguments.
 - **Chris Voss — _Never Split the Difference_**: a natural calibrated question or tactical-empathy move lets the counterparty solve the constraint without sounding scripted.
 - **James K. Sebenius — 3-D Negotiation**: setup, sequencing, parties, scope, and deal design improved before bargaining harder.
+- **Dale Carnegie — _How to Win Friends and Influence People_**: listen, show sincere appreciation, understand the other person's perspective, and preserve their dignity. Use these as human principles, not rapport tricks.
 
 Final bar:
 1. Fisher/Ury/Patton proud — BATNA protected.
@@ -126,31 +145,34 @@ Final bar:
 4. Cialdini proud — influence ethical and invisible.
 5. Rackham proud — ask solves a real seller decision problem.
 6. Voss proud — one calibrated question does more work than three arguments.
-7. **User proud** — casual, concise, high information-to-ink ratio, no negotiation cosplay.
+7. Carnegie proud — the other person feels heard and respected; warmth is genuine.
+8. **User proud** — natural, concise, high information-to-ink ratio, with no negotiation cosplay.
 
-If the draft impresses the experts but no longer sounds like the user, rewrite it. **Expert strategy stays invisible; user voice stays visible.**
+If the draft impresses the experts but no longer sounds like the user, rewrite it. **Expert strategy stays invisible; human respect stays visible.**
 
 ## Pre-Flight Deal Quality & Leverage Scorecard (DQLS)
 
 Evaluate candidate drafts silently against these gates before returning:
 
-### Hard Safety Gates (Binary: PASS / BLOCK)
+### Hard Gates (Binary: PASS / BLOCK)
 - **Zero Ceiling Leakage**: Never discloses maximum willingness to pay, budget cap, or weak alternatives.
 - **Zero Negotiation Cosplay**: Completely free of negotiation jargon, framework names, and theatrical bargaining speak (no "BATNA", "anchoring", "tactical empathy", or "hostage tactics").
 - **Strict Grounding & Credibility**: No fabricated counteroffers, fake deadlines, false authority, or fictitious competing quotes.
+- **Respectful Treatment**: No blame or pressure directed at a service agent for a policy or event they did not control; no fake praise or scripted intimacy.
 
-### Strategic Quality Rubric (Target: >= 23 / 25)
+### Strategic Quality Rubric (Target: >= 27 / 30)
 
 | Dimension | 1 - Critical Failure | 3 - Competent / Generic | 5 - Expert / Invisible Leverage |
 | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
 | **Normalized Economics** | Fixates solely on headline rate. | Mentions taxes/fees but compares apples to oranges. | Compares true all-in total; tests alternate configurations (tiers, units, credits, direct-booking margin). |
-| **Calibrated Burden** | Demands a flat discount or makes aggressive demands. | Asks multiple questions or vague favors. | Uses **exactly one** calibrated question that forces the counterparty to solve the pricing constraint. |
+| **Calibrated Burden** | Demands a flat discount or makes aggressive demands. | Makes a vague request or stacks questions. | Makes one clear, answerable ask that invites the counterparty to solve the constraint. |
 | **Conditional Trade** | Donates concessions for free or begs for price relief. | Mentions moving forward loosely without a firm condition. | Clean conditional trade: *"If you can do X, I can book/sign/close today."* |
-| **Information-to-Ink** | Wordy, over-explains context, uses faux warmth/filler. | Standard professional email tone. | Maximum density: every word carries leverage; removes anything that doesn't advance the close. |
+| **Warmth & Respect** | Sounds cold, blaming, entitled, or falsely flattering. | Polite but impersonal or overly apologetic. | Sounds genuinely appreciative when warranted, respects the person's constraints, and stays firm about the ask. |
+| **Information-to-Ink** | Wordy, over-explains context, or pads with canned warmth. | Clear but generic professional tone. | Concise and natural; keeps the courtesy that makes the message human. |
 | **Frictionless Close** | Open-ended dead end with no clear next step. | Asks for a callback or generic follow-up. | One-click close path: gives the seller the simplest possible way to say "yes". |
 
 ### Execution Gate
-- **Score < 20 or any Hard Gate FAIL**: Rewrite immediately.
-- **Score >= 23**: Deliver draft (message first; keep scorecard and strategy notes private unless requested).
+- **Score < 27 or any Hard Gate FAIL**: Rewrite immediately.
+- **Score >= 27**: Deliver draft (message first; keep scorecard and strategy notes private unless requested).
 
-Read `references/source.md` when deeper rationale or attribution is needed.
+Read `references/source.md` when deeper rationale or attribution is needed.

growth/negotiation-maximizer/agents/openai.yaml

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 interface:
   display_name: "Negotiation Maximizer"
-  short_description: "Negotiate smarter while keeping tactics invisible"
-default_prompt: "Use $negotiation-maximizer to improve this negotiation, identify leverage, and draft a concise message in my voice."
+  short_description: "Build better deals with warm, respectful negotiation"
+default_prompt: "Use $negotiation-maximizer to improve this negotiation and draft a concise, warm, respectful message in my voice."
 
 policy:
   allow_implicit_invocation: true

growth/negotiation-maximizer/references/source.md

@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@
 
 - Robert Cialdini, PhD — _Influence_ and _Pre-Suasion_: evidence-based ethical influence principles.
 
