Those Sixty Seconds of NegotiationsFrom: Jack Chapman We spend years thinking about what we’ll be when we grow up. We put thousands of dollars and hours into school to get a degree and then spend weeks on résumés, letters, and ads. We schlep from city to suburb to city, talking to jerks, jokes, and gentlemen about their job openings. We put hours of practice into a sales pitch, hours of research into understanding the company, and two or three nervous days into interviews, straining to beat out the competition. The most important part, the whole reason we started in the first place—getting paid—we often handle in sixty seconds or less! For months afterwards, we roll up our sleeves and give our new job every ounce of brains and drive we can supply. But when it’s time for a raise, most of us just accept whatever we’re offered. How many minutes do we spend negotiating the money? Zero. However, sixty seconds is all you’ll need to negotiate either a salary or a raise. You’ll learn in this book how to make those sixty seconds count. You’ll learn how to make thousands of dollars in that minute, and how to improve your whole sense of work and worth. Consider for a moment how that adds up. A modest-to-low annual lifetime wage, beginning at, say, $15,000 a year and ending at $60,000, averages out to be $30,000 a year. Over forty-five years, that totals $1,125,000! So even a simple 10-percent original raise that provides a larger base for all subsequent raises means an extra $1,350,00 over that time. You could buy your home with just a 10‑percent raise! That’s just the start. Proper negotiations can double your income. Mishandling negotiations can be a million-dollar blunder. And it’s easy to blunder. In my many years as a personal career- and salary-coach, I’ve seen people earning only half their value just because they never correctly asked for more. How would you handle these three situations? Winning at salary and raise negotiations requires, first of all, understanding the principle of quality. “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten,” I was told by an accomplished salesman who was a client of mine. He reminded me that the many “bargains” I’d picked up in my life had worn out quickly, broken, or performed only after silent prayers or loud curses. I then remembered the times when I’d paid dearly for the “top of the line.” Almost every one of those tools, appliances, and articles of clothing is still with me. Each time I use or wear one of them I relish the craftsmanship and care, admire the fit and effectiveness, and appreciate the durability. Compensation negotiating is about those kinds of purchases. It is about the joy and satisfaction you will bring to employers when they see their investment in quality—yours—compounded daily, easing their minds, and making more money for their businesses. Smart employers know there’s no free lunch where talent is concerned. The relentless downsizing of the 80s and 90s has produced “lean and mean” companies where every single person’s contribution counts. The proliferation of popular management books extolling the team-oriented approach to profitability also brings home the truth that human resources are the most valuable elements in a successful enterprise. On one hand, employers understand that they have to pay quality prices for quality personnel. On the other hand, since they are successful business people, they try to get the best quality for the lowest price.
Their job is to make good business deals. Your job is to see that they recognize your quality and pay you your best price. If you don’t, it can cost you thousands of dollars and a big chunk of your self-esteem. Let me show you how much better your working life can be when you do it the right way. Jack Chapman is a nationally know job coach and seminar speaker specializing for the last 20 years in salary negotiations and job interviews. For more information on Salary Negotiations, please visit: http://www.breakthrough-salaries.com/ |