You have a negotiation tomorrow. Maybe it is a salary conversation. Maybe it is a vendor contract. Maybe it is pushing back on a scope change with a client who knows exactly what they want.
You have some notes. You have a number in your head. You are hoping it goes okay.
That hope is the problem.
The people on the other side of the table have had these conversations before. They know the standard objections. They know what the market pays. They know which concessions cost them nothing and which ones matter. They are not hoping. They are prepared.
Here is how to get there in 20 minutes, with three prompts and whatever information you already have.
What You Need Before You Start
• The basic facts: what you are negotiating, what you want, what you currently have
• Any context you have: job offer letter, vendor quote, project scope doc, salary range
• The name or type of person you are negotiating with (recruiter, VP, vendor account manager, client)
• Access to any LLM — Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini work. Claude is best for nuance.
The Intelligence Brief (5 minutes)
This prompt turns your raw facts into a structured picture of where you actually stand.
I am preparing for a negotiation. Here are the facts: What I am negotiating: [salary / contract terms / vendor pricing / other] My current position: [what I have now, or what is on the table] What I want: [your target outcome — be specific with numbers if possible] What I know about the other side: [company, role, industry, their likely constraints] Context I have: [Paste any relevant docs, emails, or numbers here — job offer, vendor quote, scope doc] Based on this, tell me: 1. What is my realistic range? (best case, likely, walk-away) 2. What do they most want from this negotiation that is NOT about price? 3. What is their likely first objection to my position? 4. What leverage do I have that I may not be fully using?
What happens: You will get a clear-eyed picture of the negotiation, including things you already know but have not organized. The “leverage you are not using” question consistently surfaces one or two angles people overlook.
Read the output carefully. Adjust any assumptions that feel wrong.
The Scenario Map (5 minutes)
Most negotiations have 3 or 4 likely paths. This prompt maps them before you walk in.
I am going into this negotiation with an opening position of [X]. Map out 3 scenarios: Scenario A: They push back on my number. They say [what is their most likely first pushback?]. How should I respond? What is my counter-move? Scenario B: They offer a partial concession — [something plausible they might offer instead of what I want]. Do I take it? How do I evaluate it? What do I say? Scenario C: They say no to everything — the conversation stalls. What is my best next move? Should I accept, walk away, or try one more angle? For each scenario, give me: (1) the 2–3 sentences I would actually say, (2) what I am trying to accomplish by saying them.
What happens: You get a negotiation map you can actually use. Not abstract advice — specific sentences. Read them once. You will not use them verbatim, but you will remember the shape of each response when the moment comes.
The scenarios become familiar. Familiar is calm.
The Opening Statement (5 minutes)
The first 60 seconds of a negotiation set the frame. This prompt writes yours.
Based on everything above, write my opening statement for this negotiation. Requirements: - 3–4 sentences maximum - States my position clearly and with confidence (no hedging, no apology) - Explains the reasoning, not just the number - Ends with a question that invites their perspective (not a yes/no question) - Tone: professional, direct, collaborative — not adversarial, not meek Then tell me: what is the one thing I should NOT say in this negotiation, and why?
What happens: You get the exact words to say when the conversation starts. Read it out loud once. Adjust the phrasing to sound like you.
The “one thing not to say” is usually something you were planning to say — and it is almost always the thing that weakens your position.
The Real Edge
Most negotiation guides tell you to “know your BATNA” and “anchor high.” That advice is correct but abstract.
What AI gives you is not strategy. It is rehearsal. You have already had the conversation in your head before you walk in. You know what Scenario B looks like. You have the opening line ready. You are not improvising. You are executing.
The other side has had hundreds of these conversations. Now, in 20 minutes, you have had one too.
20 min total prep 5 min per prompt, any LLM
You have already had the conversation. They have not prepared for you.
This Week
Pick one negotiation on your calendar in the next 30 days — salary review, vendor renewal, client scope conversation. Run all three prompts. Print the output or open it on your phone. Walk in with it.
Notice how different it feels when you have words ready instead of hoping the right ones show up. Then reply to this email and tell me how it went. I read every response.
The Research Synthesizer: How to turn 15 browser tabs into one clear briefing document, in the time it used to take you to read two of them.