--- name: offer-evaluation-negotiation version: 1.0.0 description: | AUTO-TRIGGER: Apply this skill when the user has received a job offer and needs to evaluate it, counter it, or decide whether to accept it. Trigger phrases include: "I got an offer," "they came in at," "the offer is," "should I counter," "how do I negotiate," "the base is," "they're offering equity," "OTE," "total compensation," "the number is lower than I wanted," "how do I ask for more," or any situation where the user is holding a specific offer and deciding what to do with it. Also trigger when the user is preparing for the compensation conversation before an offer is made, or when they need to evaluate whether an offer is worth accepting given their target range. Do NOT trigger for general interview preparation, resume writing, or recruiter outreach. This skill is specifically for the offer stage: when a number is on the table and the user needs to decide how to respond. allowed-tools: - Read - Write - WebSearch - Edit --- # Offer Evaluation and Negotiation: Getting to the Right Number Without Losing the Offer This skill evaluates a job offer and prepares the practitioner to negotiate from a position of clarity rather than anxiety. Most people negotiate badly not because they lack confidence but because they have not done the analysis first. They counter without knowing what the right counter is, without understanding which components of the offer are movable, and without a clear walk-away position. The goal is not to maximize every component of the offer. The goal is to identify the gap between the offer and the right number, understand what is actually negotiable at this company and level, and close that gap without signaling desperation or damaging the relationship before day one. --- ## HOW TO SET UP THIS SKILL Provide: - The specific offer: base salary, bonus structure (target and max), equity (amount, type, vesting schedule, cliff), benefits, start date - Your target compensation range - The company stage: bootstrapped, Series A, Series B, Series C, late-stage, or public - Whether you have competing offers or other active processes - What the recruiter has said about flexibility or timeline - Whether the role is remote, hybrid, or in-office If any component is missing, the skill will flag the gap and explain why it matters before proceeding. --- ## How to Read a Director-Level B2B SaaS Offer A Director-level offer has multiple components. Each has different negotiability and different long-term value. Evaluating only the base salary is the most common mistake. --- ### Component 1: Base salary Base salary is the floor of your compensation. It compounds. Every future raise is calculated from this number. Every future offer at another company will anchor to this number. Getting it right matters more than any other component. For a Director of Demand Gen or RevOps in B2B SaaS in 2025-2026, search for current benchmarks before evaluating any offer. Ranges vary significantly by market, company stage, and whether the company has raised institutional capital. Always search before advising. The base is negotiable at most companies. The room is typically 10 to 15 percent above the initial offer at the Director level. Companies expect negotiation. An offer is not a take-it-or-leave-it number even when the recruiter implies it is. --- ### Component 2: Bonus structure At Director level, bonus is typically expressed as a percentage of base. A 15 percent target bonus on a $175K base is $26,250 at target. Understand three things: Target versus maximum: What is the target bonus percentage and what is the maximum achievable? Some companies cap at 1x target. Others pay up to 2x for exceptional performance. This difference is material. What it is tied to: Is the bonus tied to individual performance, team performance, company performance, or a combination? A bonus tied entirely to company performance at a Series A startup with uncertain revenue is worth less than a bonus tied to personal pipeline contribution metrics you directly control. History of payment: Ask the recruiter whether the company has hit bonus targets in prior years. A 20 percent target bonus that has never been paid at target is not a 20 percent bonus. --- ### Component 3: Equity Equity evaluation depends entirely on company stage. Do not apply the same framework to a Series A startup and a late-stage company preparing for IPO. **Series A and B (early stage):** Equity is highly dilutive and highly speculative. Most Series A startups never return equity value to employees. Treat it as a lottery ticket, not as compensation. Do not accept a lower base salary in exchange for more equity at this stage. The equity may be worth nothing. The base salary is certain. Evaluate: number of options or shares, strike price, current preferred share price (from the last round), percentage of the fully diluted cap table, vesting schedule (four years standard, one-year cliff standard), and whether the company allows early exercise. Ask: what is the 409A valuation versus the preferred share price? The difference tells you something about how employees are valued relative to investors. **Series C and beyond (growth stage):** Equity has more signal but is still speculative. The company has demonstrated some product-market fit. Exit is more plausible but not guaranteed. Evaluate: same as above, but also ask about secondary liquidity. Some growth-stage companies allow employees to sell a portion of vested shares in secondary transactions. This reduces the all-or-nothing risk of waiting for an exit. **Late-stage or pre-IPO:** Equity has the most signal and the most clarity on value. You can calculate a rough valuation based on the last preferred share price. Be conservative: late-stage valuations are often inflated and IPO prices frequently reset. **Public company RSUs:** RSUs at a public company are the most straightforward equity compensation. They have current market value. Evaluate the vesting schedule and the current stock price. A four-year RSU grant with a one-year cliff vests 25 percent in year one, then monthly or quarterly thereafter. --- ### Component 4: The full package Benefits that materially affect total compensation at Director level: Remote work structure: If the role requires relocation or regular travel, that has a cost that comes out of your effective compensation. A $185K role requiring weekly travel to a different city is not the same as a $180K fully remote role. Health insurance quality and cost: In the US, the difference between a company that covers 100 percent of premiums versus 70 percent can be $5,000 to $15,000 per year in out-of-pocket cost. 401K match: A 4 percent match on a $175K base is $7,000 per year. This is real compensation. PTO policy: Unlimited PTO is often worth less than a defined PTO policy because it is rarely used to its theoretical maximum. This is not a primary negotiating point but worth noting in the full picture. --- ## Evaluating the Offer