How do you maintain confidence when dealing with lowball offers?

1 Understand the employer's perspective

The first step to dealing with lowball offers is to understand why the employer might make them. There could be various reasons, such as budget constraints, lack of awareness of your value, testing your negotiation skills, or simply trying to save money. Don't take it personally or assume that they don't respect you. Instead, try to see the offer as a starting point for a dialogue, not a final decision. Ask questions to find out more about the employer's rationale, goals, and priorities. This will help you to frame your counteroffer in a way that aligns with their interests and shows your value.

2 Know your worth and your walk-away point

The second step to dealing with lowball offers is to know your worth and your walk-away point. Your worth is the range of salary that reflects your skills, experience, and contributions to the employer. You can determine your worth by researching the market rates, benchmarking yourself against similar roles and candidates, and highlighting your achievements and impact. Your walk-away point is the minimum salary that you would accept, based on your financial needs, career goals, and alternatives. You should have a clear idea of both your worth and your walk-away point before you enter any negotiation, and stick to them throughout the process.

3 Communicate with confidence and positivity

The third step to dealing with lowball offers is to communicate with confidence and positivity. Confidence means that you express your value and expectations clearly, firmly, and respectfully, without being arrogant, defensive, or aggressive. Positivity means that you maintain a friendly and cooperative tone, without being passive, emotional, or desperate. You can communicate with confidence and positivity by using positive language, body language, and voice, by acknowledging the employer's offer and perspective, by presenting your counteroffer with evidence and rationale, and by asking for feedback and clarification.

4 Consider other forms of compensation and benefits

The fourth step to dealing with lowball offers is to consider other forms of compensation and benefits that could make up for the gap in salary. Sometimes, the employer might not be able to budge on the base salary, but they might be willing to offer other incentives, such as bonuses, stock options, commissions, allowances, or perks. You should have a list of other forms of compensation and benefits that you value and that are relevant to the role and the employer. You can then propose them as part of your counteroffer, or use them as leverage to negotiate a higher salary.

5 Be prepared to walk away or accept

The final step to dealing with lowball offers is to be prepared to walk away or accept. If you've followed the previous steps, you should have a good sense of whether the employer is willing and able to meet your expectations, or whether they are stuck on a lowball offer. If the latter is the case, you have to decide whether to accept the offer or walk away. This decision depends on your personal and professional situation, your alternatives, and your satisfaction with the offer. If you decide to accept, make sure you get the offer in writing and confirm the details. If you decide to walk away, do so gracefully and respectfully, and keep the door open for future opportunities.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?