Negotiation: salary, deals and everyday asks

Prepare for any negotiation, from a job offer to a lease renewal, and get a better outcome while keeping the relationship intact.

Many people negotiate only when they have to: a job offer arrives, the lease is up, a contractor's quote looks high. Then they either accept the first number to avoid an awkward conversation, or dig in on a figure and turn the other person into an opponent. Neither gets them much. This course teaches a method you can prepare on one page. Know what both sides actually need, know your walk-away, open with a reasoned number, trade instead of giving in, and spot the tactics people use on you. Then you apply it to pay, rent, suppliers and negotiations across Asian cultures.

What you'll be able to do

• Separate positions from interests and find options that meet both sides' interests
• Work out your BATNA, reservation point and target, and estimate the other side's
• Complete a one-page preparation worksheet before any important negotiation
• Make or respond to a first offer using anchoring on purpose
• Trade concessions with if-then offers instead of giving them away
• Name common pressure tactics and respond without escalating
• Negotiate a job offer and ask for a raise using Singapore salary data
• Adjust your approach for face, hierarchy and indirect communication in Asian negotiations

Syllabus

Module 1: Negotiate over interests, not positions

See why arguing over positions produces stalemates or bad deals, uncover the interests behind a demand, and keep the relationship separate from the problem.

• 1.1 What people ask for is not what they need
• 1.2 Questions that uncover the other side's interests
• 1.3 Separate the people from the problem
• 1.4 Map the interests in a real negotiation

Module 2: Know your walk-away before you talk

Work out your best alternative to a negotiated agreement, set a reservation point and a target, estimate the other side's, and see whether a deal zone exists at all.

• 2.1 Your BATNA: what happens if you walk away
• 2.2 Set a reservation point and a target
• 2.3 Estimate theirs and find the zone of possible agreement
• 2.4 Strengthen your BATNA before the conversation

Module 3: Prepare the whole negotiation on one page

Build a preparation worksheet covering interests, alternatives, numbers, issues to trade, questions and your opening, so you walk in with a plan instead of a mood.

• 3.1 Research the market and the other side
• 3.2 List the issues and decide what you can trade
• 3.3 Plan your opening, questions and concessions
• 3.4 Complete your preparation worksheet

Module 4: Use the first offer to your advantage

Understand how anchoring shapes a negotiation, decide when to make the first offer, set a number that is ambitious but defensible, and respond to an extreme anchor without countering it.

• 4.1 How the first number pulls everything toward it
• 4.2 Should you go first or let them
• 4.3 Open with an ambitious number and a reason
• 4.4 When they open with an extreme number
• 4.5 Practise opening offers in role-play

Module 5: Trade concessions instead of giving them away

Make concessions that move the deal without signalling weakness, trade across issues, put packages on the table, and close by writing down what was agreed.

• 5.1 Every concession gets something back
• 5.2 Make your concessions smaller as you go
• 5.3 Put several offers on the table at once
• 5.4 Close the deal and write it down
• 5.5 Run a multi-issue negotiation with a partner

Module 6: Spot the tactics and respond calmly

Recognise common pressure tactics, from good cop bad cop to the exploding deadline, respond without escalating or giving in, and decide where your own line sits.

• 6.1 The pressure tactics you will meet
• 6.2 Counter a tactic by naming it or ignoring it
• 6.3 Where hard bargaining becomes dishonest
• 6.4 Tactic drill with a partner

Module 7: Negotiate your pay: offers, raises and promotions

Research your market rate from Singapore sources, value the whole package, answer the expected salary question, counter an offer, and build a case for a raise or promotion.

• 7.1 Find your market rate from real sources
• 7.2 Value the whole package, not just base pay
• 7.3 Answer the expected salary question
• 7.4 Counter an offer without putting it at risk
• 7.5 Ask for a raise or promotion with a case
• 7.6 Write your pay case and rehearse the conversation

Module 8: Get better terms on rent, suppliers and big purchases

Apply the method to landlords and agents, contractors and suppliers, and large purchases such as a car, a renovation or a phone contract, where small gains add up and relationships still matter.

• 8.1 Renewing or signing a lease
• 8.2 Get quotes and negotiate with contractors and suppliers
• 8.3 Big purchases: cars, electronics and contracts
• 8.4 Negotiate one everyday deal this month

Module 9: Negotiate across cultures in Asia

See how face, hierarchy, relationship building and indirect communication change negotiations across Asia, including within Singapore's own mix, and adapt without stereotyping.

• 9.1 Face, hierarchy and who really decides
• 9.2 Build the relationship first, then the deal
• 9.3 Hearing no when nobody says no
• 9.4 Use culture as a starting guess, not a stereotype
• 9.5 Adapt your plan for a cross-cultural negotiation

Frequently asked questions

How long does the course take?

About ten hours across nine modules, including the role-plays and exercises. Most people take four to six weeks. If you have an offer or a review coming up soon, do modules 2, 3, 4 and 7 first.

Will this teach me to be aggressive?

No. The method is firm on substance and respectful to people. You learn to prepare well, ask for what you can justify and trade instead of giving in, which suits relationships you need to keep, such as with your employer or landlord.

Will the course tell me what salary to ask for?

No. Pay varies too much by role, industry and year for one number to be useful. You learn to build your own range from Ministry of Manpower wage data, recruiter salary guides and current job listings, and how to use it in the conversation.

I am a freelancer. Does this help with clients?

Yes, for the negotiation itself: anchoring your rate, trading scope and payment terms, and handling pushback. Managing the money side of irregular income is covered in Self-employed and freelance: money with irregular income.

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