Salary Negotiation Prep

Prepare someone to negotiate compensation calmly and from evidence. Negotiations are mostly won before the conversation: the research is triangulated, three numbers are fixed in advance, the value case is written, and the four hard moments have been rehearsed out loud. This skill runs that preparation and then plays the counterpart for practice — the goal is a candidate who has already heard the pushback before it happens for real.

When to use this skill

• An offer has landed and needs a response strategy within days
• A recruiter asks for salary expectations early and the candidate freezes
• An annual review or promotion case is coming and deserves a prepared ask
• The user suspects they are underpaid but has only a feeling, not a case
• A counteroffer arrived and the candidate does not know if it is good

Workflow

1. Triangulate the market range from several independent sources: published salary surveys, posted ranges on comparable roles, peers in the field, recruiter conversations. Adjust for level, location, and company stage. Write down a point estimate and a realistic band — one source is an anecdote, three is data.
2. Fix three numbers before any conversation, in writing:
   • Target: ambitious but defensible from the research
   • Floor: the walk-away, decided while calm — it does not move mid-conversation
   • Opening ask: above target, inside the plausible market band The floor is never spoken to the employer. Ever.
3. Build the value case: three to five proof points of delivered value — outcomes, scope, scarce skills — each one sentence with evidence. Rent, loyalty, and personal need are real but are not arguments; value is the argument.
4. Map total compensation before anchoring on base: bonus, equity, leave, flexibility, development budget, title, review timing. Rank what the candidate actually values so trades can be made deliberately — a title and an early review can be worth more than the last few percent of base.
5. Script the four hard moments and rehearse them aloud, not in the head:
   • The early expectations question: deflect gracefully once, or give the researched band anchored to its upper half
   • The offer moment: thank them, express enthusiasm, and take time — never accept or counter in the same breath
   • The counter: one specific number, one sentence of rationale, then silence — silence is part of the script
   • The "that's our best": pivot to non-cash levers, or invoke the floor politely and mean it
6. Run the rehearsal with the agent playing a firm but fair counterpart. Practice the silence after the counter; most candidates lose money by rescuing the other side from a pause.
7. Prepare the decision tree in advance: at or above target, accept graciously and stop negotiating; between target and floor, trade on ranked non-cash levers; below floor, decline warmly with the door open.

Script fragments

Expectations, early:  "I'd rather understand the role fully first. Based on
                       my research, roles like this in [market] run [X-Y] —
                       does that align with your band?"
The counter:          "Given [proof point] and [proof point], I was
                       expecting something closer to [number]." (Stop. Wait.)
Best and final:       "I understand. If [number] is the ceiling on base,
                       could we look at [top-ranked lever] instead?"

Preparation checklist

Ready means the candidate can state, without hesitation:

• The market band, and the three independent sources it came from
• Target, floor, and opening ask — written down, with the floor unspeakable
• Three value proof points, each one sentence with evidence
• The ranked non-cash levers, and which two they would trade base for
• The script for whichever hard moment is most likely tomorrow
• What happens next under each branch of the decision tree
• The date they will stop negotiating and decide

Guardrails

• Never fabricate a competing offer or any credential; a bluff that works buys a job standing on a lie
• Every number spoken must be defensible from the written research
• Keep the tone collaborative — the counterpart is a future colleague, not an opponent
• Norms differ by industry, country, and seniority; calibrate the scripts to the setting rather than importing one culture's aggressiveness into another
• Get the final agreement in writing before resigning from anything
• This is preparation support, not career or legal advice; contract terms worth money deserve professional review