Template
Compare the offer with an alternative you can actually take
Your fallback needs a next step, not just an impressive name.
When it fits
- The pressure to reach agreement is making an unattractive offer look inevitable.
When to avoid it
- Do not invent competing offers or threaten an exit you cannot afford. An alternative can weaken as circumstances change.
A template to use
Available alternative: [option]. Evidence it is available: [evidence]. Switching cost and uncertainty: [cost]. Minimum acceptable package: [threshold]. Next step if there is no agreement: [action].
Why it matters
Write what you would actually do without this agreement, including its costs and uncertainties. Compare the whole proposed package with that alternative. A hoped-for offer is not the same as an available one, and an improved headline number may still buy a worse overall arrangement.
An example
A remote consultant compares a new engagement with continuing an existing one, including hours, payment reliability and travel requirements.
Check your result
The alternative has a credible execution path and the comparison includes the terms that actually matter.
Keep this limit in mind
- Do not invent competing offers or threaten an exit you cannot afford. An alternative can weaken as circumstances change.
Connected ideas
Use beforeOffer several packages you would genuinely accept
Evidence and sources
A BATNA is the alternative available if the current negotiation does not produce an agreement, rather than a desired result inside that negotiation.
An imagined opportunity is not equivalent to an available alternative; switching costs and uncertainty must be considered.
What is a BATNA? · Opening definition