Negotiate With Confidence
Join Negotiation School and Stop Getting Stitched Up By Builders
Learn 32 proven strategies to hold your own in contract negotiations, get paid for variations every time, dodge backcharges and resolve disputes early, without lawyers.
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Here’s What Negotiation School Does For You
Protect Your
MarginsÂ
Walk into meetings knowing how to position for your worth. Stop discounting just to win work and start pricing with confidence and clarity.
Get Paid What
You’re Owed
Submit variations and extensions of time claims without fear. Communicate confidently, get approvals faster, and avoid pointless arguments over payments.
Strengthen
Builder Relationships
 Negotiate firmly without undermining the relationship. Build a reputation as the professional subbie who is commercially sharp, reliable, and an expert in their trade.
Keep Disputes
SmallÂ
Resolve backcharges and disputes without blowing the relationship up. Use negotiation to diffuse builder try-ons quickly, so that you can enjoy quality of project life.
Most subcontractors think negotiation is about arguing harder, dropping your price, or copping a hit for the “relationship.”
And I bet you've had conversations with builders and they've told you...
- “We don’t negotiate with subbies.” → You are negotiating already... you’re just doing it blind.
- “Ask for changes and you’ll lose the job.” → Not if you frame it right.
- “Backcharges are happening because the builder says so.” → Back charges aren't tariffs - and it won't be the snotty nosed staffer in the builder's camp who gets to decide!
I'm going to help you change the conversation and how you do business with your builders forever!
Does this ring true for you?
- You’re stuck replaying conversations with your builder in your head days later, wishing you’d said something different.
- You’re discounting before you’ve even started on site, and rolling the dice the builder will pay you in full over the life of the job.
- You’re signing contracts that load all the risk on you, and hoping you can get in and out before they blow up in your face.
- And you’re constantly on the back foot - battling variations, backcharges, and builders who run rings around you contractually, while all you have to argue is common sense.
Now imagine this instead:
- When you walk into your next builder meeting you know exactly what to say, and how to say it.
- You negotiate fairer contract terms without being labelled “contractual.”
- You claim your variations and get them approved, without waiting months or begging for scraps at the end of the job.
- You build a reputation as the subcontractor who’s professional, commercially sharp, and an expert in their trade.
That’s what Negotiation School gives you.
It’s not about going toe to toe with your builder - or fighting for the principle of it. It’s about curating a two way relationship you can trust to call upon when push comes to shove, and reliable revenue that actually hits your bank account.
Introducing...
Negotiation School
What is Negotiation School?
Negotiation School is a 4-week online course designed specifically for Aussie subcontractors working for commercial builders.
It’s not negotiation theory, filler content that leaves you feeling like you paid for a pot of magic fairy dust. Negotiation School is a practical course where I teach construction industry specific negotiation strategies for scenarios playing out on site for subcontractors every day of the week.
Inside, you’ll learn:
- 32 proven negotiation strategies tailored to the construction industry.
- How to predict your builder's behaviour and next move.
- How to frame contract departures, variations, and EOTs to minimise push back and protect your legal standing.
- What to do when you’re on the back foot with backcharges or disputes.
This isn’t about nuking relationships or going legal. It’s about contracting with confidence, walking into negotiations with your builder so you stay on the front foot, and walking out with deals that protect your business.
What you get when you join:
- Daily bite-sized video lessons (10 mins each) you can watch on-site, on the go, or even on the dunny.
- 4 x weekly live workshops with Michelle:
- Week 1: Contract Negotiation (front foot strategies)
- Week 2: Claiming Variations & Extensions of Time (front foot)
- Week 3: Backcharges (back foot negotiation)
- Week 4: Dispute Resolution (back foot negotiation)
- 90 days’ access to all course content, resources, and replays.
- Downloadable scripts, flowcharts, and templates you can use straight away.
- Exclusive Negotiation School Alumni Facebook Group, where Michelle goes LIVE monthly with Q&A sessions, sharing fresh builder war stories and the latest go-to push backs and try-ons.
- Bonus Q&A Call: a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into the Subbies Toolbox Membership — see how other subbies are systemising their contract admin and getting paid on time.
👉 Join the waitlist — Next intake February 2026
Join Now
Choose Your Option
NEGOTIATION SCHOOL
$1,997 inc. GST
One-Time Payment
ANNUAL TOOLBOX MEMBERSHIP
$10,967 inc. GST
Need Negotiation School for your whole team?
Here’s how we break it down
inside Negotiation School
Onboarding (before Week 1 starts)
You’ll kick off with two quick quizzes to work out:
- What type of negotiator you are, and
- What “species” of subcontractor your business is.
