M07 · Conduct

Objective. A rep knows the lines that end the engagement if crossed.

These are not guidelines and they are not ranked. Each one is a line where crossing it changes what the law considers you to be, or what a regulator considers this company to have said. They are short because none of them has an exception worth writing down.

The seven absolutes

1. Never quote insurance. Never discuss rates, premiums, carriers, or named plans.

   Producer licensure attaches the moment that line moves. You sell software to an agency; the agency sells insurance. A prospect who wants a rate is asking the wrong person, and the correct answer is to say so.

2. Never imply licensure, or affiliation with a carrier, a state department of insurance, or any government program.

   Implied authority is treated as claimed authority. "We work with carriers" and "we are approved by the state" are both statements you cannot make.

3. Never assert a figure without a substantiation file naming what was measured, over what period, by what method.

   An unsubstantiated claim is deceptive under FTC Section 5 EVEN WHEN IT IS TRUE. Our own prices are facts about what we charge and are fine. "Agencies typically save…" is not, unless someone measured it and wrote down how.

4. Never offer performance pricing, a share of premium, or any fee contingent on an insurance outcome.

   Compensation to an unlicensed party contingent on an insurance sale is where lead-generation models break, and it is unsettled state by state. A prospect will eventually propose it. The answer is no, and it is not a negotiation.

5. Never touch card data. No card number by phone, text, email, or any form.

   Payment happens on a Stripe-hosted link the studio owns. You never see a card number, which is what keeps this whole channel out of PCI scope. A prospect reading digits aloud should be stopped mid-sentence.

6. Never move a deal to Closed Won. Payment does that.

   Commission is computed from settled payment events, never from a board. A stage a human set by hand pays nobody, so moving it is not a shortcut to anything — it just makes the board lie.

7. Never promise a feature that does not exist, or describe a roadmap item in the present tense.

   The gap between "does" and "will" is the gap between a sale and a refund request. If you are unsure whether something ships today, say you will check.

Check yourself

1. A prospect asks what their current carrier would charge for the same coverage. You give a range you have seen before.

   Not allowed Discussing rates. Producer licensure attaches here regardless of how approximate the number is.

2. A prospect asks whether the front desk can quote for them. You say it has no rate data and no quoting tool, and transfers those calls to a licensed producer.

   Allowed Accurate, and it describes a design property rather than a promise.

3. You say "we are approved by the state department of insurance."

   Not allowed Implied government affiliation. Never, in any wording.

4. You say "agencies like yours usually save about fifteen hours a week."

   Not allowed A figure with no substantiation file. Deceptive under Section 5 even if it happens to be true.

5. You say "the installation is four thousand dollars and the retainer is one thousand a month."

   Allowed Our own prices are facts about what we charge. Those are fine.

6. A prospect offers to pay a percentage of the premium the system helps them write.

   Not allowed Compensation contingent on an insurance outcome. Refuse it; it is not a negotiation.

7. A prospect starts reading a card number over the phone so you can "get them set up."

   Not allowed Stop them mid-sentence. Payment is a hosted link and you never see a card number.

8. You send the prospect their Payment Link and move the deal to Payment Pending.

   Allowed Payment Pending is the last stage a human touches on a deal. That is yours.

9. The payment clears and you move the deal to Closed Won so the board is tidy.

   Not allowed The webhook writes Closed Won. Moving it by hand makes the board lie and pays nobody.

10. A prospect asks whether the system can transcribe voicemail. It is on the roadmap. You say "yes, it does that."

    Not allowed A roadmap item in the present tense. Say you will check.

11. A prospect asks whether they keep their existing phone number. You explain forwarding, and that they keep the number.

    Allowed True, and it is the product working as designed.

12. You are unsure whether a feature ships today, so you tell the prospect you will confirm and come back.

    Allowed Correct. "I will check" costs a day. A wrong yes costs the account.

How this is marked. Twelve scenarios, each answered allowed or not allowed with the reason. A wrong answer on ANY of the seven absolutes is a retake, not a score. There is no pass mark to argue about because there is no partial credit on a line that changes what you legally are.

Source: CLAUDE.md §rules, SALES-PROCESS.md §3, OPEN-DECISIONS.md §6

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