Close a negotiation with the terms clearly written down.
Close a negotiation by saying every agreed term back out loud before the conversation ends, then putting the same list in writing the same day. Most deals that go wrong after agreement do so without any bad faith. The two sides simply left with slightly different memories of what they agreed, and the aim of closing is to leave no gap between them.
Wei Ling (an invented example) is a job candidate negotiating an offer with a recruiter. Their phone call ends warmly. They have agreed a base salary, a start date and a review after six months, and everyone says the paperwork will get moving. Ten days later the offer letter arrives without the review date. When Wei Ling asks about it, the recruiter says she does not remember agreeing to it. The hiring manager, who did agree to the review, is on leave.
Before the conversation ends, summarise the agreed terms out loud, one item at a time. Do it yourself instead of waiting for the other side to do it, and end by asking them to confirm you have it right. In Wei Ling's call, it might sound like this: "So, to check I have it: S$5,900 a month base, starting on the first of next month, a formal pay review after six months, and the same leave as in the offer letter. Have I got that right?"
This takes about thirty seconds. It catches misunderstandings while both people are still present to fix them, and it turns a friendly conversation into a list of specific terms. It also gives the other side the chance to correct a term now, which is better than discovering the difference when the formal document arrives. If the recruiter replies "after a year, I think", say the corrected version back again. Keep going until neither of you has anything left to adjust.
After the conversation, send a written summary, the same day if possible. A short email is enough. It is the written version of what you said aloud, plus any next steps. Give it a clear subject line so it is easy to find later, such as "Summary of our call today: offer terms". List the agreed terms one per line, and end with the next step, for example that you will look out for the revised offer letter and reply within two working days of receiving it. The skills in lesson 2.1 of the course "Communicate at work", "Emails with one ask, a deadline and a useful subject line", help with writing it.
The email is not the contract. Anything significant must end up in the document that actually binds both sides. Lesson 8.1 makes the same point about tenancy agreements and WhatsApp chats. Which document that is depends on the situation:
a job: the offer letter or employment contract a lease: the tenancy agreement a supplier: the signed quotation or service agreement
When the formal document arrives, check it against your summary line by line before you sign. If something is missing, point to your summary email and ask for it to be added.
A nibble is a small extra request that arrives after agreement, when you are relaxed and keen to finish. Suppose that when the recruiter sends Wei Ling's revised letter, she adds a question: could Wei Ling start a week earlier, because the team is stretched?
Nibbles work because saying no feels petty after the goodwill you have both built up, and because the request is small. Many are innocent. Every nibble is still a concession, though, and the rule from lesson 5.1, "Every concession gets something back", applies to it as to any other concession.
You have two options. You can treat it as a new trade and ask for something in return: Wei Ling could agree to start a week earlier if the six-month review moves to five months. Or you can decline politely with a reason: Wei Ling has committed to a handover at their current job, so the agreed date is the earliest they can start. Do not give a nibble away automatically just because the main deal is done. Module 6 covers the nibble along with other pressure tactics.
The last part of closing is how the other side feels as they leave. In most negotiations you will deal with the same people again. The recruiter's colleague will become your manager. The landlord stays your landlord for another two years. A client decides next year whether to renew.
Close with genuine thanks. If the other side gave ground, acknowledge it. Wei Ling might thank the recruiter for going back to the hiring manager on salary and say they look forward to starting. Do not gloat, and do not tell anyone in their organisation how much further you think they would have gone. A counterpart who feels they did well is easier to work with later, and how one negotiation ends shapes how the next one with the same people starts. Wei Ling's next negotiation, the six-month review, will be with people from this one.
Write the summary email you'd send after a negotiation, laid out so you can reuse it: one section for each agreed term, and one for next steps.
Write a summary email template to send after a negotiation, with a section for each agreed term and one for next steps.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).