STEP 1 — LEVERAGE ANALYSIS Your BATNA: Other financial firms in pipeline. Prospect's BATNA: Build in-house (takes 6+ months). You have more leverage — they need a solution before audit season. STEP 2 — OPENING POSITIONS - Aggressive: $55k with 2-year commitment. - Target: $50k with annual contract. - Walk-away: $45k with 6-month pilot. STEP 3 — OBJECTION RESPONSES 1. "Too expensive" → "Compared to 20 hours/week of manual work, this pays for itself in 3 months." 2. "We need to think" → "What specifically would help you decide? I can provide the data." 3. "Competitor is cheaper" → "They don't have our compliance track record. Want to see the comparison?" 4. "Budget is tight" → "Let's model the ROI together. If it doesn't work, we walk." 5. "We can build it" → "Most teams find it takes 2x longer. Want to see the timeline comparison?" STEP 4 — CONCESSION LADDER 1. Give: 5% discount → Get: 2-year commitment. 2. Give: Free onboarding → Get: Case study rights. 3. Give: Extended payment terms → Get: Reference call. 4. Give: Extra training → Get: Referral to 2 peers. STEP 5 — RISK SCORECARD Leverage: 8/10. Biggest risk: Procurement may delay approval. Mitigation: Pre-align with procurement on terms.