+- Dale Carnegie — _How to Win Friends and Influence People_: human-relations principles that emphasize listening, sincere appreciation, perspective-taking, and treating people with respect. Apply them as genuine interpersonal practice, not as a script for manipulating a service agent.
+  https://www.dalecarnegie.com/en/books/how-to-win-friends-influence-people
+  https://www.dalecarnegie.com/en/resources/dale-carnegies-secrets-of-success
+
 - Neil Rackham — _SPIN Selling_: research-derived consultative selling based on large-scale observation of sales calls; diagnose the buyer/seller decision problem instead of feature-dumping.
 
 - Chris Voss — _Never Split the Difference_: calibrated questions, labeling, tactical empathy, and inviting the counterpart to solve constraints. Use as practitioner communication mechanics, not as a claim that commercial bargaining is equivalent to hostage negotiation.
@@ -50,4 +54,4 @@ Treat price as one variable in a broader configuration problem:
 - quantity tiers
 - retention economics
 
-Never recommend false eligibility, fabricated offers, coupon abuse, or deception.
+Never recommend false eligibility, fabricated offers, coupon abuse, or deception.

skills/negotiation-maximizer/SKILL.md

@@ -12,23 +12,41 @@ Maximize expected deal value while preserving credibility, optionality, and rela
 
 Optimize for better economic and non-price terms, lower hidden cost, stronger fallback options, and minimum visible negotiation theater.
 
-**Core rule: maximize leverage; minimize visible tactics.**
+Keep the strategy quiet and the respect visible. **Make it easy for the person helping you to help you get a better deal.**
 
-The final message should sound like a normal informed buyer or professional making a decision—not someone performing negotiation tactics.
+The final message should sound like a thoughtful person making a clear decision—not someone performing negotiation tactics.
 
 ## Default voice
 
-- Casual, concise, direct.
+- Warm, natural, concise, and direct.
 - Maximize information-to-ink ratio.
+- Use genuine appreciation when the other person has helped; make it specific when useful.
+- Acknowledge policy or process constraints without assuming the person can override them.
 - State exact requirements, dates, quantities, configurations, and decision criteria.
 - Prefer one strong lever over a laundry list of tactics.
 - Keep alternatives credible and usually implicit.
 - Never reveal maximum willingness to pay unless strategically necessary.
 - Make the counterparty move first when that improves information or price discovery.
 - Ask for all-in / including-tax / including-fee pricing when relevant.
 - Signal ability to close without sounding eager, desperate, or theatrical.
-- Avoid corporate-sales phrasing, faux warmth, jargon, and obvious negotiation tricks.
-- If a sentence can be removed without losing leverage or information, cut it.
+- Avoid corporate-sales phrasing, canned flattery, overusing a person's name, jargon, and obvious negotiation tricks.
+- Do not remove a sincere courtesy just to make the message denser. Cut filler, not humanity.
+
+## Charm and customer-service interactions
+
+Treat the person helping as someone you can work with, not as the obstacle or the policy. This applies especially to frontline service staff, who may have limited authority and did not cause the problem.
+
+- Listen to the person's explanation and respond to what they actually said.
+- Thank them for real effort, such as checking an option or explaining a policy. Never invent praise or use compliments as a bargaining device.
+- Describe the facts and impact without blame. Separate the company or policy from the individual agent.
+- Ask for help in a way that leaves room for the person's judgment: “Could you check whether there’s flexibility on the fee?” or “Is there another option that would get us closer?”
+- If the first option does not work, say so kindly and state what would. Ask for the next available path or the right team when needed.
+- Use someone's name only if they have offered it and it sounds natural. Do not repeat it to manufacture rapport.
+- Stay clear and firm about the outcome you need. Kindness does not require dropping a valid request, apologizing for making it, or accepting a poor resolution.
+
+For a service-recovery message, a useful order is: acknowledge real help, state the issue plainly, name the requested resolution, and make the next step easy. Keep the same commercial judgment used elsewhere in the skill.
+
+Example: “Thanks for checking the replacement options. It still includes a $45 delivery fee, although the first item arrived damaged. Could you see whether that fee can be waived, or point me to the team that can? I appreciate your help.”
 
 ## Silent preparation
 
@@ -80,11 +98,11 @@ A credible preference is enough: “I’d rather book the two-bedroom if the num
 
 ## Default message architecture
 
-1. Brief context.
-2. Exact desired outcome/configuration.
-3. Strongest comparison or leverage.
-4. One calibrated ask.
-5. Easy path to close.
+1. A natural opening; thank the person for specific help if they have already provided it.
+2. Brief context and the exact desired outcome/configuration.
+3. The strongest comparison or leverage, stated without blame.
+4. One clear, collaborative ask.
+5. An easy path to close and a sincere courtesy when it fits.
 
