Salary negotiation scripts you can say out loud.

Before the words, the two numbers

Every negotiation rests on two numbers you set before the conversation: your target and your walk-away. The target is anchored in what the role pays in your market, not in what you currently earn, because your current salary is a fact about your last job.

Write both down. People who keep the number in their head round it down the moment someone frowns.

• Target: the number you ask for, supported by scope and market evidence.
• Walk-away: the number below which the offer stops solving the problem you had.
• The gap between them is your room to move, and you never move first.

The four sentences

A negotiation is shorter than people expect. Four sentences carry almost all of it.

• “Thank you, I am glad to have the offer. I want to accept, and I need to talk about the base.” Appreciation, intent and the topic, in that order.
• “Based on the scope of this role and what comparable positions pay here, I am looking for [target].” One number, one reason, said once.
• “Can you get there?” A question, not a demand. It hands them the work of answering.
• “I understand. What would it take to close the difference in the next six months?” The salvage line, for when the answer is no.

When the budget is fixed

The budget is sometimes genuinely fixed and sometimes a first answer. You cannot tell the difference by tone, so test it once, calmly.

Ask what the band is for the role rather than for you personally. Then ask what sits outside the salary line. Signing bonuses, review dates, titles, leave and remote terms live in different budgets and are often still available after base has closed.

• Signing bonus: usually a separate line, and easier to approve.
• Review date: six months instead of twelve is a real raise, deferred.
• Title: costs nothing today and changes the next negotiation.
• Scope: what you own, and what you can put on a résumé in two years.

The stall

A stall looks like progress: another conversation, a revised timeline, a request for one more document. It may be real, or it may be an answer being delivered slowly so nobody has to say no.

Give the process a date. “I am excited about this role, I have another conversation moving, and I want to be fair to everyone, so I can hold this decision until the 14th.” A specific date is a courtesy rather than a threat, and it turns a stall into information either way.

The mistakes that cost the most

Practice is the step people skip. Say the sentences aloud, standing up, until the pause after your number stops feeling like a mistake. Negotiation is a rehearsal problem before it is a nerve problem, which is why the coaching session is mostly rehearsal.

• Answering the salary question first. Redirect once: “I would rather talk about the role first, and I am confident we can land in a range that works.”
• Giving a wide range. The bottom of the range becomes the offer.
• Negotiating by email when a call is possible. Warmth does not survive email.
• Apologizing. “I am sorry to ask” invites them to treat the ask as a favor.
• Accepting on the call. “Thank you, let me review the details and come back tomorrow” is always allowed.