Know Your Walk-Away Point

WHY IT WORKS

People concede most when they have not decided what they will refuse. A written walk-away point turns a vague discomfort into a rule, which stops gradual erosion through many small concessions and lets you stay warm in tone while remaining fixed on substance.

WHEN TO USE IT

• You are about to negotiate a fee, salary or contract term that matters to you.
• You have conceded more than intended in previous rounds with this counterpart.

WHEN NOT TO USE IT

• You genuinely lack the information to set a sensible floor; learn it first.
• The relationship is purely exploratory and no terms are on the table yet.

SIGNALS IT FITS

• You cannot say, in one number, what deal you would decline.
• You notice yourself hoping they will not ask you to go lower.

PREPARATION

• Write your floor as a number or term plus the reason it is your floor.
• List what you will do instead if the floor is not met, so the limit is credible to you.

STEP BY STEP

1. Set the floor before any conversation begins and do not revise it mid-meeting.
2. Open above the floor with a reasoned position.
3. When an offer lands below the floor, say so plainly and restate what would work.
4. If they stay below, end the round politely and take the alternative you prepared.

OPENING LINE

“Let me be clear about what would and wouldn't work for me, so we don't waste each other's time.”

SCRIPT

I've thought carefully about this, and I can't take the role below 92,000. Above that, I'm flexible on how we structure it.

LIKELY RESPONSES & COUNTERS

If they ask whether you'd consider slightly less

Repeat the floor without new justification and ask what else they can move instead.

If they say the budget is fixed

Ask what is not fixed — start date, review timing, title — and trade on those, not the floor.

If they meet the floor exactly

Accept cleanly. Do not reopen other points as a reflex once your real limit is met.

SECOND MOVE

If they come in below the floor and will not move, use Step Back Without Burning the Bridge.

FOLLOW-UP

After the negotiation, note whether your floor was realistic; adjust it for next time with evidence, not mood.

COMMON MISTAKES

• Setting the floor during the conversation, under pressure.
• Revealing the floor as your opening number, leaving no room.

WALK-AWAY CONDITIONS

• The final offer remains below your written floor after one honest restatement.

EXAMPLE (FICTIONAL)

A designer wrote 'no less than 6,500 for the brand package' on a card before a call. When the client offered 5,000 with 'exposure', she restated the 6,500 calmly and offered a smaller scope at 5,000 instead. They chose the full package at 6,500.

RELATED MOVES

• Move 20: Build a Real Alternative
• Move 85: Decide Your Exit Before You Need It
• Move 86: Step Back Without Burning the Bridge