Offer stage is where searches die — and almost always from surprises, not from money. Your job as the intermediary is to remove surprise: know both sides' real numbers before the offer exists, carry information honestly in both directions, and keep momentum so neither party has time to talk themselves out of a good deal.

Pre-close before the offer exists

• Reconfirm the candidate's number late in the process, not just at screening: "If they offered {{Specific package}} with a start date of {{Start date}}, would you accept?" Anything but yes is information you need now.
• Surface every moving part while there is still time: bonus timing they would forfeit, vacation already booked, competing processes and their dates, remote-days expectations, title sensitivities.
• Tell the client the candidate's expectation before they build the offer. An offer inside the accepted range should be the norm — lowball first offers create negotiations that did not need to exist.
• Ask the client for their true ceiling and what non-cash levers exist (signing bonus, review at six months, extra leave, title). You cannot trade what you do not know about.

Presenting the offer

• Deliver it live — never let a cold PDF be the first contact. Frame the whole package: base, variable, equity, benefits, growth, and the reasons this role matched what they said they wanted.
• Watch the first reaction. Delight, silence, and "I need to think" each need a different follow-up, and you only get an honest read in the moment.
• Agree the decision timeline explicitly: when the written offer arrives, when questions get answered, and when they will decide. Aim for days, not weeks — but never make a deadline feel like a trap.

Handling a counter from the candidate

• Qualify it before transmitting: is it a must-have or a nice-to-have? Would they accept today if it were met? Carry only real asks to the client.
• Package the ask with the close: "If you can move base to {{Counter amount}}, they sign this week." A request tied to a commitment is easy to approve; an open-ended one is not.
• When the client cannot move on cash, trade on structure: signing bonus to bridge a forfeited bonus, an early review with defined criteria, extra leave, title, or scope.
• Protect the relationship on both sides: never let the client feel squeezed or the candidate feel auctioned. You are aligning two parties who already want to work together.

The counteroffer at the current employer

• Inoculate early — before resignation, not after: "When you resign, they will likely counter. Walk me through what you'll say." Rehearsing the moment halves its power.
• Return to their reasons: the counteroffer changes the salary, rarely the reasons they started looking. Ask which of those reasons the counter actually fixes.
• Stay close through the resignation week: a call the day before, the day of, and after. Most reversals happen in the 72 hours after resigning.

From yes to start date

• Get the signed acceptance same-day where possible; every day between verbal yes and signature is risk you are carrying.
• Keep both sides warm across the notice period: confirm start logistics, encourage a team touchpoint before day one, and check in weekly.
• If the deal falls apart, run the debrief: where was the surprise, and which question would have caught it earlier? That answer goes into your next intake.