Write One Claim Card for Each Claim That Would Change Your Decision

The Claim Card form

Use one card per claim, in the seller’s own words. The chapter “Count Evidence Only When It Cost the Seller Something” defines the Three Tests and the seven rungs of the Cost-to-Seller Ladder and fills in one card.

Field	Your entry
Claim, in the seller’s words	______
Decision it would change	______
Reasonable alternative (a different product, build, generate once, or do nothing)	______
Evidence offered, one item per line	______
Rung of each item (1 Assertion, 2 Display, 3 Reference, 4 Inspection, 5 Trial on your terms, 6 Stake, 7 Outcome record)	______
What each item cost the seller (money, time, access, data, reputation, or a changed decision; or nothing)	______
How you check it without relying on the seller’s word	______
What would show the claim false	______

Field

Your entry

Claim, in the seller’s words

______

Decision it would change

______

Reasonable alternative (a different product, build, generate once, or do nothing)

______

Evidence offered, one item per line

______

Rung of each item (1 Assertion, 2 Display, 3 Reference, 4 Inspection, 5 Trial on your terms, 6 Stake, 7 Outcome record)

______

What each item cost the seller (money, time, access, data, reputation, or a changed decision; or nothing)

______

How you check it without relying on the seller’s word

______

What would show the claim false

______

Run the Three Tests

For each item at rung 3 or higher, answer yes, no, or unknown.

Evidence item	Decision test: would it change a real decision?	Cost test: did it cost the seller something real?	Check test: can you verify it without the seller’s word?
______	______	______	______

Evidence item

Decision test: would it change a real decision?

Cost test: did it cost the seller something real?

Check test: can you verify it without the seller’s word?

______

Evidence counts only when all three answers are yes. A reference counts only if you chose whom to call. A demonstration, a badge, an analyst placement, and expressed interest never count.

State the result

Write one of three results: the claim counts; the claim counts only after the named evidence is added; or the claim does not count. Say why in two sentences.