convert-three-locks

name	convert-three-locks
slash_command	false
pack	business-conversion
family	donahoe_method
description	Architect the Three Locks persuasion sequence: Lock 1 Want (sell the state), Lock 2 Trust (earn belief through proof + voice), Lock 3 Excuse (give the rational justification). Outputs the lock-by-lock blueprint that the rest of the asset writes against. Use when planning the persuasion architecture of a sales page, VSL, or long-form email before drafting copy. Not for writing the open (use convert-open) or the close (use convert-close) - this designs the middle architecture they bridge.
triggers	["architect the persuasion","three locks","donahoe three locks","want trust excuse","design the persuasion sequence","persuasion architecture","lock by lock plan","sell the state"]
negative_triggers	["write me a hook","write the close","audit my page","design the offer"]
tags	["conversion","copy","donahoe-method","three-locks","persuasion","architecture"]
priority	100
version	1.0.0
author	Wayland Business Pack
license	MIT
metadata	{"wayland":{"related_skills":["convert","convert-four-questions","convert-open","convert-proof","convert-bullets","convert-close","convert-sales-page","convert-vsl"]}}
attribution	{"lineage":"The Donahoe Method (Wayland-owned operating system); references *Cialdini's six principles of influence (Influence, 1984)*, *Halbert's want-and-justify model (Boron Letters, 1984)*, and the *AIDA architecture (Lewis, 1898)*"}

Convert Three Locks - The Persuasion Architecture

"Three things must happen - roughly in this order - before someone buys. Think of them as three locks on a door. You need to open all three. Miss one and the door stays closed." - The Donahoe Method, Framework 3

This skill produces the lock-by-lock blueprint for a conversion asset. Lock 1 (Want), Lock 2 (Trust), Lock 3 (Excuse). All three open or no sale.

The output is the architecture the asset writes against. The Open (convert-open) leads into Lock 1. The Close (convert-close) closes after Lock 3. Everything in between is the locks.

When to Use

Trigger phrases: "architect the persuasion", "three locks", "donahoe three locks", "want trust excuse", "design the persuasion sequence", "persuasion architecture", "lock by lock plan", "sell the state", /convert locks <product or brief>.

Run this skill after convert-four-questions and convert-temperature, and before any page-builder. The locks become the section spine of the page.

Do NOT use for:

• Writing the opening hook (use convert-open)
• Writing the close itself (use convert-close)
• Designing the offer's value structure (use funnels-offer - different pack)
• Auditing existing persuasion arcs (use convert-audit)

Inputs

Required:

1. Four Questions output (from convert-four-questions) - Why You feeds Want; Why Me feeds Trust; Why This + Why Now feed Excuse.
2. Temperature (from convert-temperature) - calibrates how much weight each lock carries (Cool audiences load Trust heavy; Hot audiences load Excuse heavy).
3. Offer details - what they're buying, the price, the guarantee, any bonuses, the format.

Optional:

• Available proof - anecdotes, receipts, namechecks (feeds Lock 2 specifically)
• Section length budget - how many words / minutes per lock
• Competing alternatives the reader has considered - affects how Lock 2 builds Trust around differentiation
• out_path - caller-controlled output. Defaults via build_report_path.

The Three Locks (full method)