How to Successfully Ask For (and get) The Pay Increase You Deserve
Keep your emotions in check. Keep your emotions out of the negotiating room; don’t go in with a cocky attitude that suggests “If I don’t get what I want then I’m out of here.” You want to be professional, and you don’t want to burn bridges. You will need this boss as a reference, perhaps for years to come. You should be asking for a raise based on the work you’ve done and the monies it has made or saved the firm. When you attach your request for a raise to specific accomplishments, rather than to foggier concepts such as “I deserve more, need more, want more, and have been here longer,” then your chances for success improve markedly.
Of course, it is possible to display a range of emotions, which can include disappointment, anger, or tears. This is a business negotiation. Your best emotional response is to learn how to properly counter, without the drama, anything that the boss throws at you. I cover those responses with my pay raise coaching clients on an individualized basis. When your best negotiation skills don’t work, your best reaction is to see if the marketplace will value you. So, discreetly and quietly seek another position. You will soon see if you are realistic in your demands.
When negotiating for a higher salary, you must be brave (at least temporarily), armed with good in-depth research, and understand the variables involved in such a process. These variables include:
- Knowing your boss’s personality
- Being able to think on your feet
- Being able to do basic math while in the hot seat
- Determining when you have pushed your boss’s limits
- Staying focused
- Understanding corporate policies and exceptions those policies
- Realizing that at some firms even if you had invented the light bulb, you still won’t be recognized financially for it
Your boss might play psychological games with you. After all, the boss knows your personality, he probably has more experience than you and might think that they can delay and play you like a fiddle. But, if you follow the tips I’ve outlined over the weeks plus have a pay raise coach on your team, then your boss will have no clue as to how smart you’ll be navigating the process toward a much higher raise or another better opportunity elsewhere. If a serious raise is important to you, why risk it by going it alone?
What are your goals and plans for making more money at your job? Share here:
If you currently earn over $75,000 then please email me for my questionnaire that, when you complete it, will help me determine if I can indeed assist you in getting a large raise.
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