Negotiation Concession Planner
Plan every concession you're willing to make, and exactly what you'll ask for in return, before the negotiation call starts, so you never trade something away for nothing in the room.
What's inside
- Pre-call position fields (target, walk-away point, anchor, buyer's likely opening ask)
- Concession inventory ranked by cost-to-us vs. value-to-buyer
- Trade-for table mapping each likely buyer ask to what you request in return
- 4 concession sequencing rules (lowest-cost first, never price first, decreasing size, always trade)
- Word-for-word trigger phrases for planned asks, unplanned asks, price pressure and hitting your walk-away point
- Red-line list requiring escalation, never live concession
- Post-call debrief fields to check discipline was held
Complete this BEFORE every negotiation call. Never improvise concessions live — every give needs a planned get.
1. Pre-Call Position
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Deal / account | |
| Your target outcome (what you want) | |
| Your walk-away point (below this, you don't do the deal) | |
| Anchor you'll open with | |
| Buyer's likely opening ask | |
| Compelling event / why they need to move now |
2. Concession Inventory
List every concession you could make, ranked by cost to you (low to high). Never lead with your highest-cost concession.
| Concession | Cost to us (Low/Med/High) | Value to buyer (Low/Med/High) | Order to offer (1 = first) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment terms flexibility (e.g. net-60 instead of net-30) | |||
| Extended trial/pilot period | |||
| Free onboarding/training hours | |||
| Price discount (%) | |||
| Multi-year discount vs. annual pricing | |||
| Extra seats/volume at no charge | |||
| Custom SLA terms | |||
| Deferred payment start date |
Rule: only offer concessions where cost-to-us is Low or Medium relative to value-to-buyer — a high-cost, low-value concession is a bad trade regardless of what you get back.
3. What You'll Ask For in Return (never give something for nothing)
| If they ask for... | We ask for... |
|---|---|
| Price discount | Multi-year commitment, or reference-ability (case study/logo use), or faster signature date |
| Extended payment terms | Higher total contract value, or earlier start date |
| Extra features/seats free | Executive sponsor introduction, or a signed reference call |
| Custom contract terms | Firm signature date this week, no further redlines |
| Pilot before committing | Defined success criteria + signed intent to convert if criteria are met |
Golden rule: state the trade as a single sentence before conceding — "We can do [X], if we can agree to [Y] today." Never say yes to a concession and leave the ask for later; the leverage is gone once you've already given.
4. Concession Sequencing Rules
- Start with your lowest-cost, highest-perceived-value concession — get credit for generosity cheaply.
- Never move on price first — exhaust non-price levers (terms, timing, scope, services) before touching the number.
- Make each concession smaller than the last — decreasing concession size signals you're approaching your real limit; equal or increasing concessions signal you have unlimited room.
- Always trade, never just give — even a small ask ("can we agree on the go-live date today?") maintains the pattern that concessions are earned, not free.
5. Trigger Phrases for the Call
When they ask for a concession you planned for:
"I can look at that. If we land on [X], can we agree that [trade] happens today — no further changes after this?"
When they ask for something not on your list:
"Let me take that back internally — I'm not able to agree to that on this call, but I'll come back to you by [specific date] with an answer."
(Never invent a new concession live under pressure — that's how bad trades happen.)
When they push on price specifically:
"Before we talk discount — is price the only open item, or are there other things standing between us and signature today?" (surfaces whether price is a real blocker or a habitual ask)
When you've reached your walk-away point:
"I want this to work for both of us, but at that number/those terms, I can't responsibly recommend we move forward. Let's figure out what would need to be true for both of us to get there."
6. Red Lines (require Deal Desk/manager escalation — never concede live)
- Discount beyond your standard approval authority
- Non-standard legal/liability terms
- Most-favored-nation or exclusivity clauses
- Multi-year price locks beyond your standard escalator policy
7. Post-Call Debrief
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Which concessions did we actually make? | |
| Did we get a trade for each one? | |
| Did we hold our walk-away point? | |
| What would we do differently next time? |
How to use it
Fill out Sections 1-3 before the call to know your walk-away point and every planned trade, keep the trigger phrases open during the live negotiation, and complete the post-call debrief immediately after to check you didn't give anything away for free.