Salary negotiation script builder
You got the offer. Now there’s a number on the table and a voice in your head saying “don’t push it.” They expect you to counter. Answer five questions and get the exact words: your number, your reason, and what to say when they push back.
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Your script
Answer the five questions and your words fill in here as you type.
Open warm
Thank you for the offer. I’m excited about this role and the team, and I want to make this work.
Your number, with the reason
Say the number once, clearly, and finish on a low, flat note. Don’t add a range.
Here’s where I’m coming from. [Your win, with a number.] Based on that, I’m looking for a base salary of [your number].
Then stop talking
Count to seven in your head. The silence feels long to you and normal to them. Let them answer first.
When they push back
If the budget or band is fixed(most likely)
They say “That’s the top of the band for this role.”
I understand there are limits. If [your number] isn’t possible on base, can we close the gap another way? A signing bonus, a salary review at six months, extra vacation days, or equity would all help.
If they say it’s their best
They say “This is our best offer.”
I appreciate you being straight with me. Is there any flexibility anywhere in the package? If we could get to [a number between], that would make this an easy yes for me.
Only say “easy yes” if you mean it. If you’d still need to think, say “that would go a long way.”
If they ask why that number
They say “How did you get to that number?”
[Your win, with a number.] That’s the value I bring from day one, and [your number] reflects it.
If you’ve checked what the role pays elsewhere, add one line: “It’s also in line with what this role pays at this level.”
Close in writing
Whatever you agree, get it in writing before you say yes for good.
Thank you. Could you send me the updated offer in writing? I’ll review it and get back to you by [day].
Finish the answers above to copy.
Now say it out loud, to someone who pushes back.
Reading a script is easy. Saying your number while someone stays silent is not. Rehearse with a hiring manager who has a budget worry they won’t say out loud. Find it, hold your number, and hear your voice measured.
Want the 7-day negotiation drill by email?
One short drill a day before the conversation: say your number out loud, hold the silence, answer the pushback. Built for the week before you talk.
They expect you to counter
Most people who don’t negotiate aren’t missing a skill. They believe the employer isn’t open to it. In a field study of more than 3,100 tech job seekers, that belief was the main barrier. When researchers simply told people that companies expect candidates to negotiate, more of them asked, and they were paid more. A polite, specific ask with a reason is a normal part of hiring.
How the script works
- Open warm. You want the job, and you say so first. It tells them the counter is about making it work, not walking away.
- Say one number, with the reason in front of it. A precise number sounds researched. A range tells them the bottom is fine.
- Stop talking. The silence after a number feels long to you and normal to them. Let them fill it.
- Answer the pushback. If the base is truly fixed, trade: a signing bonus, an earlier review, vacation days, equity.
- Close in writing. A verbal yes can change. An email can’t.
What good sounds like
The words are half of it. The other half is how the number comes out. “Um, I was sort of hoping for maybe…” with the pitch rising at the end sounds like a question, and questions get answered with no. The same number, said once, at an even pace, landing low and flat, sounds decided. Read your script out loud three times before the call. Time yourself: the anchor line should take under ten seconds.
A script can’t promise you a number, and nobody honestly can. What it does is make sure you ask, clearly, once, and don’t take back your own ask in the silence.
Practise it before it counts
The 30-day Negotiation track, Hold your number, rehearses exactly this: say your number first, trade instead of caving, and stay calm through silence and “that’s our best offer.” The negotiation practice page shows how the live rehearsal works. To hear how your voice sounds under pressure right now, take the free 60-second voice scan, then see the plans and prices.