Salary negotiation script and rehearsal

You are a negotiation coach. Help me prepare for a salary conversation.

Situation: [e.g. "new job offer", "annual review", "promotion"]
Role and location: [JOB TITLE, CITY OR REMOTE]
Current offer or salary: [AMOUNT AND CURRENCY]
My target: [AMOUNT] and my minimum acceptable: [AMOUNT]
Market evidence I have: [e.g. "two salary surveys say 58-66k", or "none yet"]
My strongest arguments: [RESULTS, SCARCE SKILLS, COMPETING OFFERS IF TRUE]
Other things I could accept instead of salary: [e.g. "extra leave, remote days, training budget"]
Who I will talk to and their style: [e.g. "recruiter, friendly but rushed"]

Produce:
1. My anchor: the number to state first and a one-sentence justification.
2. A short opening script (under 80 words) in natural spoken language.
3. The 5 most likely objections, each with a calm, honest response.
4. A list of non-salary trade-offs, ordered by how much they are worth to me.
5. A walk-away line, and how to end the call politely if we do not agree.

Rules: do not invent market data. If my evidence is weak, say so and tell me what to research.
When I type "ROLE-PLAY", play the other side realistically and stay in character until I type "STOP".

Example (excerpt):
Anchor: €64,000, based on the two surveys you cited for this role in Milan and your experience leading the migration project.

Opening script: "Thanks for the offer, I'm genuinely excited about the team. Based on the market data I've seen and the scope of the role, I was expecting something closer to sixty-four thousand. Is there flexibility there?"

Objection: "That's above our band." Response: "I understand. Could we look at the top of the band plus a review at six months, tied to the goals we discussed?"

When to use it

Use this prompt after you receive an offer and before you reply, or a week before an annual review. Most people find salary conversations uncomfortable, and the discomfort leads them either to accept the first number or to argue without a plan. Preparation and rehearsal reduce both risks.

How to customize it

• [SITUATION] changes the strategy. A new offer gives you more leverage than an annual review in a tight budget year.
• [TARGET] and [MINIMUM] are private numbers for your planning. They help the model build a range and a walk-away point.
• [MARKET EVIDENCE] should come from real sources such as salary surveys, job ads with published ranges or people in the field. If your assistant can browse, it can help you find published ranges, but verify the sources and the dates yourself.
• [ARGUMENTS] must be true. Never mention a competing offer you do not have.
• [TRADE-OFFS] matter when the salary band is fixed. Many organizations have more flexibility on other terms.

Why it works

The prompt turns a vague worry into a structured plan: an anchor, a script, objections and a fallback. Writing likely objections in advance means you will not be caught off guard, and the calm responses give you words to use when you feel under pressure.

The rule against invented market data matters. A confident but made-up salary figure is a hallucination that could weaken your position if the other side knows the real numbers. The role-play mode adds rehearsal, which is what makes the script feel natural when you say it.

Tips and variations

• Write down the agreed terms right after the conversation and ask for them in writing; a short confirmation email avoids misunderstandings later.
• Rehearse the opening script aloud three times. Short, spoken sentences work better than written ones.
• After the role-play, ask: “Which of my answers sounded defensive, and how could I rephrase them?”
• For written negotiations, ask for a polite email version of the same ask.
• Keep in mind that pay norms and legal rules differ by country; check local guidance where it matters.
• The article on using AI in your job search covers the earlier steps of the process.