Something to doCompensation
Know your walk-away point
A short worksheet to set your line while you're calm, so the conversation doesn't set it for you
Why it’s worth your time
A negotiation feels very different when you know what you'd do without a deal. If the alternative is vague, every offer looks like the only one and walking away feels like falling. Writing it down while you're calm lets you say yes because an offer is good, not because you're scared.
How to find your walk-away point before you negotiate
You’ll come away with your real alternative, your walk-away point and your target, written down and kept to yourself.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- Write down what happens if this doesn't work out.
Stay where you are, take another offer, keep searching. Write the realistic best of those, not the dream version, and what it would cost you in time, money and energy.
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- Put a value on that alternative.
What it's worth to you in money and in everything else. Staying in a job you've outgrown is worth something and costs something. So do three more months of searching.
- Write the lowest offer you'd say yes to.
Below this line, you'd rather have the alternative. Write it as a sentence, because most real walk-away points are packages.
Tip: I'd say yes at this base if the role is fully remote is more useful than a bare number.
- Write what you're hoping for, separately.
The target is what you'll ask for. The walk-away point is what you'll accept. Keeping them apart stops your floor from becoming your ask.
- Keep it to yourself, and reread it before any call.
Share your target and your reasons. The walk-away point is for you.
Good moments for this: before any offer conversationbefore asking for a raisewhen your circumstances change mid-process
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
If your walk-away point feels uncomfortably low, the most useful move is usually to strengthen what you'd do otherwise: finish another process, talk to your current manager, give yourself more runway.
What might make this harder
You do, even if it's staying put or searching longer. It has a value and a cost. Write it down anyway; it's usually stronger than it feels at midnight.
Questions people ask
What is a walk-away point in a salary negotiation?
The lowest offer you'd accept, set by comparing it to what you'd do otherwise. Below that line, your alternative, such as staying or continuing to search, is the better choice.
What does BATNA mean?
Best alternative to a negotiated agreement, a term from Roger Fisher and William Ury's Getting to Yes. It's what you'll do if you don't reach a deal, and it's the measure to judge any offer against.
Should I tell the employer my minimum salary?
Usually not. Share your target and your reasons instead. A stated minimum tends to become the offer.
How do I figure out the lowest salary I'd accept?
Start from your real alternative and what it's worth to you, then write the point where you'd rather have that alternative. Write it as a package, since trade-offs like remote work or title can shift it.
Why this works, and where it comes from
The idea at the center of this is BATNA, the best alternative to a negotiated agreement, from Roger Fisher and William Ury's book Getting to Yes. Their point was that strength in a negotiation comes less from toughness than from knowing what you'll do if you don't agree. A person with a good alternative can be warm, patient and clear, because they don't need this particular deal.
Interestingly, Fisher and Ury were wary of a rigid bottom line picked out of the air. A fixed number can stop you learning anything in the conversation, and it's often set arbitrarily. They suggested measuring every offer against your alternative instead. The walk-away point here is that idea written down: the line where your alternative becomes the better choice, held as a package rather than a single number, and open to revision when you learn something new.
Most people skip this because it feels pessimistic, like planning for failure. It's the opposite: knowing you'd be all right without the deal is what lets you negotiate warmly. You can ask plainly, hear a no without panic, and say yes to a good offer without wondering afterward whether fear made the choice.
It also changes where you put your effort. If your walk-away point feels too low, arguing harder rarely fixes it. Improving your alternative does. That might be finishing another interview process, having an honest conversation with your current manager, or simply giving yourself more time. It isn't needed for every small ask, but for a decision you'll live with for years, it's fifteen quiet minutes well spent.
Other simple things to consider
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.