How to answer the next sentence, and whether this step is worth conceding — work each step out from your real conditions before you speak.
Start here
You want a little more, but you do not know what to say next.
Free, before you hand over anything: one judgement, one reply you can edit and send, one branch, and the basis for it.
No upload, no CV, no account needed to get the action card on the next screen.
Or take the reply you actually got
First, see how to answer this "that is the maximum".
Checking…
Judgement
Product demo
Judgement
- The stated limit is about the base salary, in this round.
- Nothing in the sentence says the rest of the package is closed.
If other components turn out to be open: move to the bonus, the review date, and how the level is recorded in writing.
A list we hold ourselves to, readable by anyone who wants to check it. 10 things this page deliberately does not do
Screen 02 · Free action card
Take away one usable reply first. Then decide whether to keep going.
This card is complete. Nothing on it is blurred, truncated, or waiting behind an email field.
Product demo A worked demo case, not a customer result. The figures and the quoted line are illustrative and are labelled as such wherever they appear.
Judgement
- The stated limit is about the base salary, and it is being described in the present round.
- Nothing in the sentence says the rest of the package is closed.
Reply you can edit and send
Thank you — I understand the base is capped at this point. Could we look at the rest of the package separately: the signing bonus, the review date, and how the level would be recorded in writing? I would like to understand the whole picture before I respond.
Edit before you send. Wording is a starting point, not a script to read out.
Select the text above and copy it manually.
Branches
- If they say the whole package is closed — Stop negotiating money; confirm the terms you already have in writing, and decide against your real alternatives.
- If they say other components can move — Switch to comparing 2–3 combinations of cash, time and non-cash terms instead of pressing on the base.
Basis
- You reported it The limit comes from what you reported the other side said.
- Unconfirmed Whether that limit is their approval authority, this round’s budget, or the final company ceiling.
- Assumed That the other side can still discuss non-base components — untested until you ask.
This card stays free, and it stays complete, whether or not you buy anything later.
Screen 03 · Help menu
How much to ask for, how to answer a no, when to stop — we work through each one with you.
Eight things people get stuck on. The five marked ★ are the ones we treat as decisive. Open any card to see the deliverable it produces.
01 · offer / both
★ Top priorityHR just said this — what do I say back, right now?
What you getA current judgement, an editable reply, the next-round branches, and which earlier advice no longer holds.
Show the sample deliverableHide the sample deliverable
Sample deliverable
Sample deliverable Sample deliverable — demo data, clearly labelled. Not a customer result.
- Judgement: the limit as stated concerns the base only; this round is still open on bonus and review date.
- Editable reply: one short message you can adjust and send, with the reason each sentence is there.
- Next-round branches: what changes if the whole package is closed, and what changes if only the base is closed.
- Superseded: "ask for €90,000" no longer applies once a base ceiling is stated — it would spend your remaining room on the one item that is closed.
02 · offer / both
★ Top priorityI am afraid of asking too low, and afraid of losing the opportunity by asking too high.
What you getAn opening figure, a target and a private walk-away line — kept separate, each with its own basis, and a clarifying move first when the information is too thin.
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Sample deliverable
Sample deliverable Sample deliverable — demo data, clearly labelled. Not a customer result.
- Opening: one figure, with what it rests on.
- Target: the figure you would settle at, and why it is still worth the conversation.
- Private line: what you would not go below — kept on your side, never framed as a threat.
- When information is missing: the clarifying question to ask before you name any number at all.
03 · offer / both
★ Top priorityIf the salary will not move, what else can I ask for that is actually worth something to me?
What you get2–3 comparable packages with their deadline, cash, non-cash, gains and losses laid out side by side.
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Sample deliverable
Sample deliverable Sample deliverable — demo data, clearly labelled. Not a customer result.
- Package 1: lower base, higher one-off payment.
- Package 2: higher base, no one-off payment, earlier review date.
- Package 3: base plus extra holiday or remote days — listed separately, never silently converted into money.
- For each: what you gain, what you give up, and the horizon on which it wins.
04 · internal raise
★ Top priorityI have done a lot — how do I say it so it carries weight?
What you getYour real results turned into a one-page request that can be checked, and that a manager can pass upwards.
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Sample deliverable
Sample deliverable Sample deliverable — demo data, clearly labelled. Not a customer result.
- One page, in the order an approver reads it: scope, results, comparison basis, the ask.
- Every line marked confirmed or still to verify — no number appears without its source.
- A shorter version for the person who only skims the first paragraph.
05 · offer / both
★ Top priorityI do not want to leave money on the table, and I do not want to keep negotiating forever.
