Negotiation Foundations
with Lisa Gates
Sample Email Template for Problem-Solving
Dear X,
I just returned from a pleasant long weekend with my family [vacation, work project, etc.]. It feels
good to be in the office again, even though my inbox is overflowing.
I assume you’re buried with work since Jack left the company [or you were appointed to the
management team, etc.]. Still, I wanted to get back to you as soon as possible about the issue
we talked about [last week or before I went on vacation].
I don’t want to add to your burdens but was hoping we might find time to chat briefly about the
[major issues we have yet to resolve]. If that’s not possible, we can certainly try to come to a final
decision via email.
I’ve been struggling to find a way that helps both of us achieve our goals. Frankly, I’m feeling a bit
frustrated by my own failure to articulate my viewpoint in a more compelling way. You may be
feeling similarly vexed by our lack of progress.
I’m pretty sure there are an infinite number of ways to resolve this. I don’t doubt we can do again
what we’ve always managed to do before—satisfy both our needs [desires, preferences, priorities]
—if we spend enough time brainstorming the issues.
I’m attaching a memo that includes possible solutions suggested by your team and mine, as well
as a couple of new possibilities I’d like you to consider. If I’ve left anything off this list, please let
me know. I don’t want you to think that I’m unwilling to consider one or more of your concerns.
Although I continue to believe in my proposals, I’m certainly willing to talk about the flaws you
see in them and reconsider the solutions you suggested when last we spoke.
I continue to respect your commitment to producing the best work in the industry and our ability
to create the best [campaign, program, product] for our [people, customers, market].
Best,
X
Negotiation Foundations with Lisa Gates
1 of 3
Sample Email for Salary Counteroffer
Dear X,
Thank you so much for extending a formal offer to work as database engineer for [Company].
My experience working as an intern last summer was exceptionally rewarding for many reasons,
and the two that stand out most were the kind and talented people I was lucky to be partnered
with, and the productivity impact of the X project I was privileged to contribute my strengths
and skills to.
While I appreciate the compensation offered, I’d like to respectfully make a counterproposal that
takes into consideration the productivity and bottom-line value of the X project I worked on in
the summer, and the value of the work I’m poised to deliver in the future.
To do that, I thought it would be helpful to familiarize you with the contributions I and my team
made to the X project.
The problem X solved was to bring all the disparate database systems with messy legacy code
under one umbrella and design new functionality into the system. What I’m most proud of is that
our team was able to deliver on leadership’s request that we escalate the launch of X from one
year to three months.
The project included a complete redesign of the dashboard. Highlights include:
• [Results highlighting productivity changes]
• [Results highlighting money saved]
• [Results highlighting money earned]
Once the X project was complete, I organized training sessions and performed onboarding of
teams to the new system.
In our biweekly meetings, I believe my strength in listening to the requests and preferences of
all the stakeholders and assessing the underlying need or challenge allowed us to design and
implement solutions quickly, thereby eliminating the frustration and time waste in the dashboard.
In some cases, we built, tested, and went live with features within two days.
While I must acknowledge the incredible skills of everyone on our four-person team, when the
project was complete, [your boss, supervisor, leader] told me that I was the best intern he’d hired
in 10 years.
Upon hire, I anticipate that I’ll be expected to continue to make improvements and significant
additions to the base of X, and I look forward to any and all project opportunities that will come
my way where I can contribute to [the company’s] innovation and productivity goals.
Given the immense demands and expectations of the work ahead, I believe a salaried position
would better align our mutual interests. With that in mind, I’d like to propose a base salary of
[$XX,XXX]. According to my research both within the company and salary databases, this is the
low end of the salary range for engineers with less than one year’s experience.
Negotiation Foundations with Lisa Gates
2 of 3
Thank you for reviewing my proposal. I am excited about the work ahead and more than willing to
collaborate until we find what’s workable for both of us.
Much appreciation,
X
Negotiation Foundations with Lisa Gates
3 of 3