Against Your Target Before deciding how to respond, do the math on the full compensation package. **Total target compensation calculation:** Base + (base times target bonus percentage) + annualized equity value (for RSUs or calculable equity) = total annual target compensation. Compare this to your target range. The gap between the offer and your target is what you are negotiating. If the gap is less than 10 percent: a single counter on base is likely sufficient to close it. If the gap is 10 to 20 percent: a counter on base combined with a counter on target bonus or signing bonus can close it. If the gap is more than 20 percent: either the company is outside your range and the negotiation will not close the gap, or there is equity value you have not yet calculated that changes the picture. Understand which situation you are in before countering. --- ## What Is Actually Negotiable at Director Level Not every component is equally negotiable at every company. Understanding this before the counter conversation saves you from wasting a negotiating move on something that will not move. **Almost always negotiable:** Base salary (within a band), signing bonus, start date, remote work flexibility, title in some cases. **Sometimes negotiable:** Target bonus percentage (more often at smaller companies), equity grant size, equity acceleration provisions (especially single-trigger on change of control). **Rarely negotiable:** Benefits package structure (too many employees on the same plan), vesting schedule (standardized for all employees), stock strike price (set by the 409A valuation). --- ## How to Have the Counter Conversation The counter conversation has one job: close the gap between the offer and the right number while keeping the offer alive. Everything else is secondary. **The principle: be specific and be brief.** A vague counter ("I was hoping for something a bit higher") gives the recruiter nothing to work with and nothing to take back to the hiring manager. A specific counter with a clear rationale gives them something to act on. A strong counter has three parts: 1. Acknowledge the offer genuinely. Not effusively. One sentence. "Thank you for the offer — I am excited about the role and the team." 2. Name the specific ask. One number or one change. Not a list. "Based on my research into market rates for Director-level demand gen in B2B SaaS and the scope of the program I would be building, I was targeting a base in the range of $X. Is there flexibility to get to that number?" 3. Signal your intent to accept if the number works. "If we can get there on base, I am ready to move forward." This structure keeps the conversation alive, gives the recruiter something actionable, and signals that you are a serious candidate who wants the role, not a candidate who is shopping for leverage. --- ## Handling Specific Situations **The offer is below your range and the recruiter said the number is firm:** "Firm" almost never means firm. It means the recruiter does not have authority to move it without approval. Your counter should acknowledge their constraint while giving them something to take back: "I understand there may be constraints on the base. If the base cannot move, would there be flexibility to include a signing bonus to help bridge the gap?" Signing bonuses come from a different budget than base salary at many companies and are sometimes easier to approve. **You have a competing offer:** A competing offer is the most direct source of leverage. Use it. "I want to be transparent — I have another offer in hand at $X. The role here is my preference, but I need to close the gap in compensation to move forward. Can you match or get close to that number?" You do not need to name the company unless you want to. The number is the leverage, not the name. **You have no competing offer:** Your leverage is market data and your walkaway position. If you do not have a walkaway position — a number below which you will not accept regardless of other factors — you are negotiating without an anchor. Define it before the conversation. Market data is your substitute for competing offers. Search for current benchmarks for your role and market before the counter conversation. Citing a specific range from a credible source is more powerful than citing a general sense that the offer is low. **The company says they cannot move on base but the offer is below your range:** Ask about the timing of the first performance review. If the company has a standard six or twelve-month review, ask whether a salary adjustment at that point could be tied to specific performance milestones. Get this in writing before accepting. --- ## Deliver the Offer Evaluation Output in this format: ``` OFFER EVALUATION Company: [name if provided] Role: [title] Built: [today's date] OFFER BREAKDOWN Base: [$X] Target bonus: [$Y, Z% of base, tied to: what] Equity: [type, amount, vesting, estimated value if calculable] Full package notes: [remote, benefits, other material factors] TOTAL ANNUAL TARGET COMPENSATION [Base + target bonus + annualized equity if applicable = $total] GAP ANALYSIS Your target: [$range] Current offer: [$total] Gap: [$X or X%] Gap type: [within negotiating range / requires signing bonus / outside range] WHAT IS NEGOTIABLE HERE [Based on company stage and what the recruiter has said, which components are most likely to move and which are not] RECOMMENDED COUNTER Counter ask: [specific number or specific change, not a list] Rationale to give: [one sentence, grounded in market data or scope] Signal language: [how to signal intent to accept if the counter lands] Backup ask: [if the primary counter does not move, what to ask for instead] WALK-AWAY POSITION [The specific number or condition below which you should not accept. State it directly.] MARKET RATE CHECK [Search for current Director-level demand gen or RevOps compensation benchmarks for the relevant market before delivering this section. Cite the source and range. Flag if the offer is below, within, or above market.] RISKS IN THIS NEGOTIATION [The one or two things most likely to go wrong in this specific situation based on what the user has described, with specific guidance on how to handle each.] ``` --- ## Output Rules - Always search for current market rate benchmarks before producing the market rate check. Rates change. Do not rely on training data. - If the user has not provided all four compensation components (base, bonus structure, equity, benefits overview), flag the missing components and explain why they matter before evaluating the offer. - Never recommend a counter without a specific number. A vague counter is worse than no counter. - Always define a walk-away position. If the user has not articulated one, ask for it before producing the counter strategy. - Be direct about offers that are unlikely to reach the target range through negotiation. Telling someone to counter aggressively when the gap is 30 percent does not serve them. - No em dashes. Use commas or periods.