What you getA stopping rule based on your target, your fallback and your deadline — including accept, pause and decline as normal, evidenced outcomes.
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Sample deliverable
Sample deliverable Sample deliverable — demo data, clearly labelled. Not a customer result.
- Accept: the terms that meet your target — written down before you are in the room.
- Pause: the conditions under which you ask for a later review instead of pushing now.
- Stop: the terms below which you decline, and what you fall back to.
06 · offer / both
The moment they say no, I do not know what to say.
What you getA short rehearsal against your real case, with feedback on what you actually said — behaviour only, never a personality or mood score.
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Sample deliverable
Sample deliverable Sample deliverable — demo data, clearly labelled. Not a customer result.
- One written line from you, answered by the pushback you expect.
- Behavioural feedback: "you asked for a review, but not for a date or the criteria."
- A revised version of your line, and a short card to take into the meeting.
07 · offer / both
What happens if I ask about the budget first, or counter straight away, or trade conditions instead?
What you getBranches, with the signals you can actually observe, the next action, and the conditions under which that action stops applying.
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Sample deliverable
Sample deliverable Sample deliverable — demo data, clearly labelled. Not a customer result.
- Each route with its preconditions and what you would need to see.
- The signal that tells you the route is working, and the one that tells you it is not.
- The condition that retires the route entirely.
08 · offer / both
We agreed it verbally — what do I still need to check?
What you getA list of agreed / confirmed / still-open items, with the missing amount, date or condition marked.
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Sample deliverable
Sample deliverable Sample deliverable — demo data, clearly labelled. Not a customer result.
- Agreed: what was said, and by whom.
- Confirmed: what appears in the written document.
- Still open: the items with no amount, no date, or no condition attached yet.
Screen 04 · Honesty demo
"That is the maximum" — we will not pretend to know what it refers to.
Three readings of one sentence, and no ranking between them until you ask. What we cannot resolve becomes the next question, not a dashboard.
Product demo
What "we do not know" turns into
“HR said the base salary is capped at €86,000.”
Reported, not verified: a retelling of a conversation is not the same as an established fact.
The other side has expressed a limit on the base salary.
Whether this is their approval authority, this round’s budget, or the company’s final ceiling.
“I would like to check one thing: does this limit apply only to the base salary, or is the whole package fixed? Is there still room to discuss other components?”
- Base fixed but other items open → compare combinations instead of pressing the base.
- Whole package fixed → compare against your acceptance conditions and your real alternatives.
The point is this: what we do not know becomes a question that moves the conversation forward.
Every figure carries its basis
Click a figure to see where it came from and what it assumes. No figure appears on this page without a source, a date, a region and a basis.
Posted base salary range on the public advert
€78,000 – €92,000
Source: Example: company career page (demo) · Date: Demo: 2026-09-01 · Region: DE — Berlin · You reported it
Source, basis and status
You reported it
The limit you reported from the conversation
€86,000
Source: Your own report of the conversation (demo input) · Date: Your conversation · Region: Not applicable — one case · You reported it
Source, basis and status
You reported it
Assumed review date after twelve months
12 months
Source: No source — this is a placeholder assumption in the demo · Date: Not applicable · Region: Not applicable · Assumed
Source, basis and status
Assumed
Five states, kept separate
- You reported it What you said they said. Never presented as verified fact.
- Public material Published by an employer or an official source, with a date.
- Calculated Arithmetic over figures you can see, under the assumptions shown.
- Assumed Entered so something can be computed. Confirm it before acting on it.
- Unconfirmed Nothing here supports it yet. Ask for it rather than filling the gap.
What is still missing
- Whether the stated limit covers the base only, or the whole package.
- Whether the bonus has conditions attached, and what they are.
- The review date and who decides it.
Where a gap changes the recommendation, we say so instead of filling it with a plausible number.
Customer results
There are no publicly verifiable customer results yet. In the meantime you can read a complete sample deliverable.
That is the whole section. No stock avatars, no invented ratings, no borrowed logos, no rounded-up user count.
Read a complete sample deliverable — Every sample is labelled as a demo and built on demo data.
Hook C
Hook C — rehearse not caving after a no
One pushback, one line from you, one behavioural reaction. This is the free 60-second drill; the paid tier adds two longer rehearsals against your own case.
Product demo Scripted feedback on the sentence you write, in your browser. No model is called, nothing is sent anywhere, and nothing is stored.
“There is no salary-review budget this year.”
One thing firstWrite a sentence first — the feedback is about the words you choose.
Behavioural feedback
Sample sentence: “I understand there is no budget. Could we agree a review date?”
In your sentence
- You asked for a review — good, that keeps the door open.
