Four Things to Settle Before You Say Anything
Every weak negotiation traces back to one of these being undecided at the moment of the call.
The figure below which you would decline and stay where you are. Decide it before the call, in writing, when you are calm — not while someone is waiting on the phone for an answer.
The published band for this title, at this level, in this city. Two or three sources, not one. This is what turns your number from a preference into a position.
Rank base salary, bonus, equity, leave, remote days, title, and start date in your own order. You will probably get one or two of them — know which ones matter before you find out.
Never negotiate against a verbal summary. Ask for the full package in writing first, including bonus structure, equity terms, and start date, then respond to that.
Twelve Things on the Table
Base salary is the one everyone asks about and the one most tightly banded. The movement is often elsewhere.
The headline number and usually the first thing to try. Constrained by the band, so ask what the band is — sometimes the answer reveals room nobody offered.
Often the easiest yes in the whole negotiation. It is a one-off cost that frequently sits outside the salary band, so it is where a capped recruiter can still move.
Costs the employer nothing and can be worth a great deal to you — a break between roles, a notice period handled properly, a holiday already booked.
Negotiate the amount, but read the vesting schedule, cliff, and exercise terms just as carefully. The headline number means little without them.
Sometimes fixed by policy, sometimes not. An extra week is a real, permanent gain that never shows up in a salary comparison.
Get the specific arrangement written down. 'We are flexible' evaporates when a new manager arrives with a different view.
Worth more than it looks — it sets your next salary band, your next promotion, and how the outside market reads your experience.
If the salary is capped now, negotiate a six-month review with agreed criteria instead of waiting a full cycle.
A named annual budget for courses, conferences, or certification. Inexpensive for them, compounding for you.
Moving costs, temporary housing, a flight home. Ask for specifics rather than 'support' — the word covers everything and guarantees nothing.
Rarely moved, but worth reading. In senior roles a defined severance term is a normal thing to ask about.
Ask what the target percentage is, how it has actually paid out historically, and whether it is discretionary. A discretionary bonus is not compensation you can plan on.
Seven Moments, Seven Scripts
Say them out loud once before the call. The words are less important than not improvising under pressure.
"I would rather get a proper feel for the scope before naming a number — what range has been budgeted for this role? I am confident we can make it work if the fit is right."
If they insist: "Based on the market range for this level in this city, I am looking at 92 to 100, and where I land in that would depend on the rest of the package."
"Thank you — I am genuinely pleased about this and I want to make it work. Based on the scope we discussed and the published range for this level, I was hoping we could get to 96. Is there room to move?"
Then stop. Do not add 'but I understand if not,' and do not fill the silence. The next person to speak should be them.
"I understand the band is the band. In that case, could we look at a signing bonus to bridge the gap, or bring the first review forward to six months with agreed criteria?"
Naming two alternatives lets them say yes to one. A single blocked request usually just ends the conversation.
"I should be straightforward with you — I have another offer at 104. I would rather join you, the work here is a better fit for where I want to go. Is there anything you can do to close the gap?"
Only ever say this when the offer is real and you would take it. A bluff that gets tested leaves you with nothing to stand on.
"Thank you — this is exciting. Could I come back to you by Thursday? I want to talk it through properly at home, and I have one final-stage conversation I owe an answer to."
A specific date and a real reason. Open-ended hesitation is what invites a deadline you did not want.
"That works for me and I am delighted to accept. Could you send the updated written offer with the revised base and the signing bonus, and I will get it signed today?"
Do not resign from your current role until the corrected document is in your hands and signed.
"Thank you for the offer and for how straightforward the process was. I have decided to go a different direction this time, but I would genuinely like to stay in touch — I have a lot of respect for what the team is building."
Decline warmly and specifically. Recruiters move companies, and this conversation happens again in three years.
The Whole Sequence, in Order
Most negotiations are lost by doing the right thing at the wrong stage.
Express real enthusiasm, ask for it in writing, and do not negotiate anything yet. 'That is great news — could you send the details across so I can look at the whole package?'
Read every line: base, bonus terms, equity and vesting, start date, leave, notice, remote arrangement. Note what is missing as well as what is wrong.
Fix your target number and your ranked priorities. Confirm your walk-away figure in writing to yourself before any further conversation.
By phone or video if you can — tone carries the negotiation. Follow it up in writing the same day so there is a record of exactly what was asked.
Yes, no, or partial. On a partial, accept what is offered and ask about one alternative from your list. Do not restart the whole negotiation.
Check the document actually matches the conversation. Verbal agreements that never reached the contract are the single most common negotiation failure.
In that order, always. Sign the corrected offer before you hand notice to your current employer.
Hi Amara,
Thank you again for the offer — I am genuinely excited about the role and the team.
Having looked at the package alongside the market range for this level, I would like to ask whether we can move the base to £96,000. The scope we discussed includes owning the regional reporting line from the start, which sits above where I have been operating, and that is what the figure reflects.
Everything else in the offer works well for me. If the base is fixed, I would be glad to talk about a signing bonus or an earlier first review instead.
Happy to jump on a call whenever suits — Jordan
Pressure Tactics, and What to Say
None of these require you to be combative. They require you to be unhurried.
"We need an answer by end of day."
"I understand you have a process to run. I can give you a firm answer by Thursday — I am not able to commit properly to something this size in a few hours."
A genuine deadline is almost always negotiable by a few days. A deadline that cannot move by even 48 hours is itself information about the employer.
"This is our best and final offer."
"Understood, thank you for being clear. Can I ask about the non-salary side — is there flexibility on the start date or a signing bonus?"
'Final' usually refers to base salary specifically. Testing the other levers once is reasonable; pushing base again after a final answer is not.
"What is your current salary?"
"I would rather focus on the market rate for this role — I am targeting 92 to 100 based on the level and location."
In a number of US states and other jurisdictions employers are prohibited from asking. Redirecting to the role's market rate is a normal, professional answer everywhere.
"Everyone here starts at this level."
"That is helpful context. Given the scope we discussed involves owning the reporting line from day one, could we look at the level itself rather than the number inside it?"
If the number is fixed by level, negotiate the level. That is usually a different approval path with different room.
Six Mistakes That Cost Real Money
You cannot negotiate a package you have not read. Get the document first, every time.
Any range you give is heard as its lowest figure. State one number for your counter.
Your old salary is a fact about your last employer, not evidence of your value here. Anchor to the market rate for this role.
One counter, and one alternative if the first is blocked. A third pass reads as bad faith and can genuinely cost the offer.
A higher base with a four-year cliff, a discretionary bonus, and no written remote arrangement can be the worse deal. Read the whole package.
Never. The corrected document in hand, signed, and only then the resignation letter.