Most people walk into negotiations hoping for the best. They wing it. They go with their gut. They focus on one thing — usually the number — and ignore everything else happening in the room.
Then they wonder why they got a bad deal, or got the deal but lost the relationship, or won on paper but created problems that surfaced six months later.
Negotiation isn't about being tough. It isn't about tricks or scripts. It's about seeing what's actually happening — and most people only see a fraction of it.
This guide introduces a different way to negotiate, built on the PLT Framework developed by Craig Jones. PLT gives you three scores to track in every negotiation: Profit, Love, and Tax. When you can see all three, you make moves other people don't even know exist.
Every negotiation — whether it's a million-dollar deal or a conversation about who's picking up the kids — runs three scores simultaneously. Most people only track one.
Profit is the obvious one. It's the number on the contract. The salary figure. The purchase price. The equity split. It's what most people optimize for, and it's the score that's easiest to measure.
But Profit isn't just money. It's leverage. It's your position after the deal closes. Did you gain optionality? Did you lock yourself in? Did you get terms that give you room to maneuver later?
Love is the relationship currency in play. It's built slowly — through trust, reliability, shared history, and genuine connection. And it can be spent in a single conversation.
Every hard ask in a negotiation spends Love. Every concession builds it. The problem is most people don't track their Love balance. They push too hard and destroy a relationship that was worth more than the deal. Or they're so afraid of conflict that they give away Profit to preserve Love they didn't need to spend.
Tax is the score nobody sees — until it arrives. It's the hidden cost of the deal. The resentment that builds when someone feels they lost. The obligation you created by accepting a favor. The precedent you set that you'll have to live with next time.
Tax always comes due. The question is whether you accounted for it when you made the deal.
"Every conversation has a score. Most people never see it running." — Craig Jones
Before we get into specific scenarios, here are the principles that make PLT negotiation different from anything else you've read:
The Situation: You've received a job offer for $95,000. You know the market rate is $105,000–$115,000 for your experience level. You want the job. You also want to be paid fairly.
The Typical Approach: Most people either accept the first offer (leaving $10,000–$20,000 on the table) or counter aggressively and hope for the best.
The PLT Approach:
"I'm genuinely excited about this role — the team, the mission, all of it. I want to make this work. I've done my research and similar roles in this market are coming in between $105K and $115K. I'd feel great about $110K, and I think that reflects the value I'll bring from day one."
Score Breakdown:
Profit: + You anchored to market data, not emotion. You're asking for a specific number with justification.
Love: Preserved You led with enthusiasm. The hiring manager doesn't feel like you're threatening to walk — you're collaborating on the number.
Tax: Low No resentment created. No ultimatums. No precedent of accepting below market. You set a healthy baseline for future raises.
Key Moves: Anchor with data, not demands. Express genuine enthusiasm first — it makes the counter feel collaborative rather than adversarial. Give a specific number (not a range — they'll hear the bottom of your range as your real number).
The Situation: A vendor you've worked with for two years wants to raise prices by 20%. They cite rising costs. You rely on their service, but you have alternatives.
The Typical Approach: Accept the increase, or threaten to leave. Both are single-score moves.
The PLT Approach:
"I hear you on costs — that's real. I want to stay with you because the quality has been great and switching has its own costs. Here's what I can do: I'll commit to a two-year contract if we can hold the increase to 8%. That gives you guaranteed revenue and gives me predictable costs."
Score Breakdown:
Profit: + You cut the increase by more than half. You also gained — a longer contract often comes with better terms on other dimensions (priority support, payment terms).
Love: + You acknowledged their reality. You offered commitment. They feel respected, not squeezed.
Tax: Moderate You're locked in for two years. If a better vendor appears, you can't move quickly. This is acceptable Tax if the relationship is strong — but you should know it's on the board.
Key Moves: Never just say "no" to a price increase — counter with a trade. Commitment for concession is one of the most reliable patterns in business negotiation. Name the mutual benefit explicitly.
The Situation: A house is listed at $425,000. It's been on the market for 45 days. You want it, but comparable sales suggest $395,000–$410,000 is fair.
The Typical Approach: Offer $380K and "negotiate up." This works in theory but often creates adversarial dynamics that blow up the deal.
The PLT Approach:
Your agent presents an offer at $398,000 with a letter: "We love the property. Here are the three comps we're looking at. We're pre-approved and flexible on closing date — we can work with whatever timeline works for you."
Score Breakdown:
Profit: + Your offer is justified by data. You're $27K below ask but within comp range. The flexibility on closing date is a free concession that costs you nothing but signals seriousness.
Love: + The personal note and closing flexibility build connection. Sellers — especially homeowners — have emotional attachment. Acknowledging that isn't weakness, it's strategy.
Tax: Low No lowball insult that poisons the negotiation. No "take it or leave it" energy. If they counter, the conversation stays productive.
Key Moves: In real estate, time on market is your leverage — use it through comps, not aggression. Offer flexibility where it doesn't cost you money (closing date, inspection timeline). Always justify your number with data.
Understanding PLT also helps you diagnose what went wrong in past negotiations:
This guide gives you the framework. Craig Jones' books give you the full system — with dozens of scored scenarios, real-world scripts, and the complete PLT methodology.
All three are available individually, or as part of the complete 18-book PLT library.
Get the Complete PLT Library — 18 Books for $49 →You don't need to read a book to start using PLT. After your next negotiation — even a small one — ask yourself three questions:
Do this for a week. You'll start seeing patterns. You'll notice where you habitually overspend Love. Where you ignore Tax. Where you optimize Profit at the expense of everything else.
That awareness — seeing the score — is where better negotiation starts.