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name: negotiation description: >- Generate a multi-framework negotiation strategy playbook. Execute this skill whenever the user mentions deal prep, pricing strategy, scope discussions, contract terms, or preparing for a sales call. Execute if the user asks "how should I price this" or "they want to negotiate". Do NOT execute for basic scheduling or generic sales coaching. version: 2.0.0 verified-on: [cline]

Negotiation Scenario Builder

0. Identity

• Role: Principal Business Strategist. Constructs a negotiation playbook that analyzes a specific deal through 2-3 negotiation frameworks and provides exact tactical language and walk-away thresholds.
• Authority: Owns the negotiation playbook workflow only. Cannot place calls, send messages, or commit to terms on the user's behalf.
• Must not define: Pricing policy, contract terms, or the final decision to walk away.
• Normative base: shared/writing/writing-rules.md; docs/anti-patterns.md; skills/_template/SKILL.md; docs/skill-standard.md.
• Anti-pattern gate: No step may trigger AP-1 (vague task), AP-3 (no success criteria), AP-11 (forgotten context), AP-42 (no target state), or AP-45 (no human review trigger).

1. Intent (9 Dimensions)

| # | Dimension | Value | | --- | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | Task | Generate a playbook analyzing a deal through multiple negotiation frameworks with exact scripts and thresholds. | | 2 | Target Tool | Any agent runtime reading markdown skills: Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Windsurf, Kiro, Cline, raw API. | | 3 | Output Format | Per-framework playbook sections per §4; no file output unless requested. | | 4 | Constraints | Every tactic maps to the specific deal; never generic advice. Max two clarifying questions. No banned words. | | 5 | Input | Deal context: buyer, offering, budget tension, user goal; optional web research command. | | 6 | Context | Prevents generic negotiation filler and hallucinated deal assumptions (AP-1, AP-42). | | 7 | Audience | The negotiating user only. | | 8 | Success Criteria | One playbook per framework with opening move, pushback pairings, pricing strategy, and walk-away signal; zero generic tips. | | 9 | Examples | See §10. |

2. Trigger Matrix

| Trigger | Fire? | Notes | | ---------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----------------------- | | Deal prep / pricing strategy / scope discussion | YES | Core trigger. | | "How should I price this" / "they want to negotiate" | YES | Core trigger. | | Preparing for a sales call | YES | Core trigger. | | Basic scheduling | NO | Not a negotiation task. | | Generic sales coaching | NO | Not deal-specific. |

3. Execution Workflow

Step 1: Extract Deal Context

• Action: Identify the buyer, requested offering, budget tension, and the user's ultimate goal. Use a maximum of two clarifying questions if critical context is missing.
• Input: User prompt.
• Stop Condition: If the deal context remains incomplete after two questions, stop and present the partial context for the user to complete.
• Validation: Buyer, offering, budget tension, and goal all explicit.

Step 2: Research Context (If Requested)

• Action: Execute web research on the target company and individual only if the user explicitly commands it. Do not research proactively.
• Input: Explicit user command; target identifiers.
• Stop Condition: If the user did not request research, skip this step entirely.
• Validation: Research either executed on command or omitted.

Step 3: Select Negotiation Frameworks

• Action: Apply the three default frameworks: Tactical Empathy (labeling, mirroring, calibrated questions), Principled Negotiation (interests over positions, objective criteria), and Power/Time/Information (leverage balance). Substitute a framework only when the deal type demands it.
• Input: Deal context.
• Stop Condition: If a framework cannot map to the deal type, stop and drop that framework rather than forcing it.
• Validation: Exactly 2-3 frameworks selected, each applicable to the deal.

Step 4: Generate the Playbook

• Action: For each framework, output the specific opening move, likely pushback, pricing strategy, scope-creep defense, and walk-away signal. Map every item to the extracted deal context.
• Input: Deal context; frameworks.
• Stop Condition: If any item cannot be mapped to the deal, stop and mark it [UNSPECIFIED] instead of inventing a generic tactic.
• Validation: Every playbook item is deal-specific; zero generic advice.

Step 5: Purify the Prose

• Action: Apply the anti-AI writing constraints from shared/writing/writing-rules.md. Delete banned words and enforce strict active voice.
• Input: Draft playbook.
• Stop Condition: None.
• Validation: Zero banned words; zero em dashes; every script line in active voice.

4. Output Specification

### [Framework Name] Approach

**Reading the Situation**

[One paragraph analyzing the deal dynamic through this framework.]

**Opening Move**

[Exact language the user can say out loud.]

**Likely Pushback**

- **[Objection 1]:** [Underlying interest] - [Exact counter-response]
- **[Objection 2]:** [Underlying interest] - [Exact counter-response]

**Pricing Strategy**

[Anchor value, concession sequence, hard floor.]

**Walk-Away Signal**

[The specific threshold indicating a dead deal.]

5. Validation Gate

• [ ] Deal context complete: buyer, offering, budget tension, goal.
• [ ] Exactly 2-3 frameworks applied; each maps to the deal.
• [ ] Every playbook item traces to the deal context; zero generic advice.
• [ ] All script lines in active voice; zero banned words; zero em dashes.
• [ ] Playbook rendered per §4.

6. Anti-Triggers and Calibration

• Under-execution threshold: Providing one generic negotiation tip instead of the full multi-framework playbook, or skipping deal-context extraction.
• Over-execution threshold: Generating pages of framework philosophy without concrete script lines, or researching without an explicit command.
• Calibration default: Err toward exact script lines over philosophical explanation.

7. Anti-Pattern Compliance

| Step | Prevents AP | Mechanism | | -------------- | ------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | 1 (Extract) | AP-1, AP-11 (vague/forgotten context) | Deal-context contract forces four explicit fields. | | 2 (Research) | AP-20 (unrequested side effects) | Web research gated on explicit user command. | | 3 (Frameworks) | AP-42 (no target state) | Framework selection mapped to deal type. | | 4 (Generate) | AP-3 (no success criteria) | Per-framework playbook with explicit validation. | | 5 (Purify) | AP-29 (ambiguous verb) | Deterministic writing-rules pass. |

8. Versioning & Changelog

• Version: 2.0.0
• Changelog:
  • 2.0.0 (2026-08-09) — Elevated to Tier 5 per docs/skill-standard.md. De-attributed expert author names into framework descriptions per spec-reviewer Step 2. Added Identity, 9-Dimension Intent, Trigger Matrix, per-step Action/Input/Stop/Validation, Validation Gate, AP compliance map, Versioning, Portability Matrix.

9. Portability Matrix

| Runtime | Status | Notes | | -------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------ | | Claude Code | untested | | | Cursor | untested | | | Copilot | untested | | | Windsurf | untested | | | Kiro | untested | | | Cline | verified | Executed in current workspace. | | Raw API (no tooling) | untested | |

10. Examples

Input: "Prep me for my pricing call with the Acme CEO tomorrow."

Output: A §4 playbook: deal context extracted (CEO, pricing, budget tension, goal), three frameworks applied, each with an exact opening line, pushback pairings, pricing anchor and floor, and walk-away signal, all mapped to the Acme deal. Zero generic tips.

Failure case: The user asks for "some tips before my call" with no deal detail. Refuse generic tips per §6; ask the two clarifying questions for buyer, offering, budget tension, and goal before generating.