Counter offer draft - looking for feedback
I was offered a customer success position last Thursday and tomorrow is the deadline to accept/decline. The salary I feel is too low given my experience and historical earnings. I am considering taking it because I’ve been out of work for a while in this job market as we all know is tough. The offer is $70k base with a $110 OTE. The base in my opinion is low and I would like it to be higher to feel more secure about this position. They told me they paying everyone the full $110k “for now” until they nail down more firm bonus targets - they didn’t tell me how long that would last though. Below is the email I’m considering sending to the recruiter tomorrow asking for a higher base. To note, in the first conversation I had with her she told me the compensation pay and structure is firm and not flexible. However, I feel that it would be a disservice to myself if I didn’t ask for anything more. Let me know if ya’ll think it’s out of line for me to send or not, and if you think this comes across as sincere (because it is):
“Thank you again for the offer and for the thoughtful conversations throughout the interview process. I’m genuinely excited about the opportunity to join Darya’s team and contribute to the team’s success!
After reviewing the offer, I’d like to revisit the base salary component. While I value the $110,000 OTE, the current $70,000 base represents a 64/36 base-to-variable split. Given my experience and proven track record in similar roles, I’d feel more comfortable with a more balanced structure — ideally closer to an 80/20 split — which would bring the base to around $85,000.
Additionally, I understand that the full OTE is being paid out to the team until firm targets are finalized, but that the timeline for this structure isn’t yet defined. Since the continuation of that guaranteed payout cannot be guaranteed, I’d prefer to rely on a more predictable and stable base salary. Would it be possible to adjust the base salary to $85,000 while maintaining the target OTE?
I remain very enthusiastic about the role and the team. I appreciate your time and consideration, and I’m happy to discuss this further if helpful!”
Posted Jun 23, 2025, 4:25 AM UTC