- The sentence is concrete rather than a general statement of dissatisfaction.
Not in your sentence yet
- You did not ask what the review would be judged on, so the criteria remain unknown.
- You did not raise anything other than base salary, so the whole answer rests on one item.
- You did not ask who decides, so you may be talking to someone who cannot move it.
We could not point at a specific request pattern in that sentence yet.
A revised version
Understood — I accept that this round has no budget. And what would that review be judged on? Could we look at something other than base salary — a one-off payment, or a non-cash term?
Built from your sentence, keeping your own wording where it was doing work.
Your pre-meeting card
- Open by accepting the constraint without conceding the question.
- Ask for one date and one criterion — both, in the same message.
- Name the second route (a one-off payment, a review date, a non-cash term).
- Ask who decides, and what they need in order to decide.
- Agree in writing what was settled, and what was not.
Short enough to read in the corridor. It is yours whether or not you buy anything.
No confidence score, no personality reading, no mood assessment. Only what your sentence did.
What this drill looks for
The list above is the entire classifier. It is substring matching, in this order, with no scoring.
Screen 05 · Comparing conditions
The package that is ahead in year one is not necessarily ahead after two years.
Two things sit on this screen: what is still open if they say no, and the arithmetic of two packages over two horizons.
Product demo
If they say no, which routes are still open to you?
Change one condition and see which routes still work and which need replacing. Every route states its precondition, the signal to confirm, and the next thing to ask.
This is conditional rehearsal, not a success-rate prediction. We do not know the other side’s real budget, and we will not treat the number of simulated branches as your chance of closing the deal.
Nothing on this page estimates how likely any outcome is. No gauge, no percentage, no score.
Three named branches
The base salary is fixed
Precondition: The stated limit applies to base salary only, and other components are still being discussed.
Signal to confirm: The other side answers a question about the bonus or the review date without repeating the base limit.
What to ask next“Understood on the base. Could we look at the signing bonus and the review date separately?”
Still open
- Compare combinations of cash, time and non-cash terms.
- Ask for an earlier review date with named criteria.
Retired here
- Pressing the base again in this round.
- Treating a higher base as your only route to more.
It needs approval above them
Precondition: The person you are speaking to cannot decide the figure alone.
Signal to confirm: They refer to a manager, a committee, or an exception process, or they ask you for reasons they can pass on.
What to ask next“I understand — what would you need from me to take this into that process, and by when would you expect an answer?”
Still open
- Turn your request into a one-page case someone else can forward.
- Agree a date by which the decision comes back.
Retired here
- Reading the limit as the company’s final position.
- Negotiating only with the person who has no authority to move it.
The whole package is settled
Precondition: No component is still open for this round.
Signal to confirm: A direct answer that cash, time and non-cash terms are all fixed, ideally in writing.
What to ask next“Then could we agree in writing what has been settled, and what the next review point is?”
Still open
- Confirm every agreed term in writing.
- Decide against your acceptance conditions and real alternatives.
Retired here
- Further money requests in this round.
- Trading conditions you have already accepted.
Routes that survive this branch
Routes are marked viable or retired by the condition you pick — not by a likelihood.
The arithmetic of two packages
Two packages, two horizons, and the assumptions printed next to the numbers rather than in a footnote.
The worked example from the spec
- A = €86,000 gross annual base.
- B = €82,000 gross annual base + a €6,000 one-off signing bonus.
First year: B is €2,000 ahead. After two years: A is €2,000 ahead.
This is the arithmetic of two packages, not a return on buying anything. Holiday, remote days and the review date are listed separately and are not converted into money. When the bases are not comparable, the net comparison stops.
Assumptions
- Figures are gross annual base salary, before tax.
- Both packages use the same tax basis, country and contract basis.
- The base salary does not change in the second year.
- The one-off payment is paid in full in year one and is not clawed back.
- Holiday, remote days and the review date are NOT converted into money — they are listed separately, by preference.
Package A — higher base, no one-off payment
- Base, per year
- €86.000
- One-off payment, year one
- €0
Package B — lower base, with a one-off payment
- Base, per year
- €82.000
- One-off payment, year one
- €6.000
- Total, first year — A
- €86.000
- Total, first year — B
- €88.000
Ahead: Package B — lower base, with a one-off payment
Difference: €2.000
- Total, two years — A
- €172.000
- Total, two years — B
- €170.000
Ahead: Package A — higher base, no one-off payment
Difference: €2.000
The leading package changes between the two horizons.
Try your own two packages
Product demo, computed in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere and nothing is stored.
Not comparable — stop the net comparisonThe bases are not comparable, so this tool does not print a net difference. Convert both to the same basis first (currency, period, before or after tax, base versus total reward).
