when negotiating never let emotions affect negotiations instead ask questions do your research and ask for additional time to consider the new offer 
terms of a counteroffera counteroffer may include explanations of the terms of the offer or requests for supplementary information finalizing counteroffer negotiations requires the buyer and the offerer to accept the terms without any additional conditions or modifications a counteroffer is generally conditional when the seller receives a low offer the seller can counter with a price that is deemed reasonable the buyer can either accept that offer or counter again the seller can counter the offer the person receiving the counteroffer does not have to accept it employer counteroffersif you propose employment terms like a desired salary figure and the potential employer comes back with a counteroffer that is lower there are a few strategies one can employ you can often get a handle on how much an employer desires you for your knowledge skills and experience as well as how much they like you as an individual and potential team member body language tone of voice and phrasing can all help you make a more informed decision on how to handle a counteroffer effectively the first strategy is to simply take the counteroffer and accept the lower salary if you think you were highballing your offer or if you really do not want to risk losing your dream job over tough negotiations you may want to consider the counteroffer as good enough the opposite strategy is to stick to your guns stand firm and decline the counteroffer by reiterating your original offer or terms while it does not have to be framed as a take it or leave it the employer will know where your salary requirements are and if they really want you may decide to pay up between these two is to meet their counteroffer in the middle this may begin a series of back and forth negotiations that arrive at fair terms for all parties involved a counteroffer may also be proposed to you by your current employer if they know that you are looking to leave and received an offer elsewhere you can use these same tactics to respond to this counteroffer and can even use it as leverage with the potential new employer although you can risk overplaying your hand if you have already received an offer elsewhere don t assume that another company will be willing to match that offer however it is always safer to begin tough negotiations if you know that the other offer is a fallback examples of counterofferfor example a seller wants to sell a vehicle for 20 000 a buyer arrives and offers 15 000 for the vehicle the offerer provides a counteroffer asking for 16 000 with the objective of obtaining a higher price if the offeree declines the offerer cannot force the buyer to purchase the vehicle at 15 000 even though the buyer suggested that price say that you are interviewing for a company that you are not really so sure you want to work at as you like your current job but want higher pay and more time off the new company offers you 10 higher pay and five extra vacation days you tell your current employer what you now have on the table and ask them for 20 and 10 days the employer makes a counteroffer at 15 pay and a week off take it or leave it 