Negotiation English

IT professionals negotiate: salary and compensation packages, scope and timeline with project managers, technical architecture decisions with stakeholders, vendor contracts and SLAs, job offers and remote work arrangements, prioritisation with product owners, resource allocation with managers, and technical debt paydown against feature work. Each context requires different language and tactics.

Salary negotiation phrases: "Based on my research and experience, I'm targeting [range]", "I'm excited about the role — can we discuss the compensation package?", "I have a competing offer at [X] — I'd prefer to join your team if we can get closer to that", "Beyond base salary, I'm also considering equity and remote flexibility", "I'd like to take a day to consider the offer in full — is that possible?" Always negotiate — most IT companies expect it.

Scope negotiation: "Adding [feature] to this sprint will push [other item] to next sprint — which is the higher priority?", "We can include [X] but we'll need to extend the timeline by one week or reduce [Y]", "Let's discuss the must-haves vs. nice-to-haves — what's the minimum viable scope for the deadline?", "I want to make sure we deliver quality work — can we revisit the timeline for the revised scope?" Use the "if... then..." structure to make trade-offs explicit.

BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement) is your fallback if negotiations fail. In IT: your BATNA in salary negotiation is your current job or competing offer. In scope negotiation: your BATNA is reducing scope or extending timeline. Knowing your BATNA gives you confidence — you can walk away if terms don't work. Never reveal a weak BATNA: if you have no competing offer, negotiate as if the role is worth what you deserve based on market data.

Diplomatic technical disagreement: "I see the appeal of [approach], but I'm concerned about [specific risk]", "Have we considered [alternative]? My thinking is...", "I want to make sure we've thought through [edge case] before we commit", "I might be missing something — can you help me understand why we're not using [X]?", "I disagree with this direction, but I'll support the team's decision — can I document my concerns in an ADR?" Disagree and commit after expressing concerns clearly.

Vendor negotiation phrases: "We're evaluating multiple solutions — what's your best offer for our volume?", "We'd like to pilot this for 3 months before committing to an annual contract", "Can we include an SLA for [metric] as part of the contract?", "What's the exit clause if we need to switch vendors?", "We need [custom feature] — can that be included in the price or scoped separately?". Vendors expect negotiation — never accept the first offer without testing flexibility.

Resource negotiation phrases: "To deliver [project] by [date], we need one additional senior engineer", "The current team is at capacity — adding [new project] means something else gets deprioritised", "Can we bring in a contractor for the next 2 sprints to hit the launch?", "I've mapped the workload — we're running at 120% capacity. Something needs to give." Back up resource requests with data: work breakdown, capacity analysis, risk assessment. Emotional appeals are less effective than evidence.

"Disagree and commit" is an Amazon leadership principle: voice your concerns, then fully support the team's decision. Phrases: "I've shared my concerns — I understand we're going with [X] and I'll give it my full support", "I disagree with this direction, but I'll commit to making it work", "I want it on record that I think [Y] is a risk — but I'm aligned with the team's decision", "Let's revisit this in the retrospective if we see [issue] arising." Disagree and commit prevents endless debate while maintaining psychological safety.

Remote work negotiation: "I'm most productive in a remote setup — would the team be open to full remote?", "I'd prefer to work on a flexible schedule to overlap with both EU and US timezones", "For the first 3 months I'm happy to be in the office more frequently as I onboard, and then shift to remote", "Can we trial a 4-day work week arrangement? I've seen studies showing productivity improvements in similar roles." Frame it around value and productivity, not personal preference.

Assertive: clearly states needs while respecting the other party — "I need [X] for this to work for me." Aggressive: disregards the other party's interests — "You need to give me [X] or I walk." Passive: doesn't state needs clearly, then resents the outcome — "Whatever works for you." In IT negotiations, assertive communication gets the best long-term outcomes: you maintain relationships while advocating for your interests. Aggressive tactics may win short-term but damage working relationships.