negotiating – Be Gallant Coaching

4 Negotiation tips to help you get the bag next time

We all want to get paid what we’re worth, right?

Yeah, we do!

But negotiating your salary can feel awkward and uncomfortable if you don’t know what you’re doing, and a lot of us coming from Higher Ed don’t have any negotiation experience.

Too many people leave fat stacks of cash on the table because they just don’t know what to do when the opportunity to negotiate comes. Rather than lean into the discomfort, they wind up avoiding the opportunity altogether by just taking whatever is initially offered.

If that’s you, I understand. It’s awkward, after all. But don’t be like that anymore! With some smart moves and a little swagger, YOU can score a way bigger paycheck when you land your next job.

Does an extra $10k or $15k sound nice? More?

Check out these 4 insider tips:

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DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFOREHAND. Knowledge equals power when it comes to negotiating, y’all. And you want to get the knowledge you need early. Before you even start interviewing, spend some time researching typical pay ranges for your role, experience level, and location. Sites like Glassdoor and PayScale have a lot of good info. Once you’re locked and loaded with real numbers, you’ll be able to negotiate with authority.

DON’T NAME YOUR PRICE FIRST. Here’s a rookie mistake to avoid: blurting out a number if/when they ask about your salary expectations. Boom, you just lost all your leverage! Instead, keep it cool and deflect gracefully. Tell them you want to learn more about the full scope and compensation package before discussing numbers. Break a communication rule: ask them what they would typically pay someone with your high-value skills and experience. Make them show their cards first so you don’t accidentally get yourself low-balled.

NEGOTIATE LIVE OR IN-PERSON. Serious money talks shouldn’t go down over email where things can get lost in translation. Request an actual face-to-face meeting, video call, or at the very minimum a phone chat. Having a real-time convo lets you read between the lines, sell your value proposition, and negotiate more effectively on the fly. Negotiation is all about influence and persuasion. You lose some of that when you’re not able to look the person you’re talking to in the eyes.

GET IT IN WRITING. Once you’ve finessed your way to the deal you’re happy with, get every detail documented in writing before accepting. That means base pay, bonuses, equity, benefits – the whole nine yards. Having it all spelled out officially means it’s a done deal and eliminates the opportunity for any shadiness later on. Oh, and when I say “Get it in writing,” I don’t mean an email. I mean a contract or offer sheet. An actual document.

BONUS. Don’t settle for the first offer they give you! Even if it’s more than you were expecting and more than you were hoping for. Always ask to negotiate to see if you can actually get more because you just might be able to! Remember: whatever you miss out on in negotiations is gonna be hard (maybe impossible) to recuperate without leaving.

At the end of the day, we gotta live, and that takes money and compensation. It’s hard out here these days, so don’t be shy about demanding top dollar for your skills and experience. Get prepared, stay smooth, and get that bag!

It’s hard just getting to the negotiation stage, huh?

If you’re having a hard time getting to the interview and job offer/negotiation stage, it’s not just you.

Fact is, hiring is a mess right now and mad competitive.

If that is what you’re experiencing, though, you might have a branding problem.

In other words, you might be struggling to clearly convey why YOU– of all the people with similar qualifications and skills and experiences–are the one that can actually provide the right kind of value.

Exactly how are your skills transferable? How can you move the needle?

If you solve that issue, your chances of landing those interviews and securing those offers goes way up.

Come check out my Build Your Transferable Brand program. It’s quick and easy, and I’ll have you up and running with your personal brand in just 2 50 minute sessions.

I know some of you are tired of spinning your wheels and getting little-to-no results (because I’ve talked to some of you). This is your sign.

Let’s get you up and running before summer starts and hiring slows down.

Click here and let’s do it!

Have you ever negotiated for your compensation package?

While it is a normal thing to do, many people have never actually done it before. So if you haven’t either, or if you feel a little lost about how to go about doing it, you’re definitely not alone.

I recently had a client who’d never negotiated. When she landed the job she was applying for, she wound up feeling disappointed that they were offering a significantly smaller salary than what she was hoping for. She thought about turning down the offer, because who wants to get paid less than what they deserve?

I said to her, “They’re not offering you what you want right now. What if they offered to pay you more? Would you accept the job then?” She was like “Yes!” So we started discussing how to go about negotiating for a higher salary. The result? They offered her an additional $15,000 and she took the job. Success!

So it’s possible! If you’ve never negotiated before, you can absolutely have that kind of conversation the next time you get an offer. Here’s a few tips you need to know in order to set yourself up for success.

Always Be Ready

You should be ready for the negotiation conversation from the very beginning. You never know when you might be asked about your compensation goals, and you need to have a plan for how you’re going to respond to that question whenever it comes up.

That means as soon as you start thinking about applying for a job, it’s time to also start doing a little planning and research to prepare yourself for negotiation. Do your research early! Know what your numbers are. Figure out what their range is. Expect to be asked early so you don’t get caught slippin’.

What’s The Market Value?

Basically, you need to know how much this job and similar jobs are paying.

AND…

You also need to know how you stack up against the average incumbent for the role. Are you more or less qualified than the average hire for this type of role? Are you more or less skilled? What unique experiences do you have?

This is where you’ll have to do some digging. Tap into resources like Glassdoor, O*net, LinkedIn, and networking opportunities to uncover valuable information that will help you negotiate the best deal.

Win-Wins Win

A successful negotiation scenario is one that feels like a win for both parties: You get what you want, and your employer gets what they want. You want a compensation package that allows you to take care of your needs and lead the lifestyle you envision for yourself. Your employer wants to bring on a strong new employee in a timely manner and stay within budget.

Of course, you have to be your own champion, and that means you have to advocate for what you need AND want. Remember, once you’ve been made an offer, you’ve been identified as the most valuable candidate available. So be confident and make the ask! But also remember to be a caring partner in the engagement. Be upfront about what you want and why you should have it, and do what you can to make the employer happy about things too.

Because starting off on the right foot will go a long way when it comes time for you to show up and actually work there.

Wrapping Up

Negotiating is your friend.

Negotiating…is your friend!

Think about this: What you lose out on in negotiations, you will likely never recuperate. If you miss out on that extra 5k in salary, that 5k will blossom into 25k in 5 years. Even if you manage to secure some raises, you’ll be starting from a point that’s 5k lower than what you could’ve been starting at.

So it’s definitely worth it to at least attempt to negotiate for whatever it is you want and need. But you need to be prepared, and you need to prepare early because you never know when the conversation might come up.

Ideally, it’ll happen when you receive an offer, but sometimes relevant questions get asked earlier in the process. I have specific tips for what to do when that happens, but we’ll address that another time.

In the meantime, here’s what I want you to do. If you’re currently job searching or even thinking about it, I want you to use the box below to let me know what your biggest job search-related challenge or concern is. Let’s talk about it!

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