Negotiation playbook

What a negotiation call is for

A negotiation call is where you agree price and terms. The aim is a deal you can live with, reached by trading: each thing you give is matched by something you get back. Before the call, write down what you want, the least you’ll accept and what you’ll do if there’s no deal. Deciding those under pressure is how margins disappear.

Most of the lines come from Chris Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator, in Never Split the Difference (written with Tahl Raz). Opening by naming their worries is his accusation audit. Repeating their last few words is mirroring, “It sounds like…” is labelling, and “how” and “what” questions are what he calls calibrated questions. Waiting for “That’s right” before you move on is his test that they feel understood. Anchoring with a precise number and making each move smaller than the last follow his advice on bargaining.

The walk-away and “what I’ll do instead” are what Roger Fisher and William Ury called a BATNA, the best alternative to a negotiated agreement, in Getting to Yes. Trading concessions (“If I can do X, can you do Y?”) is standard in most negotiation training rather than one author’s idea. The playbook is written for the seller; a buyer can use most of it with the price lines turned round.

The negotiation playbook

Words in [Capitalised brackets] are for you to fill in before the call. Words in [lowercase brackets] are filled from the call itself. Copy it to use anywhere, including in Aside.

Copy playbook

How to coach me

• If I’m about to give a discount or concession for nothing, tell me to ask for something back.
• After I say a number, tell me to stop talking and wait.
• When they push hard or go quiet, give me a label or a “how”/“what” question to use.
• Keep track of what each side has given and what’s still open.
• Never let me split the difference or drop my price twice in a row without a counter from them.

Before the call

• My target: [The deal I want: price, term, scope]
• My walk-away: [The least I’ll accept]
• If there’s no deal: [What I’ll do instead]
• What I can trade (cheap for me, worth something to them): [e.g. longer term, extra seats, onboarding help, a later start date]
• What I want back for any concession: [e.g. annual upfront payment, a two-year term, a case study, signing this month]

The flow

1. Open (3 min)
   • Say their worries before they do: “You might feel we’ve been rigid on price, and this is a big commitment for a team your size. Is that fair?”
   • “Before numbers, where have you landed, and what matters most to you in this?”
2. Understand their position (5 to 10 min)
   • Repeat their last few words back as a question, then wait.
   • Name what I hear: “It sounds like the budget is fixed this quarter.” “It seems like the risk worries you more than the price.”
   • Ask “how” and “what”, never “why”: “What’s driving that number?” “What would make this work for you?” “How does this get approved on your side?” “What happens if you don’t go ahead?”
   • Listen for: the constraint behind the ask (a budget cap, a sign-off limit, a competitor’s quote, timing). It can often be solved without cutting price.
3. Sum it up (1 min)
   • “Let me check I’ve got it. You need [their need], you’re limited by [their constraint], and you want [their outcome]. Is that right?”
   • Move on when they say “That’s right.”
4. Anchor and trade (10 min)
   • If I go first, anchor at my target with a precise number: “[My price] for [scope].” Then stop talking.
   • If they go first, don’t counter straight away: “How did you get to that number?” or “How am I supposed to do that?”
   • Every concession is a trade: “If I can do [X], can you do [Y]?”
   • Offer non-price terms before price: payment terms, length, scope, onboarding, start date.
   • Give a choice: “I can do [A] at [price], or [B] at [lower price] with [less scope or a longer term]. Which works better?”
   • If I move on price, each step is smaller than the last.
5. Close (5 min)
   • “So we’ve agreed [price], [term] and [key terms]. Is there anything else that would stop this going ahead?”
   • “How does it get signed on your side, and by when? Who else needs to approve it?” A yes without a how isn’t a yes.
   • Agree the next step with a date, and send a written summary today.

Their moves

• “That’s too expensive.” → “It sounds like price is the problem. Compared to what?” Then: “What budget were you working with?”
• “[A competitor] is cheaper.” → “What made you keep talking to us?”
• “Can you do 20% off?” → “What could you do in return? If you [annual upfront / two-year term / sign this month], I can look at [a smaller concession].”
• “Let’s meet in the middle.” → “I’d rather find something that works for both of us than split it. What matters most to you here?”
• “This is our final offer.” → “It sounds like you’re under real pressure on this.” If it’s below my walk-away: “I don’t think we can make that work,” and be ready to leave.
• “I need to run it past [my boss / procurement].” → “Makes sense. What will they push back on? How can I help you make the case?”
• “Can you throw in X?” → “If I add X, can you [a trade]?”
• Silence → Let it sit. Don’t fill it with a concession.

Use it in Aside

Negotiation is one of the starter playbooks in the Aside app. Click New playbook, pick Negotiation, and fill in the Before the call section: your target, walk-away, what you’ll do without a deal, what you can trade and what you want back. That section is the one most worth your time.

Name the playbook in the call’s plan and live guidance reads it all, walk-away included. The coach keeps track of what each side has given and what’s still open, and it’s written to tell you to stop talking after you say a number, to ask for something back before you concede, and to offer a label or a “how” question when they push. Only you see the pill under your camera.

After the call you get a summary of what was agreed, next steps and a follow-up email, which helps with the playbook’s last step: send a written summary today. See pricing for the plan that includes live guidance.

Free guides 2 calls a week with a playbook; every call is on the paid plan, $48 a month or $456 a year. New accounts get 14 days of it free, no card needed.