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How Do I Negotiate a Raise?
At some point in your career, you are going to have to ask for a raise (or a promotion or a better benefits package). You’ve been working hard at your job, and now is the time to reap more rewards.
How do you approach your employer? What do you say, and how do you say it? The ground rules for asking for a raise are basically the same as those for negotiating any deal. Here are some tried-and-true tips:
- Never begin by asking your employer to say yes and agree. In fact, start by inviting him to say no. Tell him that you are comfortable with a no answer and you want him to be comfortable to say no.
- Identify the real problems you see standing in your way. For example, has the company just laid off employees? Is there new management in the wings? Before you go into the meeting, have a clear idea of what might keep your boss from giving you a raise. State each problem clearly and ask your boss how these problems might be solved.
- Do your critical research. How do companies decide what to pay? They hire consulting firms and look at pay surveys or they compare notes within the industry. Research what people in your position are paid by using the web and other resources to dig out the normal pay range. The more information you have, the better you will be prepared.
- Control your emotions. Before and during your meeting, turn your mind into a blank slate. Have no expectations or fears. Above all, overcome all neediness, the number-one deal-killer. If you start to feel any kind of emotions during the negotiation, drop a pen or take a drink of water briefly until you regain emotional neutrality.
- Let your employer feel “more okay” than you. This is the “Columbo Effect.” Do not dress to impress, name drop, or get on a grandstand. Let him be completely at ease with you, and perhaps even feel a bit superior.
- Take notes; let him do the talking. Talk as little as possible. Write down everything he says. Ask a lot of questions so you can find out your employer’s position, issues, concerns, needs, and objectives.
- Clarify all questions. A great tool to do this is to reverse, answer a question with a question, and give your opponent strokes. Begin your questions with an interrogative—who, what, when, where, how, or why—because these invite exposition. And don’t forget to compliment him on his good idea, excellent question, or interesting insight.
- Never think about closing the deal. Do not think about, hope for, or plan for getting the raise. Focus instead on what you can control: your behavior and activity during the negotiation.
- Have a valid M&P. A valid mission and purpose is one set in your employers’ world, business, needs, requirements, hopes, fears, and plans. An example in this case might be: I want to get my boss to see that I am a uniquely valuable asset to the company, that I am highly effective and productive, and that keeping me happy in my job will benefit my coworkers and the company in important ways. Because every decision you make along the way has to fulfill your M&P, it will handle any contingency that comes up during the negotiation, and will not fail to lead to a good outcome for your side.
- Develop your employer’s vision.There is a clear reason and only one reason your employer will pay you what you request: Doing so will benefit him and the company. Once you are in the negotiation you must help them develop a vision of you that allows them to see what you can do for them. How do you do that? You spend all of your time in their world understanding the challenges they anticipate, the problems they see, and the solutions they require.
- Present yourself as the solution. So now you have your employer’s vision, what do you do? How do you present yourself and your abilities? The most important thing you can do is to pay close attention to the challenges and responsibilities he points out to you and be sure to present to those challenges different examples of experiences of your handling them in your career. The key is to tie your abilities and your experiences to the solution of his vision. Don’t be afraid to give specific examples of challenges you faced and the solutions you provided. Special assignments that fit the employer’s vision should be explained and discussed. The more examples you can provide, the better.
- Never threaten. Never appear to threaten or posture with another offer or a take-it-or-leave-it stance. Continue to negotiate with no need. Use that calm slow voice. State problems clearly and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want to solve those problems. The more effective you appear at discussing the problem as you see it, the better. Just ask in a want mode, not the need mode.
- Do not try to be friends. Your employer does not have to be your friend. You are not seeking friendship; you are seeking an agreement. What you want is respect and a fair agreement that accomplishes your mission and purpose.
Staying calm, being well informed, showing genuine curiosity and interest in the company’s challenges and salient issues, and not being needy are all qualities that any employee wants to see. You are a motivated, talented employee who has the company’s best interests in mind. If you can deliver these messages in the meeting, any employer would want to hold on to you and reward you with a raise.
Jim Camp is an internationally sought negotiation coach and trainer, and author of NO: The Only Negotiating System You Need for Work and Home (Crown), the revised and updated version of his critically acclaimed business book, Start with No. As president and founder of The Camp Group, he has coached individuals, companies, and governments worldwide through hundreds of negotiations worth billions.
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