The prompt
Score 10 of 10, Excellent
Use it when A deal is near the end and the buyer will push on price or terms, and you want your limits, trades and responses worked out before the call.
- {{buyer}}
- {{deal}}
- {{current_proposal}}
- {{their_position}}
- {{approved_limits}}
- {{our_wants}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
Help me prepare for a negotiation with {{buyer}} about {{deal}}. I want to go in knowing what I can give, what I want in return, and where I stop, so that I protect the deal's value without damaging the relationship. My manager and I make the final calls; this is preparation, not a decision. The deal as it stands (products, price, terms, length, start date): """ {{current_proposal}} """ What I know about their position (budget, deadlines, alternatives, who decides, what they have asked for): """ {{their_position}} """ My room to move, as approved: {{approved_limits}} What we would value in return (longer term, upfront payment, case study, faster signature, larger scope): {{our_wants}} Give me: 1. Their likely asks, most likely first, each with what may be behind it. 2. A trade table with the columns Their ask, What I could offer, What I ask for in return, Cost to us. Every concession is paired with something in return. 3. My walk-away point and my best alternative to this deal, one sentence each, based only on what I gave you. If I have not told you my alternative, say so and suggest I settle it with my manager before the call. 4. Opening lines: how I start the conversation, and how I respond the first time they ask for a lower price, each under 50 words, in plain spoken language. For example, a response in the form wanted: "I understand. If we look at price, I would want to look at the term too. Is a two-year agreement something you could consider?" 5. Questions to ask before conceding anything, such as what else would need to be true for them to sign this month. 6. Watch-outs: signs I am giving away too much, such as conceding twice in a row. The plan should be honest and firm, the kind of preparation that leaves both sides feeling the deal was fair. Stay inside my approved limits. Do not suggest discounts, terms or concessions beyond them, even if they might close the deal, and do not invent facts about their budget or alternatives. Where I have not said what my limit is on something they may ask for, mark it "[get approval first]". If their position is mostly unknown, say what to find out before the call.
Variables
- {{buyer}}
- Who you are negotiating with, for example "the procurement lead at a regional hospital group".
- {{deal}}
- What the deal is, in a few words.
- {{current_proposal}}
- The proposal as it stands: products, price, terms, length, start date.
- {{their_position}}
- What you know about their budget, deadlines, alternatives, decision makers and requests.
- {{approved_limits}}
- How far you can go, as approved, for example "up to 8 percent off for a two-year term; no free implementation".
- {{our_wants}}
- What you would value in return for a concession.
Why it works
- Format. A trade table pairs every concession with something you get back, the habit that most protects a deal's value under pressure.
- What to avoid. It never suggests going beyond your approved limits, and anything without a stated limit is marked for approval first, so the plan cannot commit you to more than you can give.
- If unsure. Gaps in what you know about their position become things to find out before the call, not assumptions built into the plan.