A negotiation email that works before you send it gets you a better result than any clever phrasing. Preparation is where the outcome is decided; the writing is only how you deliver it.
Step 1 — Prepare before you write a word
1. Interest Map
I am negotiating [what is on the table] with [other party]. List what they are likely to care about beyond the headline number — timing, certainty, internal approval, workload, reputation, precedent — and for each one, tell me what I could offer that costs me little and helps them.What it does: Finds the variables that let both sides gain something, instead of fighting over one number.
How to use: Fill both brackets. Add anything you know about their situation, even if it seems minor.
2. Tradeable List
Here is my situation: [describe what you have and what you want]. List everything I can put on the table — scope, timing, duration, payment terms, volume, exclusivity, public credit, future work — and mark which ones I genuinely do not want to give up versus which I am flexible on.What it does: Gives you something to concede, which is what makes a negotiation move.
How to use: Be honest about the flexible column. Conceding something you actually need is how negotiations go badly.
3. Your Alternative Line
For this negotiation: [describe the situation], help me define my alternative if we do not reach agreement — what I will do instead, how long I can wait, and what makes that alternative acceptable. Then write one sentence I can say that communicates I have an alternative without threatening.What it does: Makes your position concrete, which changes your tone more than any script.
How to use: Only say this sentence out loud if the alternative is real. A bluff that gets called costs you the whole negotiation.
Step 2 — Write the emails
4. Opening Frame
Write a short email that opens a negotiation about [what is on the table] with [other party]. State what I want in one line, give one reason it is reasonable, ask for their proposal first if that helps, and keep it under 130 words. Do not apologise for asking.What it does: Sets the frame without sounding either aggressive or apologetic.
How to use: Replace both brackets. Asking them to propose first is often the strongest opening move.
5. Counter-Offer Reply
They said: [paste their offer]. My target is [target] and my flexible items are [list]. Write a reply that acknowledges what works about their offer, states one specific reason it does not work for me, and proposes two options that move toward my target using items I am flexible on. Keep it under 150 words.What it does: Moves the number without turning it into a confrontation, by giving them two ways to say yes.
How to use: Fill all three brackets. Two options works better than one because it keeps them engaged.
6. Close and Confirm
We have agreed on: [summarise the agreement]. Write a confirmation email that states each term in one line, lists what happens next and by when, and asks them to confirm in writing. Flag anything in my summary that is ambiguous enough to cause a dispute later.What it does: Locks the agreement in writing and catches the ambiguity while it is still cheap to fix.
How to use: Send this the same day. If they correct something, that correction is the agreement.
Common mistakes
- Naming a number before you know what the other side wants.
- Writing a long justification, which signals that the ask is negotiable against itself.
- Skipping the written confirmation, then discovering a month later that the two of you agreed on different things.
Keep going
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