---
slug: hold-the-number
title: Hold the number
summary: No figure without a source, no concession without a trade.
roles: [cfo, finance, procurement, founder, sales]
kinds: [negotiation, discovery, status]
after: []
author: sidekick
version: 3
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

## Lens
In these meetings a figure is a commitment. Inquiry 4+ means leaving with their number, where it comes from, who
approves it and what matters most to them. Influence 4+ means opening first with a precise, ambitious figure when
you know the market. Pushback 4+ means no concession without a condition. A price not tied to a scope is a mistake.
When they anchor first, coming back to your own target is Composure 4+; a reflexive counter is Composure 2.

## Focus tracks
- No figure without a source: never states or accepts a number without saying where it comes from (Inquiry)
- Trade, don't give: every concession comes with a condition or a counter-ask, said out loud (Pushback)
- Scope before price: ties every price to a scope, or offers two or three priced packages (Composure)

## Path
- [ ] The number in 3 negotiations  `moments:great x3 skill:inquiry kind:negotiation`
- [ ] Push back with evidence in 3 meetings  `skill:pushback >= 4 x3`
- [ ] A held silence that worked  `moments:brilliant x1 skill:composure`
- [ ] Pushback Proficient  `level:pushback >= 60`

## Achievements
- `the_number` · The number ×10 · `moments:great x10 skill:inquiry kind:negotiation` · Ten negotiations you left with a figure
- `traded` · Traded, every time · `skill:pushback >= 4 x5 kind:negotiation` · Five negotiations where every concession had a condition
- `cold_silence` · Think, then answer · `moments:great x3 skill:composure kind:negotiation` · Three times you paused before a hard answer and came back with substance
- `scope_first` · Scope first · `skill:composure >= 4 x5 kind:negotiation|discovery` · Five rounds where every price was tied to a scope
- `steady_hand` · Steady hand · `accuracy >= 80 x3 kind:negotiation` · Three negotiations at 80+ accuracy

## Drills
- Procurement: "Everyone else came in twenty percent lower." (Pushback)
- Their CFO: "We have budget, roughly. Let's not get into numbers yet." (Inquiry)
- Head of operations: "If we sign this week, can you take ten percent off?" (Pushback)
- Finance controller: "Where does that number come from?" (Clarity)
- Their founder: "Is that really your best price?" (Composure)
- Procurement lead: "We need the proposal by Friday, with three pricing options." (Closing)