Give/Get Menu

Introduction

Discounts are not strategies; they are tools. Without guardrails, discounts become the default response to any friction and margin erodes. With a clear give/get menu, concessions are deliberate trades that accelerate deals while protecting value. The customer gets what matters to them; we get what moves the business forward.

Give/gets work because they make trade-offs explicit. Instead of debating price in the abstract, we discuss scope, timing, references, and terms in a structured way. This shifts the conversation from “how much off” to “what outcome are we optimizing for” and “what can you commit to in return.”

This playbook defines a simple system: a pre-priced menu of gives, a quantified set of gets, and a light deal-desk process that ensures consistency. Reps know what they can offer, when to escalate, and how to frame trades with confidence. Finance sees fewer surprises. Customers feel respected because their priorities are acknowledged and solved for.

The goal is not to say “no.” It is to say “yes, if…”—with rules that are fair and transparent. Over time, your market learns that value is available through outcomes and commitments, not haggling alone.

Menu design

Each give has a list price and floor; each get has a quantified value or strategic impact.

Guardrails & deal-desk flow

• Band A (rep authority): up to X% with 1 get; no special terms.
• Band B (manager): up to Y% with ≥2 gets; non-standard terms need legal template.
• Band C (deal desk/CFO): beyond Y% only with multi-year + logo/reference + timeline pull-in.

Submissions include a one-pager: business case, requested gives, proposed gets, impact on ARR and margin, and risk notes.

Framing scripts

• Set the frame: “Happy to explore options. If we improve terms on X, could you help us with Y and Z so we both win?”
• Anchor on value: “The driver seems to be timeline. If we can meet your board date, can you commit to multi-year?”
• Close the trade: “We can extend net-60 and include training seats if we have a reference call post-go-live and add Module B in Q3.”

Worked examples

Example A — Budget pressure

Give: 6% discount + net-60. Get: 36-month term + reference + kickoff in 30 days.

Result: Lower headline price, better retention and faster revenue recognition.

Example B — Timeline pull-in

Give: Limited PS hours for accelerated onboarding.

Get: Board approval this month + logo usage.

Result: Deal closes one quarter earlier; ARR pulled forward.

Example C — Multi-product attach

Give: Step-down pricing on Module B.

Get: Commit to pilot by Week 6 + expansion decision checkpoint in Week 10.

Result: Attach achieved with controlled risk.

Metrics

Leading: % deals with quantified gets, approval cycle time, attach rate.

Lagging: discount %, gross margin, NRR uplift from multi-year/attach.

Trade deliberately. Every give buys a specific get that advances value.

Implementation checklist

• Publish the give/get menu with priced bands and floors; add examples of valid trades.
• Add CRM fields for Give band, Gets committed and Approval level; build a view for flagged deals.
• Stand up a deal-desk intake form with SLA and required one-pager template.
• Create legal templates for common terms (net-60/90, logo use, reference clause).
• Run negotiation role-plays; record two gold-standard calls for reference.

Measurement

Team level: % deals within guardrails, approval SLA (hours), % deals with ≥1 quantified get, attach rate, multi-year mix, margin vs. baseline.

Individual level: give/get ratio per rep, trade quality (timeline pull-in, scope, references), logging completeness, re-approval rate.

Team buy-in

• Position the menu as fairness and speed: “yes, if …” instead of “no.”
• Make gets visible to celebrate: shout-outs for trades that pulled revenue forward or created a sponsor.
• Keep it lightweight: short intake, clear bands, fast answers from deal desk.

90-day rollout

Weeks 1–2 — Stand up the system

• Owners: Finance (lead), Sales Ops, Legal, Enablement.
• Artifacts: priced menu with floors, approval bands, legal templates, intake form, dashboard spec.
• Actions: add CRM fields and views; define deal-desk SLA; publish messaging snippets for framing trades.
• Exit: menu v1 live; bands approved; two example trades documented.

Weeks 3–4 — Pilot ten opportunities

• Choose mixed segments; require at least one quantified get per pilot deal.
• KPIs: approval SLA ≤24h; ≥80% pilots with logged gets; discount within band for ≥90% pilots.

Weeks 5–6 — Instrument & coach

• Dashboard: guardrail compliance, approval time, attach rate, multi-year mix, margin delta vs. baseline.
• Call reviews on framing and closing the trade; publish two win stories.

Weeks 7–8 — Roll out

• Standardize the one-pager for all approvals; auto-route Band C to CFO with context.
• Create a “fast lane” for reference/logo approvals.

Weeks 9–10 — Tighten cross-functional path

• Legal pre-approves term templates; Finance sets quarterly floor review; PMM aligns talk tracks with value drivers.

Weeks 11–12 — Bake into rhythm

• Add give/get compliance to pipeline review; run monthly analysis of trades by outcome.
• Target state: ≥85% of deals within guardrails; ≥80% with ≥1 quantified get; approval SLA ≤24h; attach +10 pts vs. baseline.

Companion template

Use the template to price gives, define gets and run approvals fast.

Open companion template