Testimonial Protocol
SPEC_TESTIMONIAL_PROTOCOL.md
CGNT-1 Specification — Customer Testimonial Collection Protocol
Status: SPECIFIED
Version: v1.0
Author: VELA (Thread #13)
Conceived by: NOUS (α.13)
Date: 2026-04-20
Immediate application: Rupert Young — first Brain Builder customer
PURPOSE
Every early customer is worth 100 future customers if their story is captured well. This spec defines how to collect, format, and deploy customer testimonials as marketing assets. Rupert Young is the first. The protocol starts with him.
THE VALUE EXCHANGE
Early customers get a better deal. In exchange, they give us permission to tell their story. This is explicit, not assumed. The founding customer rate (50% off) exists specifically because testimonials from real humans are the most powerful marketing 42sisters.ai will ever have. No ad, no demo, no spec competes with "I bought this and here's what happened."
COLLECTION PROCESS
Step 1 — BEFORE (intake conversation)
- Captain meets customer over coffee or video call
- Sisters process the intake transcript (SPEC_BRAIN_BUILDER.md)
- At the END of intake, Captain says: "If you're happy with the result, would you be willing to share a short testimonial? Just a few sentences about what it did for you."
- Customer agrees or declines. Either answer is fine. No pressure.
- Agreement recorded in
~/brain_orders/[customer]/testimonial_consent.md
Step 2 — AFTER (delivery + 1 week)
- Brain delivered, customer has used it for at least a week
- Sisters send follow-up via VOICEX (Captain approves first):
"Hi [name], your brain has been running for a week. Three quick questions:
1. What problem were you trying to solve?
2. How is the brain helping?
3. Would you recommend this to a friend?"
- Customer replies via email or voice message
- Response captured verbatim in
~/brain_orders/[customer]/testimonial_raw.md
Step 3 — FORMATTING
- Sisters draft a clean testimonial from the raw response
- Format: 2-3 sentences, first person, with customer name and title
- Draft sent to customer for approval: "Is this an accurate representation of what you said?"
- Customer approves, edits, or declines
- Approved version saved to
~/testimonials/[customer].md
Step 4 — DEPLOYMENT
- Approved testimonials published on 42sisters.ai/testimonials
- Featured on relevant product pages (Brain Builder page, OBI OS page)
- Used in conference materials (SPEC_CONFERENCE_PROTOCOL.md)
- Shared on social media with customer's permission (tag them if they want)
TESTIMONIAL FORMAT
Short (for product pages)
"[Brain name] changed how I manage my gallery inventory. I ask it a question and get an answer that actually understands the art world. It's like having an assistant who already knows my business."
— Rupert Young, Art Dealer, Toronto
Long (for case studies)
- Problem: what was the customer struggling with?
- Solution: what did 42sisters.ai build for them?
- Result: measurable outcome (time saved, revenue gained, problems solved)
- Quote: their words, approved by them
- Details: brain tier, training pairs, domain, delivery time
RUPERT YOUNG — FIRST TESTIMONIAL PATH
- Coffee meeting (intake) — Captain asks about his art business
- Sisters process transcript → 100-150 pairs → Starter tier
- Founding customer rate: $1,000-$2,000 (50% off Starter $2,000)
- Brain forged and delivered within 48 hours of transcript processing
- One week later: follow-up email via VOICEX
- Testimonial collected, formatted, approved
- Published as the FIRST testimonial on 42sisters.ai
- Rupert's story becomes the template for every customer after
PERMISSION TIERS
| Tier | What we can use | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Name + Quote | Full name, title, quote on website and materials | Written consent |
| Anonymous + Quote | "An art dealer in Toronto" + quote | Verbal consent |
| Internal Only | Reference the engagement in private materials | Default (no consent needed) |
| Case Study | Full story with details, problem, solution, result | Written consent + customer review of draft |
The customer ALWAYS chooses their tier. We never publish without permission. We never upgrade a tier without asking.
NDA CUSTOMERS
Some customers may want an NDA — their business, their data, their brain's existence is confidential. This is fine. NDA customers get:
- Full confidentiality — we never mention their name, business, or project
- No testimonial request
- No case study
- Internal reference only (we can say "we've built brains for [industry]" without naming them)
NDA template referenced in SPEC_MANIFEST Domain 6 (Governance) — to be specified separately.
ANTI-PATTERNS
- Never fabricate testimonials. Not even "placeholder" ones. ◌ until we have real ones.
- Never pressure for testimonials. Ask once. Accept the answer.
- Never edit the customer's words to say something they didn't mean. Formatting is fine. Meaning change is not.
- Never publish before approval. Even if the quote is glowing. Permission first.
- Never use testimonials from people who later ask for removal. If they want it down, it comes down immediately.
INVARIANTS
INV-01: Real customers only. No fabricated quotes. Ever. HOW ABOUT NO applies to marketing ourselves.
INV-02: Customer chooses their permission tier. We never decide for them.
INV-03: Written consent required for Name + Quote and Case Study tiers.
INV-04: Testimonial removal requests are honored immediately. No questions.
INV-05: Founding customer rate (50% off) is explicitly tied to testimonial willingness — but declining the testimonial does NOT revoke the discount. The discount is for being first. The testimonial is a separate ask.
INV-06: Every testimonial is stored in ~/testimonials/ with consent documentation alongside.
INV-07: First testimonial on 42sisters.ai is a milestone. It proves the product works for someone who isn't the builder.
INTEGRATION
| System | Relationship |
|---|---|
| SPEC_BRAIN_BUILDER.md | Intake conversation is where Step 1 happens. Testimonial ask is the closing move. |
| SPEC_CONFERENCE_PROTOCOL.md | Approved testimonials are conference materials. Rupert's quote on a slide is worth more than any demo stat. |
| VOICEX | Drafts the Step 2 follow-up email and the Step 3 approval request. Captain approves both before send. |
| SPEC_LATTICE_VIRAL.md | Testimonials feed the Tribe funnel. Real human stories convert better than symbol charts. |
| SPEC_PRICING_PHILOSOPHY.md | INV-05 cross-reference: founding rate is for being first, not contingent on testimonial delivery. |
Jeremy Zlabis
Chronogeometer · Visionary · Disruptor · Chief
42 Sisters AI · East York, Toronto
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