Screen 06 · Staying current
When the other side changes the terms, your next step has to change with it.
One continuous demo: new reply → advice that no longer holds → new action → written confirmation.
Product demo
Before the reply
Plan: press the base, open at €90,000, keep the signing bonus in reserve.
New reply
“The base is capped at €86,000.”
What no longer holds
The €90,000 opening is retired — it commits your remaining room to the one item that has just been closed. Any figure above the stated base limit is withdrawn until the limit is clarified.
New action
Ask whether the limit covers the base only or the whole package, then move to combinations: one-off payment, review date, and how the level is recorded.
Confirm in writing
Agreed versus confirmed versus still open — with the missing amount, date or condition marked before you sign.
Proof, not framing
Not another block of advice: when a new reply arrives, the next step changes with it.
Old terms and advice → new reply → retired items and the new action
Before
Plan: press the base, open at €90,000, keep the signing bonus in reserve.
“The base is capped at €86,000.”
After
The €90,000 opening is retired — it commits your remaining room to the one item that has just been closed. Any figure above the stated base limit is withdrawn until the limit is clarified.
Ask whether the limit covers the base only or the whole package, then move to combinations: one-off payment, review date, and how the level is recorded.
Agreed versus confirmed versus still open — with the missing amount, date or condition marked before you sign.
Product demo This is a product demo on demo data.
Screen 07 · What you get
For this one negotiation, prepare an action plan you can keep using.
The point of paying is not a document. It is that when the reply arrives, you do not have to rebuild your background or re-check which advice still applies.
Demo content
What is delivered
- A one-page action card for now — What to do, why, what to send, and what to confirm next.
- Target and acceptance boundaries — Opening, target and private line kept separate — with the basis left explicitly unresolved where the information is thin.
- 2–3 comparable packages — Amount, deadline, cash and non-cash, with the main gains and losses.
- Updates after a real reply — New information changes the recommendation, and we name which earlier parts no longer apply.
- Materials by track — Counter-offer and trade wording for an external offer; evidence and approval material for an internal raise.
- Closing and review — Term checks, accept or decline wording, and a short review based on what actually happened.
Price and terms
€19
for this negotiation
Provisional product terms, published before purchase rather than after. The €19 is for one negotiation case, and the terms below are locked in writing at checkout.
Stated before you buy
You can also keep the free action card and come back later. That option never expires.
What this is not
- Not a guarantee of a raise, and not a promise that you will not lose the offer. We cannot control an employer’s decision.
- Not legal advice.
- No personality, confidence or anxiety score about you, ever.
- If your information is only enough to say "go and ask these questions first", that step is free — you are not asked to pay for a list.
If you are only short of information right now, the honest first step costs nothing and is on this page.
Screen 08 · Deciding
When the next reply arrives, know what to push for — and know when it is reasonable to accept.
Short answers to the questions people ask right before paying.
Before you decide
What if the information I have is not enough?
Then we say so, and the first step is free: the questions to ask. We do not ask you to pay for a list of things we cannot yet judge.
What if I just accept the offer as it is?
Accepting is a normal, evidenced outcome. The pack includes the stopping rule, so "this meets my target" is a decision you can point at — not a failure to negotiate.
Does buying lock me into a subscription?
No. 90 days for one case, no automatic renewal, and the material stays exportable afterwards.
What happens to the free action card?
It is yours. It is complete on screen 02, it is not truncated, and it does not disappear if you decide not to buy.
Your entitlements at a glance
- One-page action card
- Target and acceptance boundaries
- 2–3 comparable packages
- Updates after a real reply
- Materials by track
- Closing and review
Take my free action card with me
Leave with the complete card from screen 02. No account, no email.
How to answer the next sentence, and whether this step is worth conceding — decided from your real conditions, every time the situation moves.
What is deliberately not on this page
A list we hold ourselves to, readable by anyone who wants to check it.
- No countdown timer and no resetting clock.
- No invented scarcity — no "only 3 slots left", and nothing else that manufactures urgency.
- No default-ticked consent box, and no pre-selected paid option.
- No shaming decline button — "keep using the free result" is a full-size, equal option.
- No "guaranteed raise", no "you will not lose the offer", no "zero risk".
- No "650x return", and no "you are losing €670 every month".
- No "we see through HR", and no absolute exclusivity claims about other tools.
- No fake testimonials, fake customer counts, fake logos or fake avatars.
- No "success rate" percentage, probability gauge or score. Conditional rehearsal is labelled as such, next to it.
- No legal advice and no personality or emotion scoring.
Where a real deadline is relevant, you enter your own offer deadline — we do not manufacture one.