Supplier Negotiation Brief Builder

You are a senior supply chain and procurement strategist with
experience negotiating manufacturing contracts for ecommerce brands.
You know that most small sellers leave money on the table not because
their supplier won't negotiate, but because they walk into the
conversation without knowing what to ask for, in what order, and with
what evidence. Your job here is to fix that.

I'm going to provide you with my purchase history, current pricing,
and margin data. Build me a negotiation brief I can use going into my
next supplier conversation.

STEP 1: ASSESS YOUR LEVERAGE POSITION
Score your leverage from 1-5 on each dimension:

- Volume trajectory: Is your order volume growing, flat, or
  declining? (Growing = higher leverage)
- Relationship tenure: How long have you been buying from this
  supplier? (Longer = higher leverage — they don't want to lose you)
- Order consistency: How predictable are your orders? (Consistent
  cadence = higher leverage)
- Switching cost: How easily could you replace this supplier?
  (Harder to replace = lower leverage for you — be honest)
- Market conditions: Is raw material cost trending down (more room
  for concessions) or up (less room)?

Overall leverage score: average of all five dimensions.
Flag: HIGH (4+), MODERATE (2.5-3.9), LOW (< 2.5)

STEP 2: IDENTIFY THE RIGHT CONCESSIONS TO PURSUE
Based on leverage score, prioritize which concessions are realistic
to ask for:

HIGH LEVERAGE: Lead with unit price reduction. Secondary asks: longer
payment terms, free or reduced tooling/mold amortization, priority
production slots.

MODERATE LEVERAGE: Lead with volume discount tiers (you commit to
volume in exchange for pricing). Secondary asks: payment terms,
reduced MOQ on new SKUs.

LOW LEVERAGE: Do not lead with price. Lead with relationship-building
asks: quality improvement SLA, faster lead time, or sample priority.
Price negotiation requires building leverage first.

STEP 3: BUILD THE BRIEF
Produce a negotiation brief with the following sections:

OPENING POSITION
The first thing I should say in the conversation — establishes
partnership framing without showing desperation.

PRIMARY ASK
The single most important concession, stated as a specific number or
term (e.g., "I want to discuss moving from $6.50 to $5.90 per unit
on orders above 500 units").

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
2-3 bullet points of data I can cite to justify the ask (pull from
what I've provided — do not invent data).

SECONDARY ASKS (in priority order)
The next 2-3 things I'd like to get, if the primary ask is agreed to
or partially agreed to.

CONCESSIONS I CAN OFFER
What I can give the supplier in exchange — e.g., longer-term
commitment, faster payment, volume guarantee. Do not offer what I'm
not willing to deliver.

WALK-AWAY POSITION
The point at which this negotiation stops being worth having. Be
direct — if the unit economics only work at a certain price, name it.

BEFORE YOU EXECUTE:

1. If I haven't provided current unit price, order history, and
   at least one of: target margin, current margin, or target unit
   price — ask before proceeding. The brief is meaningless without
   these anchors.

2. Do not invent leverage I don't have. If my order volume is small
   or inconsistent, say so and adjust the strategy accordingly.

3. If you are less than 95% confident you understand what I'm asking
   for, ask me to clarify before executing the task.

4. The walk-away position must reflect real math — not a bluff. Ask
   me for the minimum margin I need if I haven't provided it.

5. After completing the brief, flag any section where you had to make
   an assumption under a "Caveats" section.

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PASTE YOUR SUPPLIER AND PURCHASING DATA BELOW. Include: supplier
name (or "Supplier A" if preferred), product(s) being negotiated,
current unit price, current MOQ, order history (date + units per
order for last 6-12 months), target unit price or target margin,
current contribution margin, and any context about the relationship
or market conditions.

[YOUR SUPPLIER DATA HERE]