Hi Nie!

I've recently worked with some coaching clients to negotiate strong job offers from some Very Big Companies.

One question that comes up a lot is when should we stop negotiating?

There's a fine line between getting the best possible offer and being over-zealous, and sometimes it's tough to find that line during a negotiation.

Here are three signs it might be time to stop negotiating.

1. You get a Yes

You should ask for substantial enough concessions that if the recruiter says, "Ok, we can do that!" you are not disappointed. This is a very good rubric for figuring out how much to ask for: If they might say Yes and you would think, "Wait a minute, I was also hoping to get these other things!", then you should ask for more to start with.

Phrase things so that the recruiter knows that if they acquiesce on this request, then you won't ask for anything else. It usually sounds like this, "If you can do $200,000 base salary, then I'm on board."

"...then I'm on board." is a signal to the recruiter that if they give you the amount they asked for, then you won't ask for anything else.

Once you get that Yes, then the negotiation is over.

2. When you've asked for your top two or three priorities

Before you begin negotiating, you should list your two or three top priorities for your salary negotiation, ranked in order from most important to least important. Typically, these are things like base salary, equity, signing bonus, vacation time, or relocation stipend.

Earlier, I said that your negotiation is over if you get a Yes. But if you get a No or partial-Yes, then you have an opportunity to ask for something else.

For example, you might ask for $200,000 in base salary after being offered $180,000 in base salary.

If they say Yes, then you're done and you should be happy with your $200,000 base salary if you set that number correctly.

If they say No—"I'm sorry, but the best we can do is $180,000."—or give you a partial-Yes—"How about $190,000?"—then there's room to ask for the next thing on your list.

That might sound like this, "I understand the best you can do is $190,000—thanks for working with me there. I was hoping to get to $200,000, so if you can include a $10,000 signing bonus to help me bridge that gap, then I'm on board."

If they say Yes, you're done. If they say No or give you a partial-Yes, you ask for the next thing on your list until you've asked for the two or three top priorities on your list.

3. When your only remaining requests would seem petty

This last one is a little less scientific: If your next request would seem petty, it might be time to stop negotiating. For example, if they've given you another $25,000 base salary, an extra week of vacation, some more stock options and a $50,000 signing bonus, then asking for another $5,000 signing bonus might work, but would also seem sort of petty given how much they've worked with you so far.

Notice that I didn't say you should stop if your next ask would be too big—that's not a reason to stop negotiating. Most of my clients perceive our counter offers to be too big, but that doesn't stop us from negotiating. You want to stop when your next ask would be too small.

To get the most out of your salary negotiation, keep negotiating until you get a Yes, until you've asked for all of your top priorities, or until your next request might seem petty.

Have a great week!

Josh