10 Keys to Getting Paid What You're Worth!

Asking for money is so taboo in our culture that most of us shake in our shoes when we think about negotiating salary. It conjures up our insecurities about not being good enough, not knowing enough, or not being considered valuable enough. We worry that the company will rescind its offer if we ask for what we're worth.

The truth is if you don't negotiate, the employer thinks he or she has paid too much. When you are confident enough to negotiate, your value goes up in the eyes of the employer. You may not get everything you ask for, but if you donít ask you wonít get what you are worth! Use these ten keys to open the locks on your earning potential.

1. Do your research. You must find out what the going rate is for the kind of work you do. Check out online salary surveys and surveys published by professional associations. But remember the best source of salary information is the people who currently work in the field. Ask them for a salary range based on your experience for a given position and industry.

2. Demonstrate your capabilities and expertise. Sell your skills, knowledge, and expertise from your initial contact with the organization right through to the offer. Know what the employerís problems, challenges, and issues are and demonstrate that you are the best person to solve the problems, meet the challenges, and resolve the issues.

3. Put off salary discussions until after you have been offered the position. When asked about salary requirements or expectations, realize that you have a one in three chance of answering correctly. The odds are not in your favor so shift the conversation to a discussion of the employerís needs and how you can solve their problems. Your goal is to move the employer from concern about their budget to conviction that you are the answer to their problem.

4. Buy time to consider the offer. Be gracious and politely request time to evaluate the offer. There are sound reasons why you need time to consider an offer:

• To study and understand the total package.
• To decide how to deal with a salary that may be lower than you expected.
• To discuss the offer with your family, colleagues, or network contacts.
• To plan and execute a successful negotiation strategy.
• To transition from the high of getting the offer to the level-headedness required to negotiate.
• To keep your options open for another offer which you expect to receive shortly.

5. Develop a negotiation strategy. Identify multiple options for getting to the compensation level you seek. Maintain a positive attitude and negotiate from the basis of worth, not need. You need a certain amount of money to live, to grow as a person, and to meet family obligations; You should not be hesitant to suggest at least that amountl. Seek win-win solutions. After all, they need an employee with your abilities, or the discussion would never have started in the first place.

6. Negotiate in person. Because body language and tone of voice are essential to this process, you must negotiate in person rather than by telephone. Take this opportunity to suggest a time for the meeting, and be sure you are early and considerate of the employer's schedule. Do not worry about seeming over-eager; the mere fact that you did not respond on the phone shows that you are serious and willing to give courteous and sincere thought to their offer of employment.

7. Respond to the initial offer without reacting. When the employer quotes a figure, repeat the figure or the top of the range, then keep quiet and silently count to 30. Often the silence will prompt them to immediately bump up the salary.

8. Know when to walk away. Make a conscious decision before you sit down to negotiate that you will politely walk away from the opportunity if it doesn't meet your must have requirements. Don't accept the position thinking things will change once you are on the job. If there are some provisions that have to be there and are not, simply remind the interviewer that this is a basic requirement for you and you can't really accept the position without it. If they can't change, you have to go. The casual remark, "Oh, we can see about that after you're on board," has no binding power once you sign a contract that does not include your essential demands.

9. Get the offer in writing. Things change; bosses come and go. If you negotiate anything out of the ordinary, such as additional or early vacation, higher than usual salary, an office with a door instead of a cubicle, and so forth, be sure to get it in writing so that when circumstances change your agreement is still intact.

10. Deliver what you promised and more. Once you are on the job deliver what you promised and more. Ignore the clock and the calendar if you have to, but be the person you projected to them when you negotiated. Why? For future promotions, salary increases, to protect your reputation, and to give you leverage should things at the company take a turn for the worse.

You can do this, and you should if you expect to get the kind of compensation that you want and need. After all, no one is going to do it for you.