This sets the stage so you can play to your strengths and spot where you need to sharpen your tools.
Week 1 – Contract Negotiation (Front Foot Strategies)
Most subbies worry that asking for changes to a builder’s contract will either lose them the job or put a target on their back.
In Week 1, you’ll learn the strategies to flip that fear on its head. You’ll walk away with:
- A roadmap to the perfect contract negotiation,
- A formula to triage and rank your departures by importance, and
Scripts to frame your requests in a way that positions you as the “Good Bloke” subcontractor builders actually want to work with.
Week 2 – Claiming Variations & Extensions of Time (Front Foot)
Variations and liquidated damages are the Jekyll and Hyde of our industry. Builders love to push more work your way while quietly docking your payment schedule.
In Week 2, you’ll learn how to:
- Frame and time your variation claims so they stick,
- Use “Good Bloke” contract admin to protect yourself, and
Avoid being a sitting duck for liquidated damages or last-minute reverse certifications.Â
Week 3 – Backcharges (Back Foot Negotiation)
Backcharges have become a builder’s favourite money grab — little tariffs clipped from subbies' contract sums across every project.
In Week 3, you’ll discover:
- Why timing is everything when it comes to backcharges,
- How to position your business to disincentivise builders from trying it on in the first place, and
The strategies that teach builders the carrot and the stick is a short-sighted fool's game to arbitrarily claw back cash, that's costing them more than their money grab on every job.
Week 4 – Dispute Resolution (Back Foot Negotiation)
Disputes are inevitable. But they don’t need to become nuclear-grade battles.
In Week 4, you’ll learn how to:
- Apply the 32 negotiation strategies from the course to real-life disputes,
- Build your own Dispute Resolution Game Plan, complete with a flowchart for “what do I do now?”, and
Replace mainstream “power statements” (that can backfire) with industry-tested approaches that actually work with builders.
Course Wrap-Up & Aftercare
You’ll have 90 days to complete the course, download every resource, and apply it in your business.
Plus, you’ll stay connected through:
- Monthly Alumni Facebook Lives with Michelle — Q&A style, with fresh builder war stories and the latest push backs and try-ons
A bonus Q&A call where you’ll get a sneak peek into the Subbies Toolbox Membership.
we cover Two Types of Negotiations
Negotiation Type #1
front foot negotiation:
This is all about what you do to get yourself into the best possible starting line before the tug-o-war begins.Â
It includes, (but is not limited to):
- maximising the moneyÂ
- getting better contract terms
- minimising risk
- leveraging your builder's urgenciesÂ
- wheeling and dealing non-price related conditions.
In our live workshops, we will be dissecting every scenario you are likely to find yourself in, and applying negotiation strategies for you to win the day!
Negotiation Type #2
back foot negotiation:
This is about what the builder is doing to you and how you can get out of it, or leverage it to better your position.
In a lot of cases your options in these situations rely heavily on how well you negotiated on the front foot.
But no matter how stuffed you think you are under the contract, there is always an ability to negotiate.
In weeks 3 and 4 we will switch to back-foot scenarios to discuss:
- backchargesÂ
- dispute resolution
- refusing variations
- what to do if you can't perform.
THE POST TENDER MEETING IS JUST ONE OF MANYÂ NEGOTIATIONS YOU WILL HAVE WITH YOUR BUILDER!
It is short sighted to think that once you sign the builder's contract, the imbalance of power will magically go away...
I know that if you're still reading this you have well and truly felt the vulnerability of being on the back foot with your builder under a big scary contract.
Think about it like this: how do you ever expect your builder to treat you as an equal when when you have built your entire relationship on making concessions?
You won't! The reason the builder trusts you is because they believe they have you under control.
This systemic power imbalance is not unique to you. Blue collar discrimination is a hierarchical suppression that dates back to when they built the pyramids.
The only way to break free from this cycle is to harness your relationships and tap into non price value propositions to elevate your positioning in the contractual chain.
Once you see how this stuff works - you can't un-see it.
"BACK FOOT NEGOTIATION" IS A COMMERCIAL REALITY IF YOU ARE A COMMERCIAL SUBCONTRACTOR
Nobody wants to nuke their relationships, but you can't subsidise the builder's problems either. When it comes to backcharges, variations, delays, resequencing of works - nine times out of ten the subbie is collateral damage due to mismanagement on the builder's part.
These are the top three negotiation techniques I see most commonly used in the construction industry.
See if you can see any running themes:
Splitting the difference
This approach is the most common strategy I see a builders and subbies take when it comes to negotiating a dollar amount. In fact, I would go so far as to say the construction industry is a one-trick-pony when it comes to negotiation. "Lets just go 50/50 and save the relationship."
