4 Tips for Negotiating a Raise at Your Day Job

Getting the best deal for yourself in the workplace whether you’re a corporate star or a celebrity make-up, hair or fashion stylist is going to depend on your ability to sell (persuade) the benefits (gains) you’ve been responsible for creating.

This is especially true for women and minorities who often don’t grow up with a mom or dad who is the head of Ford Motor Company and didn’t have the benefit of listening to global deals being negotiated during an evening meal. But don’t let that stop you from creating financial stability for yourself and your family. Now is the time to take control.

From babysitting, to your first gig at a fast food restaurant, to stepping into the Director or VP position at a beauty conglomerate, negotiating a better salary, or a bump in your day rate can make the best of us procrastinate and decide to clean out a closet or two. It is nonetheless something you’re going to have to get good at if you want to get ahead.

Here are 4 tips to help you become a better negotiator:

1. Stop being so darn modest. Learn to communicate your value, and do it often enough that the people in charge don’t forget.

2. Start your value conversation off with something like, “As a direct result of my contribution in this area, we (the company) have experienced

a. XX% (be specific) increase in revenues…
b. XX% (be specific) reduction in expenses…
c. XX% (be specific) reduction in turnover… 

3. Remember that a raise is a number not a feeling. Don’t talk about how long you’ve been there and why you think you deserve a raise unless you can tie it to a verifiable deliverable like, a, b, or c above.

4. Don’t get sucked into the standard management tactics employed by management, such as: 

a.   As you know, we have a periodic schedule for giving out raises
b.  Lets see how things go the rest of the year
c.   I certainly have you in mind

Raises can be negotiated whenever you summon the nerve to ask for one, and in corporate America it should always be negotiated as an annual increase. Don't devalue your contribution to the company bottom line by quibbling over $50 a week. Here’s what you can do now to get prepared and practiced:

1.  Do your homework. Convene a brainstorming session with a group of friends and a dry erase board. Write down every excuse you have ever accepted for not getting your raise. Together you can come up with a list of comebacks that worked, or just might. 

2.  Practice in the mirror and with a close friend. Turn I deserve into quantifiable numbers that management can understand and seize every opportunity to ask for more money until you get it. 

3.  Share what works and doesn’t with your group. There’s no point in keeping your gains to yourself. Each one, teach one!

Try it. If it works, tell us your story. SHARE & REPOST.