{"id":2087,"slug":"rule-pair-hard-tier-with-feasible-next-step","title":"Rule — Every \"hard\" tier ships with a feasible, proximal first step","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["fear-appeal-efficacy-pairing"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** For any Moderate / High / Very High difficulty tier, the output PROMINENTLY includes a concrete, doable first step the owner can take in the next 1-2 weeks.\n\n**Why:** Witte EPPM ([[witte-eppm-efficacy-pairing]]) — without efficacy, threat produces fatalism. Tannenbaum 2015 ([[tannenbaum-2015-meta-fear-appeals-broadly-effective]]) — efficacy-paired threat works. Bandura ([[bandura-self-efficacy-and-goal-gradient]]) — proximal concrete steps raise action.\n\n**How to apply:** For \"High\" tier in a local business — \"**This week:** open your Google Business Profile and add 3 photos + verify hours. **This month:** ask your 5 most recent customers for a review.\" For \"High\" tier in content/SEO — first step is specific (NOT \"improve your SEO\").","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"witte-eppm-efficacy-pairing","title":"Witte EPPM — fear appeals MOTIVATE only when paired with efficacy","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"tannenbaum-2015-meta-fear-appeals-broadly-effective","title":"Tannenbaum et al. 2015 — meta-analysis of 248 samples: fear appeals work, with efficacy","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"bandura-self-efficacy-and-goal-gradient","title":"Self-efficacy (Bandura) + goal-gradient — proximal feasible steps raise action","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-presenting-tiers-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget presentation layer — tiered results without overclaiming (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:03.490Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:03.490Z"}