[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":50},["ShallowReactive",2],{"glossary-counteroffer":3},{"slug":4,"path":5,"title":6,"description":7,"term":8,"wordCount":9,"hasExample":10,"inboundLinks":11,"isPublished":10,"html":12,"data":13,"related":28,"lessons":47},"counteroffer","/glossary/counteroffer","What Is a Counteroffer in Sales? Definition and How to Handle One","A counteroffer is the buyer's response to your proposed price or terms. Reading it correctly — and responding without caving — is the heart of negotiation.","Counteroffer",180,true,6,"\u003Cp>A counteroffer is the buyer's response to your proposed price or terms — usually a lower number, a different \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/term-sheet/\">payment structure\u003C/a>, or extra scope. It is a normal part of any \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/negotiation/\">negotiation\u003C/a>, not a rejection. How you handle it decides the deal's economics. A counteroffer is also information: it tells you what the buyer thinks the deal is worth and how much \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/leverage/\">leverage\u003C/a> you hold. The buyer is \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/anchoring/\">anchoring\u003C/a> against your number.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"in-plain-english\">In plain English\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>The buyer almost never takes the first price. Their counteroffer is an invitation to keep talking. Your job is to respond with a measured move — a small \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/concessions/\">concession\u003C/a> tied to a \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/discount/\">discount\u003C/a> that buys something back — rather than meeting in the middle instantly or walking out.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"why-it-matters-to-you\">Why it matters to you\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>The first counteroffer is rarely the real floor; it is the buyer testing you. Respond calmly, keep your \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/walk-away-price/\">walk-away price\u003C/a> in mind, and never give a second concession before the first one is acknowledged. Reps who read counteroffers as data instead of pressure close better deals and keep margins healthy.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":6,"description":7,"primaryQuery":14,"term":8,"publishedAt":15,"author":16,"reviewedAt":17,"example":18,"relatedTerms":19,"lessons":26},"what is a counteroffer in sales","2026-08-19","closers","2026-09-24","\"Their counteroffer came in thirty percent under list, so I held at a smaller concession and asked for a longer term in return.\"",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"negotiation","anchoring","concessions","discount","walk-away-price","leverage",[27],"/academy/account-executive/prepare-for-the-sales-negotiation",[29,32,35,38,41,44],{"slug":20,"path":30,"title":31},"/glossary/negotiation","What Is Negotiation in Sales? Definition and How It Works",{"slug":21,"path":33,"title":34},"/glossary/anchoring","What Is Anchoring in Sales Negotiation? Definition",{"slug":22,"path":36,"title":37},"/glossary/concessions","What Are Concessions in Sales Negotiation? Definition",{"slug":23,"path":39,"title":40},"/glossary/discount","What Is Discounting in Sales? Definition and How to Avoid It",{"slug":24,"path":42,"title":43},"/glossary/walk-away-price","What Is a Walk-Away Price in Sales? Definition",{"slug":25,"path":45,"title":46},"/glossary/leverage","What Is Leverage in Sales Negotiation? Definition",[48],{"path":27,"title":49},"Prepare for the Sales Negotiation: Value, Leverage, and Your Walk-Away",1792888522081]