7 Salary Negotiation Scripts: How to Have Salary Negotiation Conversations

Salary negotiation can be stressful. Whether you enjoy the challenge of negotiation or dread the confrontation that salary negotiation requires, the entire process can be a bit daunting.

So much so that according to a survey done by Fidelity, it’s estimated that about 58% of Americans accepted the initial offer at their current position without negotiating. 

With this said, of the people who did decide to negotiate an offer prior to accepting, 85% got at least some of what they asked for. 

According to Linda Babcock, author of Women Don’t Ask, only 7% of women negotiate their salary while a staggering 57% of men do. Those who did ask saw a seven percent increase in compensation. So ask for more, ladies!

While it can be stressful, salary negotiation does work. In most cases, the worst thing that will happen is that your counter offer is declined. In this case, you’re still left with the initial offer. 

Once you’ve received an initial job offer, you have some serious negotiating power. The company wants you, and they’d rather meet you within your salary range so that you’re happy—rather than starting their search all over. After the company has invested so much time and effort in you as a candidate, it is unlikely that they would rescind an offer due to a counteroffer or negotiations on your end.

What exactly is negotiation?

To put it simply, negotiation is a discussion with the objective of reaching an agreement. 

This discussion involves strategy, persuasion, and give and take to resolve the issue at hand in a way that both parties find adequate. The goal is to arrive at a compromise through a productive conversation.

During the conversation, both sides want to achieve the best possible outcome for what they believe is the best position. Negotiation comes into play when you incorporate fairness and ensure that the agreement reached is mutually beneficial. 

There are Two Broad Types of Negotiation to Understand

• Distributive negotiation
• Integrative negotiation

Distributive Negotiation

In a distributive negotiation, both parties are discussing a single issue—for example, the price of a good or service. You’d use this type when negotiating the price of a car or haggling with a street vendor.

The objective is to divide up the pie when there are limited resources available. Each party is actively working to get more out of the negotiation than the other party instead of coming to an agreement based on interests and needs.

Integrative Negotiation

During an integrative negotiation, more than one matter is at stake. Since multiple items are up for discussion, there is give and take to create the best possible outcome for both parties, so each walks away with some value. For example, salary negotiations are integrative negotiations.

With multiple things up for negotiation, like salary, benefits, and flexible work arrangements, there is the opportunity to create value for both the employee and employer by arriving at a mutually beneficial agreement. 

If you care more about having the flexibility to work from home vs. an extra couple thousand dollars, it’s worth bringing this into the discussion with your employer until you arrive at an agreement that benefits you both. Many people confuse integrative negotiation with distributive negotiation, when many factors can actually be added to the table for discussion.

It’s important to keep in mind which type of negotiation situation you are walking into so that you understand what’s up for discussion. 

Now, let’s get into the negotiation tactics and negotiation strategies you can use to approach these situations, so you have the best chance of walking away with what you want.

Salary Negotiation Tips to Know Before Any Salary Negotiation

Before any salary negotiation situation, follow these steps to ensure that you’re prepared for the big conversation.

• Identify your goal
• Know your priorities
• Do your research
• Build a plan of action
• Determine the best time to put your plan into action

7 Salary Negotiation Conversation Example Scripts for Every Scenario

There are rarely humans who think salary negotiations are easy, and those who feel that way are likely superhuman. For the rest of us, these conversations can be stressful and anxiety inducing. 

Here are some tools, strategies, and scripts to take on the dreaded salary negotiation conversation. You’ve earned it (and you’re worth it.) 

1. You’re Negotiating a New Salary

The Scenario:

Ideally, before you go into your first interview, you’ve done your research and you’ve been able to come up with at least a reasonable salary range, and you know your must-have, nice-to-have, and walk-away numbers.

How To Approach: 

Almost all companies identify a salary range for each role, and usually, the hiring manager has some leeway to go to the top of the range (or even slightly above) if they find the perfect candidate.

Recruiter Tony Riggins, advises those curious to talk about salary, “Always ask and understand as much as possible upfront, so there are no surprises. This is really about trust and transparency. Don’t forget that you can always ask about compensation upfront—even if your recruiter doesn’t offer to show their cards.”

What to Say:

You can say something like, “I’m really interested in the role and once I’d learned more specifics about the job, I can share the range I’d expect for this role, however, it would be helpful to hear what range you have budgeted to make sure we’re not too far apart right now.”

2. You’re Renegotiating Your Current Salary at the Same Role 

The Scenario: 

You’ve been working at your current role and hitting all the given benchmarks. Perhaps you’re not interested in a promotion of responsibilities, but you would like to be compensated for your current achievements in your role. This is when you might breach the topic of a raise.

How To Approach:

Be reasonable when negotiating salary by suggesting a number, then backing it up. In addition to recapping your latest and greatest projects, be sure to present research on what others in the industry are making and why you feel your work stacks up.

Once you’ve unearthed what a reasonable raise would look like, ask your boss what she’d like to see performance-wise to help you reach that mark. Let her know you’re willing to work for it.

Your salary is never a reflection of your need for more money. Rent, loans, and other bills are not the concern of your manager. Don’t assume you deserve a raise simply because you have bills to pay. Steer clear of making it personal.

What to Say:

The easiest way to effectively ask for a raise is to cover the Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How. Here’s the formula. We’re calling it “The GIMME”:

• G: Give Background Info
• I: Introduce Why You’re Awesome
• M: Make Your Case Research-based (This is where all that research comes in!)   
• M: Make the Ask
• E: End With a Bang

Use this template to guide you, and fill in the details as necessary. Once you have the info, practice! 

