5. Myth: Negotiation has to be adversarial
● Effective negotiators are rarely mean
● Instead, they explore situation and use
words like, “We’re close, we just need to find
a good fit here”
● “Let’s work on this together because we both
have the same goal” You’ve built up good
will, don’t spend it all pushing for every $
Negotiation Myths
6. Myth: Negotiation is about you
● “Here’s why I need the money”
● Employer doesn’t care why
● They’ll think you’re financially irresponsible &
all you care about is the $
● It’s about your value & demonstrating what
pain of theirs you’re prepared to relieve
Negotiation Myths
7. Myth: I need to read a bunch before I try it
● You do need to get educated
● You’ll learn 100x more from practicing 5
negotiations than from reading
● Search “How to negotiate salary” to see how
terrible most of the advice is anyway
Negotiation Myths
8. Negotiation Myths
Myth: Some people are born negotiators
● Practice matters
● None of us may ever be the world’s top
negotiator…but we don’t have to
● If you marginally improve negotiation skills,
you can reap disproportionate rewards
9. Myth: If I negotiate, I’ll lose the job offer
● At this point they want you in the job
● They’ve spent time and $1,000s getting you
to this point
● Your salary is nothing to the company - they
don’t care, especially about $5-$10k
● They expect you to negotiate
Negotiation Myths
12. 1. Know what you want
● And can communicate it to the other person
● And can demonstrate why you’re worth it
● This single distinction can be worth
thousands
Negotiation Principles
13. Walkaway / Minimum / Expected
● For each component of job offer
● Helps determine which are most important
● Lets you know if you even need to negotiate
15. 2. Know who you’re negotiating with
● Able to offer specific examples of solving
their pain points and working w/ their style
● Know the company. Did they just raise VC?
Are they bootstrapped?
● Exhaust all sources of info (think of ROI on
the hours spent researching)
Negotiation Principles
16. Possible Sources of Information
● Suppliers, allies, analysts, customers
● Current or former employees
● Experts, journalists who cover this area
● Internal or external mentors
● People in the org who can tell you the truth
● The Internet
17. 3. Have a toolbox
● Amateurs walk in and just “wing it.”
● Listen, and learn what they’re flexible about
● Press that lever, and trade something else
Negotiation Principles
18. 4. Practice relentlessly
● Feels weird. Who to practice with? What to
say?
● Why would you expect results in a real
negotiation if you haven’t nailed a practice?
● Try sample scripts, but use your own voice
● “I hope they don’t ask this” = practice more
Negotiation Principles
19. 5. Don’t shoot your first basket in the NBA
● First financial negotiation shouldn’t be
against a hiring manager
● Start off small, but in real-world environment
○ Local farmer’s market
○ Craigslist
● When you get to the one that matters, you’ll
have several negotiations under your belt
Negotiation Principles
20. 7. Asymetrical warfare
● Right now, it’s a developer’s market
● But, they know salary range, they hire and
negotiate all the time
● Be likeable
● Put off salary discussion as long as possible
Negotiation Principles
21. ● Give range, total comp, or respectfully
redirect to how you can add value. Don’t lie!
● “I’m sure we’ll find a number that works for
both of us, but for now, I want to make sure
it’s a good fit.”
● “I’m not comfortable revealing that info. but I
am interested in discussing some of the
other ways I can help the company”
How to delay
22. ● My favorite (for folks with job experience):
“You know, at my last job I was very well
compensated. I'm certainly looking for
compensation that is a good fit for me but I'm
also looking for a better fit in terms my
values and what I want to do with my career”
How to delay
26. Evaluate
● Do I even need to negotiate?
● Only works if you’ve done your homework
○ Cost of living?
○ Title / experience?
○ Deliberately low-balling?
● Do your homework on the company too
● Where are they flexible/inflexible?
27. Two paths
1. Negotiate later.
“I need to sleep on
it, will you please
email me the offer
letter?”
2. Negotiate
everything now...
28. Areas of agreement / debate
● Negotiations are easier if you start by
agreeing
● Discuss those first
● “I think we can both agree that …”
● “I’m glad we’re in agreement that …”
29. Negotiation Techniques/Phrases
● “This is the job I want. With that said...”
● Give a range, suggest where you are within
it
● “Based on my success at …, which I also
expect to bring to this company”
● “I deserve to be on the higher end of that
range”
● “Compared to other candidates, I’m …”
30. Not just salary
● First, listen. Why won’t/can’t they offer
more?
● “Goes long way to closing the gap, but given
my research, still not what I think I deserve
in this role.”
● “Would it be appropriate to talk about …?”
● Stock or Stock Options
● Start date
31. Accelerated review cycle
● Often overlooked
● Keeps door open for future negotiations
● “What would the review cycle be for my
performance?”
● Lots can change in 6 months
○ Company
○ Economy
○ You
32. If you have multiple offers
● Do bring it up / Don’t lie
● Don’t make it about money
● Don’t give details of other offers
● “I prefer to be here”
● “I want to make sure that my value is fairly
represented by my compensation”
33. If you have multiple offers
I want to be here, I’m going to
add a tremendous amount of
value, and here’s what I’m
worth
34. “How do I negotiate
my salary when they
tell me the salary
isn’t flexible?”
39. The “Briefcase Technique”
● Demonstration
● Forces you to do your homework before you
ever set foot in the room
● What does the hiring manager really want?
● What do they fear?
