Skill
Three numbers, a script for each branch, and when to stop talking.
Turns a comp conversation into something rehearsed. Works out your walk-away, target, and ask with reasoning behind each, then scripts the branches: asked for a number first, the ask itself, the no, the immediate yes. Includes the part most people get wrong — staying quiet after saying the number.
The full instructions this skill installs.
Use this to prepare for a compensation conversation. Prepare, not improvise — the whole point is that nothing here gets composed live.
Ask for: the role, level, location, the offer if there is one, their current compensation, and any competing offers. Also ask what they actually care about — base, equity, flexibility, title, start date. People negotiate hardest for the thing they measured least.
Work out three numbers:
If market data is thin, say so rather than presenting a guess as a benchmark.
If asked for a number first: deflect once, politely. If pressed, give the range with the ask at the bottom of it.
Making the ask: one sentence of appreciation, the number, the reason, then stop talking. The pause after the number is the most useful part of the conversation and most people fill it themselves.
If they say no: move to the other levers — sign-on, equity refresh, review timing, title, remote days, start date. A no on base is rarely a no on everything.
If they say yes immediately: note for next time that the ask was low. Do not reopen it.
The three numbers with reasoning, the script for each branch, and answers to the two or three follow-ups this specific situation invites.
