title: Scripts description: Word-for-word trial closes for the candidate and the approver, the reconfirmation, the resignation rehearsal, and the notice-period touches.
Scripts
These are rehearsal material, not readings. The person running the close says them in their own voice, live.
Candidate trial close
Purpose: surface a no before the offer is written, not extract a yes. Three moves.
- Confirm the motive in their words. "When we first spoke you said you wanted [their exact words]. Is that still the main thing?"
- State the likely shape. "We're looking at around [base], [OTE] on target, starting [date]."
- Ask the direct question. "If that lands on Thursday, are you accepting?"
Anything softer than the third question is not a trial close. If the answer is "I'd need to think about it", ask "What's the one thing you'd be weighing up?" and solve that before the offer goes out.
Approver trial close
Purpose: get the approver to back the recommended structure before the candidate hears it, and to hear the honest read on their preferred number.
"Based on what [candidate] told us, [recommended structure] gets a yes this week. At [the approver's preferred number] I think we get 'let me think about it', and a counter-offer we haven't priced. Which risk do you want?"
A number that fails costs more than an awkward conversation with the approver.
Reconfirmation (all risk tiers)
Read back their reasons for leaving in the words they used. Then: "When your manager asks you to stay, which of those will they be able to fix?"
Resignation rehearsal
- "Who will you tell first, and how?" (In person or by video. Never by email first.)
- "What do you think they'll say?" Then predict it with them: surprise, a "what would it take", a promise of a title or a raise, a call from someone senior.
- "What will you say back?" Agree one line they will use every time: "I've made the decision and I'm committed to it. I'd like to talk about a good handover."
- "If they put a number in front of you, what will you do?" The answer should be: thank them, do not negotiate, call us.
Notice-period touches
| When | Who | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Resignation day, same evening | Hiring manager | "How did it go?" Hear the counter-offer before it settles |
| End of week one | Recruiter or talent partner | The second wave of counter-offers lands here. Check in |
| Mid-notice | Future manager or a peer | A coffee, a team lunch, an onboarding pack. Make the new job feel real |
| Two weeks out | People team | Logistics: equipment, first-day agenda, who meets them |
| Day before start | Hiring manager | Where, when, who. Confirms they are coming |
Each touch has a purpose. A check-in with no purpose gets skipped.