Take a hit on this job to get walked into next job
This is my pet hate sales pitch from a desperate construction manager. If a builder is asking you to do this they're telling you two things: they think you're foolish enough to be fooled twice; and they're robbing Peter to pay Paul across projects.
Either way, you want none of this trickery.
Take it for relationship sake
This may keep the relationship with a staffer solid, but there is every chance your own business isn't viable anymore as a result of these concessions. This is akin to a love job - but worse, because you're doing it for a staffer who could be into the wind and working for another builder next week.
If these three negotiation strategies sum up your experience with our industry, you are not alone.
Did you notice what each technique has in common? It is the default assumption that the subbie takes a hit - unless they can talk the builder out of it.
You might be thinking...
“I Don’t Have Time For This”
“It’s Too Expensive For a Four-Week Program”
“I’ve Got Too Many Staff - It’s Not Viable To Pay Per Seat”
“I’ve Worked With My Builders For So Long, I Can’t Suddenly Change My Ways”
“How is the course delivered?”
“Will I Get Access to Michelle?”
WHY LEARN FROM MICHELLE?
What makes me different from most lawyers is that I see myself as a construction professional first, and a lawyer second.
Â
I’ve spent years inside the industry, working directly with builders and subcontractors, and I know the commercial pressures you face every day.
Here’s what sets me apart:
- I started out as a builder’s contracts administrator, holding the keys to which subbies got paid, which ones got first pick of jobs, and which ones got put on the back foot.
- I’m a fully fledged construction lawyer, with my own law firm called Subcontractor Legal.  These days I only act for subcontractors, which means I live and breath subbies' issues, and I see the repeated strategies builders use on subcontractors on the daily.
- I’m a registered Adjudicator in QLD, so I see first hand the repeated, common issues that end up in nuclear grade disputes. I've reverse engineered those common disputes to pinpoint the strategies that could have avoided the war.
- I’ve supported countless subbies in negotiations with builders, helping them protect their margins, get paid on time, and walk away with solid foundations and a stronger, more transparent and trustworthy relationship with their builder.
And before I did all that, I was a client side project manager. Which means, I’ve sat in every seat at the table: subcontractor, builder, principal, adjudicator, and lawyer.
So, when I tell you I know what your builder is probably thinking in a negotiation - I’m not guessing. I know because I've been there, walking a mile in those shoes and making decisions based on that very same decision tree.
DEEP DIVE INTOÂ THE WEEKLY WORKSHOPS
Open the drop downs to see exactly what we’ll cover together inside Negotiation School
Week 1 – Contract Negotiation (Front Foot Strategies)
Week 2 – Claiming Variations & Extensions of Time (Front Foot)
Week 3 – Backcharges (Back Foot Negotiation)
Week 4 – Dispute Resolution (Back Foot Negotiation)
Are you ready to join Negotiation School?
This is the last intake for 2025. If you miss this round, doors will be closed until February 2026
NEGOTIATION SCHOOL
$1,997 inc. GST
One-Time Payment
ANNUAL TOOLBOX MEMBERSHIP
$10,967 inc. GST
Need Negotiation School for your whole team? This offer is ONLY available during launch week (ends 6PM 17 October 2025)
Want to enrol multiple staff into Negotiation School?
The Subbies’ Toolbox Membership is for you
-
Get 5 seats to Negotiation School, three times per year
-
Access to Subcontract Review Toolbox and Subcontract Review Toolkit
- Access to Subcontract Management Toolbox and Subcontract Admin Toolkit
- Access to Security of Payment Toolbox
-
2 x Weekly group Q&A sessions with Michelle
-
1 x Monthly Masterclass
- 1x Monthly Industry Intelligence Update
BEST VALUE FOR TEAMS
*Our Subbies' Toolbox membership pricing is increasing from 22 October 2025. This is the LAST time we will offer the Annual Membership with bonuses at this price*
NEGOTIATION SCHOOL
Here’s the thing... every day you hold off learning these strategies is another day your builder has the upper hand.
- Another day your builder holds retentions to ransom to keep you under control.
- Another day you swallow a dodgy backcharge because your worried if you push back your builder will hold your entire payment or apply liquidated damages.
- Another day you work for free because your variations are short paid or the margin is less than minimum viable price.
Negotiation School is your chance to flip that script.
I’ve sat on both sides of the table. I know what works, and I know the cost of staying quiet.
And I can promise you this: the strategies you’ll learn inside Negotiation School will more than pay for themselves if you adopt the systematic approach we teach.
 Now just $1997
This is the course to learn the "good bloke" approach to protecting your margins, standing taller in negotiations, and running your business on your terms.
Don’t park it for another year. Join us now.
