As children, most of us were great when it came time to negotiate with adults.
If there was something that we desperately wanted we would plead, beg, and come up with alternative solutions to reach our goal.
Somewhere along the line though, most of us lost those skills.
We have come to believe that: o We don't have skills to negotiate a deal.
o We don't have any options available to us.
o We don't have the needed skills and abilities to get what we want.
o We won't get the support needed for our ideas.
There are two main reasons that most people negotiate: to create new options and to settle disputes.
It is easier to strike a balance if both parties are interested in working out an alternative resolution.
Below are five steps to help you out: 1.
Be prepared.
Gather information that will assist your boss in making a favorable decision.
Know what your worth is to your boss.
Be able to discuss your value from the moment you sit down.
Do you save the company money? Do you bring them new customers? Do you create productivity and a sense of order that influences the whole organizations ability to perform? Put your value in terms that can be easily and objectively understood: o I increased sales in my division by 50% over the past year.
o I secured 25 new customers in the past three months.
o I pulled in $25,000 in outstanding customer debt this month.
2.
Know what you want.
Is it just a raise you are looking for or are there other things that you want too? A new title, a chance for training and advancement, ability to telecommute, an alternative work schedule, technology to help you get the job done more efficiently? Make a list and rank it in order of importance.
3.
Develop a list of acceptable alternatives.
Your boss absolutely can't give you a pay raise at the present time.
What other outcomes might make you a little more happy- maybe working a 4 day work week or getting some other perks like a new laptop so that you can work from home maybe a couple of days per week.
4.
Contain your emotions.
A raise is not possible right now.
Don't get angry and walk away.
Instead, ask when the company might be in a better position to give you a raise.
Make an appointment to review this topic again in 3 or 6 months.
Ask for honest feedback.
Get the boss to tell you what it would take to get you to the next level and make sure that you engage in those activities while waiting for the next meeting to discuss your raise.
5.
Re-evaluate.
Your boss is inflexible and rude.
She is not willing to listen to your position.
There is no money.
She can't give you any of the other things because it would be unfair to everyone else.
She is not willing to listen to your suggestions on how to implement "perks" and improve the work environment for your peers.
It may be time to ask yourself: o "What am I doing here?" o "Does the pay justify unhappiness?" o "Would I be happier elsewhere?" Most of us spend more time at work than we do with our families.
When we are unhappy at work it is all too difficult to check our anger and disappointment at the door when we get home impacting the relationships we have with people outside of work.
If you can't negotiate the things that bring less stress and more joy to your job, perhaps it is time to seriously think about moving on.
If there was something that we desperately wanted we would plead, beg, and come up with alternative solutions to reach our goal.
Somewhere along the line though, most of us lost those skills.
We have come to believe that: o We don't have skills to negotiate a deal.
o We don't have any options available to us.
o We don't have the needed skills and abilities to get what we want.
o We won't get the support needed for our ideas.
There are two main reasons that most people negotiate: to create new options and to settle disputes.
It is easier to strike a balance if both parties are interested in working out an alternative resolution.
Below are five steps to help you out: 1.
Be prepared.
Gather information that will assist your boss in making a favorable decision.
Know what your worth is to your boss.
Be able to discuss your value from the moment you sit down.
Do you save the company money? Do you bring them new customers? Do you create productivity and a sense of order that influences the whole organizations ability to perform? Put your value in terms that can be easily and objectively understood: o I increased sales in my division by 50% over the past year.
o I secured 25 new customers in the past three months.
o I pulled in $25,000 in outstanding customer debt this month.
2.
Know what you want.
Is it just a raise you are looking for or are there other things that you want too? A new title, a chance for training and advancement, ability to telecommute, an alternative work schedule, technology to help you get the job done more efficiently? Make a list and rank it in order of importance.
3.
Develop a list of acceptable alternatives.
Your boss absolutely can't give you a pay raise at the present time.
What other outcomes might make you a little more happy- maybe working a 4 day work week or getting some other perks like a new laptop so that you can work from home maybe a couple of days per week.
4.
Contain your emotions.
A raise is not possible right now.
Don't get angry and walk away.
Instead, ask when the company might be in a better position to give you a raise.
Make an appointment to review this topic again in 3 or 6 months.
Ask for honest feedback.
Get the boss to tell you what it would take to get you to the next level and make sure that you engage in those activities while waiting for the next meeting to discuss your raise.
5.
Re-evaluate.
Your boss is inflexible and rude.
She is not willing to listen to your position.
There is no money.
She can't give you any of the other things because it would be unfair to everyone else.
She is not willing to listen to your suggestions on how to implement "perks" and improve the work environment for your peers.
It may be time to ask yourself: o "What am I doing here?" o "Does the pay justify unhappiness?" o "Would I be happier elsewhere?" Most of us spend more time at work than we do with our families.
When we are unhappy at work it is all too difficult to check our anger and disappointment at the door when we get home impacting the relationships we have with people outside of work.
If you can't negotiate the things that bring less stress and more joy to your job, perhaps it is time to seriously think about moving on.
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