The Salary Negotiation Script That Works When You Hate Confrontation

Most negotiation advice assumes an appetite for confrontation that a lot of competent people simply do not have. The good news is that negotiation rewards preparation far more than it rewards nerve.

Here is a script you can write down, and the four moments where it usually goes wrong.

Before: do the boring part

Find three comparable salaries — from published bands, recruiters, or colleagues in other companies who will tell you. Write down your three most quantifiable contributions from the last year, with numbers attached.

Decide two figures privately: your target, and the number below which you will start looking elsewhere. You will never say the second one out loud, and knowing it changes how the whole conversation feels.

The opening

“I'd like to talk about my compensation. Over the last year I've [specific contribution with a number], [second contribution], and taken on [scope change]. Based on what comparable roles are paying, I'm looking for a salary in the range of £X to £Y. I wanted to raise it with you directly.”

Four sentences. Evidence, then number, then stop.

“The pause after a number is the highest-value few seconds in the conversation. Let them fill it.”Delphine Roy, Life & Money Editor

Then say nothing

The pause after a number is uncomfortable by design and it is the highest-value few seconds in the conversation. Most people fill it by negotiating against themselves — “but I understand if that's not possible” — and give away the position they just built.

Count to ten in your head. Let them respond first.

When they say there's no budget

Sometimes true. The reply: “I understand budgets are set annually. What would need to be true for this to be possible at the next review, and can we agree that in writing now?”

This converts a refusal into a commitment with a date attached, which is a materially better outcome than a vague promise.

Negotiate the rest

If the base is genuinely fixed, the negotiable items are frequently: a title change, a one-off bonus, additional annual leave, a four-day-week trial, a training or conference budget, remote-working days, and an earlier review date.

Several of these are worth more than the raise you asked for and come from a different budget line, which is precisely why they are easier to say yes to.

Get it in writing

End with: “That's great — could you confirm the details by email so we're both clear?”

Verbal agreements evaporate when managers change. This one sentence has saved more money than any other in this piece.