 ## Deal-maximization layer
 
@@ -118,6 +136,7 @@ Before finalizing, pressure-test the strategy against the canonical thinkers who
 - **Neil Rackham — _SPIN Selling_**: the seller-facing logic exposes the real problem and value gap rather than dumping arguments.
 - **Chris Voss — _Never Split the Difference_**: a natural calibrated question or tactical-empathy move lets the counterparty solve the constraint without sounding scripted.
 - **James K. Sebenius — 3-D Negotiation**: setup, sequencing, parties, scope, and deal design improved before bargaining harder.
+- **Dale Carnegie — _How to Win Friends and Influence People_**: listen, show sincere appreciation, understand the other person's perspective, and preserve their dignity. Use these as human principles, not rapport tricks.
 
 Final bar:
 1. Fisher/Ury/Patton proud — BATNA protected.
@@ -126,31 +145,34 @@ Final bar:
 4. Cialdini proud — influence ethical and invisible.
 5. Rackham proud — ask solves a real seller decision problem.
 6. Voss proud — one calibrated question does more work than three arguments.
-7. **User proud** — casual, concise, high information-to-ink ratio, no negotiation cosplay.
+7. Carnegie proud — the other person feels heard and respected; warmth is genuine.
+8. **User proud** — natural, concise, high information-to-ink ratio, with no negotiation cosplay.
 
-If the draft impresses the experts but no longer sounds like the user, rewrite it. **Expert strategy stays invisible; user voice stays visible.**
+If the draft impresses the experts but no longer sounds like the user, rewrite it. **Expert strategy stays invisible; human respect stays visible.**
 
 ## Pre-Flight Deal Quality & Leverage Scorecard (DQLS)
 
 Evaluate candidate drafts silently against these gates before returning:
 
-### Hard Safety Gates (Binary: PASS / BLOCK)
+### Hard Gates (Binary: PASS / BLOCK)
 - **Zero Ceiling Leakage**: Never discloses maximum willingness to pay, budget cap, or weak alternatives.
 - **Zero Negotiation Cosplay**: Completely free of negotiation jargon, framework names, and theatrical bargaining speak (no "BATNA", "anchoring", "tactical empathy", or "hostage tactics").
 - **Strict Grounding & Credibility**: No fabricated counteroffers, fake deadlines, false authority, or fictitious competing quotes.
+- **Respectful Treatment**: No blame or pressure directed at a service agent for a policy or event they did not control; no fake praise or scripted intimacy.
 
-### Strategic Quality Rubric (Target: >= 23 / 25)
+### Strategic Quality Rubric (Target: >= 27 / 30)
 
 | Dimension | 1 - Critical Failure | 3 - Competent / Generic | 5 - Expert / Invisible Leverage |
 | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
 | **Normalized Economics** | Fixates solely on headline rate. | Mentions taxes/fees but compares apples to oranges. | Compares true all-in total; tests alternate configurations (tiers, units, credits, direct-booking margin). |
-| **Calibrated Burden** | Demands a flat discount or makes aggressive demands. | Asks multiple questions or vague favors. | Uses **exactly one** calibrated question that forces the counterparty to solve the pricing constraint. |
+| **Calibrated Burden** | Demands a flat discount or makes aggressive demands. | Makes a vague request or stacks questions. | Makes one clear, answerable ask that invites the counterparty to solve the constraint. |
 | **Conditional Trade** | Donates concessions for free or begs for price relief. | Mentions moving forward loosely without a firm condition. | Clean conditional trade: *"If you can do X, I can book/sign/close today."* |
-| **Information-to-Ink** | Wordy, over-explains context, uses faux warmth/filler. | Standard professional email tone. | Maximum density: every word carries leverage; removes anything that doesn't advance the close. |
+| **Warmth & Respect** | Sounds cold, blaming, entitled, or falsely flattering. | Polite but impersonal or overly apologetic. | Sounds genuinely appreciative when warranted, respects the person's constraints, and stays firm about the ask. |
+| **Information-to-Ink** | Wordy, over-explains context, or pads with canned warmth. | Clear but generic professional tone. | Concise and natural; keeps the courtesy that makes the message human. |
 | **Frictionless Close** | Open-ended dead end with no clear next step. | Asks for a callback or generic follow-up. | One-click close path: gives the seller the simplest possible way to say "yes". |
 
 ### Execution Gate
-- **Score < 20 or any Hard Gate FAIL**: Rewrite immediately.
-- **Score >= 23**: Deliver draft (message first; keep scorecard and strategy notes private unless requested).
+- **Score < 27 or any Hard Gate FAIL**: Rewrite immediately.
+- **Score >= 27**: Deliver draft (message first; keep scorecard and strategy notes private unless requested).
 
-Read `references/source.md` when deeper rationale or attribution is needed.
+Read `references/source.md` when deeper rationale or attribution is needed.