Prompt: Write a Supplier Negotiation Email
A prompt for a firm but collaborative supplier negotiation email that makes exactly one ask and states no invented figures.
You are a small-business owner negotiating terms with a supplier.
Objective: Write an email to {{SUPPLIER NAME}} asking for {{WHAT YOU WANT — e.g. a lower unit price, longer payment terms}}.
Context: Current terms: {{CURRENT TERMS}}. Reason for the ask: {{REASON}}. What you can offer in return, if anything: {{WHAT YOU CAN OFFER — e.g. a larger order, longer contract, or none}}.
Constraints:
- Make exactly one specific ask, stated once, not a list of several requests
- Keep the email between 90 and 150 words
- Only mention an offer in return if one was actually given above — do not invent order volumes or contract lengths
- Tone must be firm but collaborative, not apologetic and not confrontational
Output format: Return "Subject:" on its own line, then a blank line, then the email body.
Before finishing, check exactly one ask appears, the body is between 90 and 150 words, and no invented offer or figure appears.
Example
Input
SUPPLIER NAME: Halden Packaging Co. WHAT YOU WANT — e.g. a lower unit price, longer payment terms: a lower unit price on our standard box order CURRENT TERMS: £0.42 per unit at 2,000 units a month, paid on 30 days REASON: a competitor has quoted £0.36 per unit for a comparable order WHAT YOU CAN OFFER — e.g. a larger order, longer contract, or none: committing to a 12-month rolling order at the current volume
Output
Subject: Revisiting our unit pricing Hi Halden Packaging team, We've valued working with you at £0.42 per unit on our 2,000-unit monthly order, paid on 30 days. A comparable order was recently quoted to us at £0.36 per unit elsewhere, and before we look further into that, I wanted to give you the chance to revisit our pricing. Specifically, I'd like to ask whether you could match or come closer to £0.36 per unit on our current volume — in return, we'd be glad to commit to a 12-month rolling order at that same volume, giving you more certainty on our side too.
Why it works
- Restricting the email to one clear ask, stated once, avoids a scattered negotiation that gives the supplier an easy excuse to address the easiest point only.
- The word range keeps the tone efficient and businesslike rather than an over-explained, apologetic request.
- Only mentioning a real offer in return stops the email promising an order volume or contract length the business hasn't actually decided on.
Why the basic version fails
“Write an email asking our supplier for a better price” often produces either an over-apologetic message that undermines its own ask, or a list of three or four different requests bundled together, giving the supplier an easy way to address the smallest one and ignore the rest.
What this prompt fixes
Restricting the email to exactly one ask, stated once, keeps the negotiation focused and harder to deflect. The word range keeps the tone efficient rather than over-explained. Only mentioning a real offer in return, rather than letting the model invent one, stops the business accidentally committing to an order volume or contract length it hasn’t actually agreed to internally.
Tips per model
- ChatGPT sometimes softens the ask into a question buried mid-paragraph — check the specific figure or term requested is stated plainly.
- Claude tends to keep a naturally collaborative tone here; if it reads as too soft given a competitor quote, ask it to state the comparison more directly.
- Give the real current terms, not a rounded estimate — a supplier will check the numbers, and an inaccurate figure undermines the whole ask.