Negotiate Your Offer With Evidence, Not Nerve
Negotiation is not confrontation. It is a short, evidence-based conversation about scope and market rate — and it is expected.
Key takeaways
- Never name the first number before you know the band.
- Anchor on scope and market data, never on personal need.
- Negotiate the package: base, bonus, equity, start date, level, and review timing.
The offer stage is the one moment where a fifteen-minute conversation can change your income for years. Prepare for it like an interview round.
before the conversation
Build the range you will defend
- 1
Collect three data points
Posted ranges in the same market, a peer's disclosed range, and a public salary source.
- 2
Set three numbers
Your walk-away, your target, and your ask — the ask sits above the target.
- 3
Write one scope sentence
Name the responsibilities that justify the higher end of the band.
- 4
Rehearse the ask out loud
Two sentences, then stop and let them respond.
Two rules that protect you
Never accept verbally on the call, and never negotiate against an offer you would not actually take. Both cost you leverage.
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