Handle a Lowball Job Offer Professionally

Act as a compensation negotiation coach. I received an offer for [JOB_TITLE] at [COMPANY_NAME] with a salary of [OFFERED_SALARY] — significantly below my expectation of [MY_TARGET] and below market rate of [MARKET_RATE]. I am disappointed but do not want to burn the bridge. Write a professional email response that: acknowledges the offer graciously, expresses continued genuine interest in the role, clearly and confidently states the gap with market evidence, and proposes a counter-offer or opens a dialogue — without issuing an ultimatum.