3. You’ve Accepted the Offer, But You Want to Take a Second Look

The Scenario:

It’s possible that you let your excitement get the best of you, and you accepted an offer without negotiating much. This might mean that you want to take a second look at the benefits to ensure that you’re getting what you need. 

How To Approach:

Career Coach Alyson Garrido explains, “Like any negotiation, we’ll approach with the assumption that everyone wants to reach an agreement that benefits everyone. You’ll know the relationship best if this is a phone call, coffee date or email. Keep in mind that either way, the person you’re speaking with may need to talk to others to get approval so it’s rare that you’ll get a firm answer immediately.”

What to Say:

Garrido suggests saying something along the lines of, “I’m really excited to start next month and appreciate the time you’ve taken already to share more of what to expect during my orientation week. I would like to further discuss the vacation allotment. While I realize that there is a policy in place, I’ve done some additional research and wondered if there is some flexibility to provide more. Many organizations are offering five weeks or unlimited packages and I was hoping this may be an option. I realize this would be an amendment to the offer and appreciate your consideration.”

4. Your Offer is Way Too Low 

The Scenario:

You’ve gone through the interview process, and maybe you saw some red flags, but decided to move forward. Perhaps this was to gain experience with interviewing, or because you had nothing to lose. Maybe you’ve been totally blindsided by the low offer. Regardless of the leadup, there is no questioning that the offer you received is way too low for you to entertain.

How To Approach: 

It’s all fine and good to carefully consider practical factors like benefits, but ultimately, if the offer is too low, it’s too low. 

This may simply be due to the company’s size and financial standing, but if the offer is way too low based on your experience and qualifications, this could be a sign of a toxic work environment. Don’t discount the feeling that’s deep in your gut. More than likely, you’ve picked up on cues that are unconsciously impacting how you feel about certain job offers. 

What to Say:

“Thank you for the offer, but given my experience and salary requirements, this is not an offer that I can accept. If you’re able to come up to the range of [XX], I’d be happy to discuss this further.”

5. The Offer is Close to Your Desired Salary Range, But Not Quite There

The Scenario: 

You received a job offer for a new position that is close to what you were hoping for, but not quite there in order to make you feel completely comfortable with the offer. In this case, you may have to negotiate to get the total compensation package higher, whether that comes in the form of an increase in salary, a bonus, or other benefits.

How To Approach: 

Be mindful of the total compensation package, and not just the salary. While you might need a little extra, be sure to carefully consider the amount you’ll earn as a salary, plus other factors such as stock options and 401(k) plans that could eventually help you have enough money to support yourself after leaving the workforce. Other benefits such as healthcare, childcare benefits, and flexibility with your schedule could tip the scales to compensate for a salary that isn’t quite where you wanted it to be.

What to Say: 

Have you exceeded expectations? If your results are tied to actual company revenue, have those hard numbers handy as well. This is where you’ll humbly explain how talented you are and how your track record proves it. 

If you need a higher salary, consider saying something like this:

“I’d love to revisit salary expectations. I respect the salary range you shared with me earlier and understand that you are working within a budget, however, I’d like you to consider $XX as the base salary. After learning more, the responsibilities of this role are quite demanding as you and the other interviewers have mentioned. I’m confident I have all the necessary skills and can deliver the results you said you’re looking for, but I can’t do that at the current salary you’ve shared.”

6. You’ve Been “Unofficially Promoted”

The Scenario:

This situation happens quite often, and might mean that you’re already taking on way more work than your pay grade. If this is the case, it’s a good idea to address this in order to ensure that you’re being properly compensated for your time and effort.

How To Approach:

Many of us have responsibilities that fall out of range of our actual job title. We take on extra work because we’re “team players”. The salary negotiation process is not the time to be a team player.

It’s the time to show that you work hard. More importantly, it’s the time to communicate that your hard work has a dollar amount affixed to it. 

If you’ve been offered a salary increase for your Marketing Associate position, but you know your job is closer to that of a Marketing Manager, communicate that.

Get your title and salary upgraded. 

Write out your responsibilities and compare them to your job role and similar job roles. If you find that you’re actually doing the job of someone with a much higher pay grade, now is your time to show it.

What to Say:

Communicate your value, but be direct in insisting that you are worth more, not that you want more or you need more. You’re worth more. Period.

Consider saying something along the lines of “As we have discussed, during my [TIME] here at [COMPANY], I have kept my base salary the same, despite upskilling and taking on increased responsibilities without a title change or a salary adjustment.

I value my position here a [COMPANY], and I took the liberty of crunching some numbers to create a structure that comes closer to [RESEARCHED SALARY RANGE] via increased benefits and flexibility.

I am available to discuss this more at your convenience. I hope we can work out a mutually beneficial package and continue to do great work together here at [COMPANY].”

7. Your Written Offer is Lower Than Discussed

The Scenario: 

Chances are, during your job search and interview process, someone will ask you about your salary expectations. If you’ve clearly outlined your salary requirements and the written offer is lower than you expected, you’ll need to address this.

How To Approach: 

If your written offer is lower than discussed, it’s important to be aware of this. While it might be a simple oversight, it could also be a big red flag that the company doesn’t value their employees and won’t entertain a higher salary down the line. 

What to Say:

Stay cool and push against the anxiety this might bring up. This is where men and women tend to differ when it comes to job seekers—and a contributing factor to the gender pay gap. Men often give a distinct number based on market value and self-evaluation. Women tend to give a wishy-washy version of what they’d settle for—sometimes with the cringe addition of “If not, no worries!” added as a buffer. 

“Based on our prior discussions and the salary range outlined, this offer is lower than what I expected. Given market research and taking into account my 10+ years of PR experience, qualifications, and multiple PR awards, I’ll need you to come to $XX as the starting salary.”

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This article was written by The Salary Project writer, Michele Lando.