1. A buyer opens with: "We need 30% off or we walk." Your first move: Counter immediately with a firm number and hold there. Ask what's really driving the 30% ask, then trade the discount for something you need. Offer a meaningful discount to keep the deal moving. Say you'll take it back internally and follow up later. Pick the instinctive first move, not the "correct" one.

2. Legal sends back the contract with 8 redlines, several of them minor. You: Push back on all 8 and concede nothing until they justify each one. Sort them by what actually matters to each side, and trade the low-stakes ones for the ones you care about. Accept most of the redlines to keep the deal on schedule. Let the redlines sit while you focus on other deals and hope legal resolves it.

3. Your champion says the CFO wants a lower price but won't get on a call. You: Tell your champion the price stands and let them relay it. Ask your champion to set up a joint call so you understand the CFO's real constraint. Send a revised, lower quote through your champion straight away. Wait to see if the CFO raises it again before responding.

4. The prospect pushes the deadline back for the third time. You: Set a firm final date and say the offer expires after it. Ask directly what's blocking the decision and solve that blocker together. Extend the deadline again without pushback. Stop chasing and let them come back when they're ready.

5. Two stakeholders in the buying committee want different things (one wants price, one wants features). You: Negotiate to the priority of whichever stakeholder holds more power. Get both in a room and design a package that satisfies both priorities. Try to give each of them a bit of what they want, even if it stretches your terms. Let the committee sort it out internally before you re-engage.

6. The buyer says a competitor is offering a lower price for something similar. You: Point out the competitor's gaps and hold your price. Unpack exactly what "similar" means to them and where the real value gap is. Match or beat the competitor's price to win the deal. Acknowledge it and say you'll follow up once you've reviewed it.

7. Mid-call, the buyer raises their voice about a support issue from months ago. You: Stay on the current negotiation and don't let it derail terms. Pause the negotiation, address the issue directly, then return to terms. Apologise repeatedly and offer concessions to smooth things over. Let it go quiet and steer the conversation elsewhere.

8. It's a renewal and the buyer wants the same price as 3 years ago, despite added seats and usage. You: Present the new price as non-negotiable given expanded usage. Walk through the usage growth together and agree a price that reflects it. Renew at the old price to avoid risking churn. Delay the renewal conversation and hope it auto-renews.

9. Your manager tells you to hold the line on a discount you think is losing the deal. You: Hold the line exactly as instructed, even if the deal is at risk. Go back to your manager with the buyer's real constraint and propose an alternative trade. Quietly offer more flexibility than agreed to save the deal. Stall the buyer while you decide what to do.

10. A buyer asks for a custom-terms favour with nothing offered in return. You: Decline unless they offer something of equal value back. Ask directly what they can offer in exchange. Grant the favour to keep goodwill. Say you'll "see what you can do" and avoid a real answer.

11. You're negotiating payment terms and the buyer wants 90 days instead of your standard 30. You: Refuse — 30 days is policy, full stop. Propose a middle path tied to something you need, like 45 days for an upfront deposit. Agree to 90 days to keep them happy. Leave it open and revisit closer to invoicing.

12. After a negotiation, you realise you conceded more than you should have. Next time, you'd: Go in harder and concede less, no matter what. Prepare trade-offs in advance so concessions are always exchanged for something. Accept it — keeping the relationship smooth matters more than the terms. Avoid renegotiating and just accept the outcome.

Method & assumptions

Built on the two dimensions behind most negotiation-style models — how hard you push for your own interests, and how much you protect the other side's — collapsed here into four styles for clarity rather than the five-style academic version.
Each of the 12 scenarios scores to one style; your result is the distribution across all twelve answers, not a single fixed label.
This is a self-report reflection tool, not a validated psychometric instrument — use it to prompt self-awareness before a negotiation, not as a fixed identity.
A blended result (no style much above 40-50%) is common — most people's default shifts with deal size, stakes, and who's across the table.

How to use it

Work through all 12 scenarios picking the option closest to your real instinct under pressure, not the textbook-correct move — the quiz is only useful if it reflects how you actually negotiate. Your result updates live as you change answers. Read the strengths and blind spots for your default style honestly (every style has both), then use the "countering the opposite style" list before your next negotiation against a counterpart who reads differently from you. If you land on a blended result, that's normal — treat both listed styles as live patterns you flex between rather than picking one to identify with.

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Negotiation Style Quiz

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