Negotiation playbook

Using a competing offer — without bluffing

A real competing offer is the strongest card in salary negotiation — and the easiest one to misplay. Played straight, it hands the recruiter exactly what they need to fight for more budget: proof the market prices you higher, and a deadline that isn't artificial. Played wrong — bluffed, brandished, or badly framed — it reads as a threat and burns the goodwill your ask depends on.

Whether to say the number

Cite the competing number only when it's at or above what you're asking for. A competing offer below your ask hands the recruiter a cheaper anchor — “the market says you're worth less than you're asking” — and they will use it. If the other number is lower, disclose its existence, not its size: “I've received another offer” does the leverage work on its own.

Subject:[Your name] — [Company] offer

Hi [Recruiter's first name],

Thank you again for the offer. I want to be transparent with you as I close out my search, because [Company] is where I want to land.

I've received another offer with a stronger base. I'm not raising it as pressure — it's simply where the market has come in, and it tracks with public wage data for [your role] in [your metro] ($[band low] to $[band high] through the middle of the range). If we can bring base to $[your number], I'll decline the other offer and sign with you this week.

I'd rather build here. Tell me what's possible — and I'm happy to get on a call today if that's faster.

Best,
[Your name]

Fill it with real market data

Your role, metro, and offer replace the placeholders with published federal wage numbers.

Why this wording works

First-choice framing does the heavy lifting
“You're where I want to land — help me choose you” turns leverage into collaboration. The recruiter becomes your advocate to the comp team instead of your adversary across the table.
The trade is explicit — and true
“Bring base to X and I sign this week” is the strongest honest close in negotiation: a concrete action they get for a concrete number. Write it only if you'll honor it.
The competing offer corroborates the market; it doesn't replace it
Anchoring to public wage data plus the other offer makes your number read as the market talking. The other offer alone reads as opportunism; the data alone reads as theory. Together they're a case.
No company name
Naming the other company invites comparisons you can't control (“they pay for different skills”) — and recruiters talk across companies more than candidates assume. The offer's existence is the leverage; the name adds only risk.

What not to write

Fabricating or inflating a competing offer
Recruiters talk, and bluff-checks are easy. Invented offers are one of the few negotiation moves with documented rescissions attached. If you don't have the offer, use the market data alone — it carries the standard counter fine.
Naming the competing company
You gain nothing and open two risks: comparisons you can't control, and word traveling back to the other recruiter that you're shopping their offer.
Citing a competing number below your ask
It hands them a cheaper anchor than the one you named. Existence, not size, when the other number is lower.
“Match it by tomorrow or I walk.”
Deadline theater reads as a threat. Real deadlines get stated plainly (“I need to respond to them by Friday”) — they do the same work without the standoff.

If they push back

“We can't match that number.”
Widen the frame: “Then the honest comparison is the whole package. If base can't move, can sign-on or equity close the same gap? Here's the number that gets me to yes.”
“Can you share the other offer letter?”
You're not obligated to forward documents, and most candidates shouldn't. Offer the timeline instead: “I need to respond to them by [date] — anything you can do before then helps me choose you.”
“When do you need an answer?”
Give the real date. An honest deadline is leverage; an invented one is a bluff with a paper trail.

Frequently asked questions

Should I tell them which company made the other offer?

No, by default. Naming the company invites comparisons you can't control and can travel back to the other recruiter. “Another offer” with a real deadline carries all the leverage with none of the exposure.

Should I tell them the competing offer's number?

Only if it's at or above what you're asking for — then it corroborates your ask. If it's lower, it becomes a cheaper anchor the recruiter can negotiate you down toward. When the number is lower, disclose the offer's existence and keep the figure to yourself.

What if the other offer expires before this company answers?

Tell this company the true deadline and ask directly whether they can move by then. If they can't, ask the other company for a short extension — a few days is a routine ask. Then decide with what you have by the real deadline. Never accept an offer planning to renege on it.

Two offers means two verdicts. Get the full read on the one you're negotiating — and the one you're comparing it to.

See where it stands Or try the free counter calculator

Your situation

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Estimates are market-informed, not guarantees. How we read this data.