Find out what the person is actually deciding between, then compete on that specific thing rather than on money by default. Move fast, put the offer in writing the same day, let them speak to a future colleague, and give a fair deadline. Pressure tactics and exploding offers lose the candidates most worth having.
The decision criteria, in the candidate's own words, gathered before you are competing rather than after. Ask directly during the process what would make them choose one role over another, what they want to be doing in two years, and what would have to be true for them to say yes on the day. Ask what else is in play, including where each process stands. Most candidates answer honestly if you explain that you are trying to time your process rather than pressure them. Record it in your [applicant tracking system](/ats) and share it with the hiring manager so the offer conversation is built on their priorities. Guessing produces a generic offer that loses to a specific one.
Money settles a decision only when the offers are otherwise close. Frequently they are not, and the deciding factor is something else: the scope of the role, who they will learn from, whether the work is on the critical path, remote flexibility, start date, or a title that helps their next step. Match your response to what they told you. If it is scope, put in writing what they will own. If it is learning, arrange a conversation with the person they would learn from. If it is speed, have the paperwork ready. When money is genuinely the gap, say what the band allows and whether it can move. A vague promise to revisit compensation later persuades nobody.
Same day for a verbal, next day for the written version. Speed is the single lever fully inside your control, and in a competitive situation it often decides the outcome on its own. Have the approvals pre-agreed before the final interview so the decision is not waiting on someone's calendar. Call rather than email, take the offer through in detail, and follow up with a written summary the candidate can show to a partner. Then stay in contact through the decision window without hovering. Clearing internal delays is one of the most reliable ways to [reduce time to fill](/reduce-time-to-fill) and it is what separates the offer that lands from the one that arrives second.
Do not set an exploding deadline of a day or two. It signals that you are worried, and the candidates with the most options are the most likely to walk. Do not disparage the other employer, since it makes you look insecure and the candidate will repeat it. Do not renegotiate downward after a verbal offer. Do not pressure someone into deciding before they can speak to family. A fair window is a few working days, extended once if there is a genuine reason. If you lose, ask why, record the answer, and stay in touch. Losing well keeps the relationship, and a portion of those people come back later.
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