Negotiation Prep Sheet (7-Point)
The one-pager top performers fill out before every negotiation call — interests, leverage, concessions, and red lines, decided in advance instead of live under pressure.
What's inside
- Point 1 — Interests: yours and theirs, named explicitly
- Point 2 — Leverage: yours and theirs, scored
- Point 3 — Concessions you can give, ranked by cost to you
- Point 4 — Concessions you'll ask for in return, ranked by value to you
- Point 5 — Red lines / walk-away terms
- Point 6 — Opening position, target, and walk-away numbers
- Point 7 — Approval authority on both sides
- A pre-call rule: fill this out alone, never live on the call
Negotiation Prep Sheet — 7 Points
Fill out alone, in writing, before every negotiation call
Account: ___________ Deal size: ___________ Call date: ___________
1. Interests (not positions)
A position is "I want 15% off." An interest is the reason underneath it. Name both sides' real interests.
- Our interest in this deal (beyond the price itself): ___________________________
- Their stated interest: ___________________________
- Their likely UNSTATED interest (career risk, internal politics, a number they need to hit): ___________________________
2. Leverage
| Us | Them | |
|---|---|---|
| What we have that they need | ||
| What they have that we need | ||
| Time pressure (1–5) | ||
| Alternative options if this falls through (1–5, see BATNA Worksheet) |
3. Concessions we can give (ranked, cheapest to us first)
- ___________________________
- ___________________________
- ___________________________
- ___________________________
4. Concessions we'll ask for in return (ranked, most valuable to us first)
- ___________________________
- ___________________________
- ___________________________
- ___________________________
Rule: never give a #3 concession from our list without asking for at least a #2 from theirs.
5. Red lines (walk-away terms — non-negotiable, full stop)
- Price floor: ___________
- Minimum term: ___________
- Non-negotiable contract clauses (liability cap, IP, data terms): ___________________________
- Anything else we will not move on regardless of pressure: ___________________________
6. Three numbers, decided in advance
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Opening position (ask) | |
| Target (what we're actually aiming for) | |
| Walk-away (below this, we leave — see BATNA Worksheet) |
7. Approval authority
- What can I personally approve without escalation? ___________________________
- Who do I escalate to, and how fast can I reach them mid-call? ___________________________
- Who has final sign-off on THEIR side, and are they even on this call? ___________________________
Rule: this sheet gets filled out before the call, alone. If you're filling in blanks live on the call, you've already lost the prep advantage — you'll anchor on whatever number gets said in the room instead of the one you decided on with a clear head.
How to use it
Complete all 7 points alone in the 15 minutes before any negotiation call, keep it open (not visible to the buyer) during the call, and update it immediately after with what actually happened for next time.