Do you know how to negotiate your salary and secure employee benefits? If you think about it, we spend a lot of our lives negotiating: We do it with our partners, our children, our friends, our neighbors…
Work is no different. There, mastering workplace negotiation techniques allows you to achieve your goals for professional growth. If you want to secure employee benefits, negotiating will become second nature to you. That’s why, at WorkCapital, we want to help you understand how to negotiate your salary and other interests.
During the hiring process, after being selected as a candidate, it’s a good idea to negotiate certain contract terms such as compensation, flexible hours, the option to work remotely, or other benefits that improve work-life balance. This way, the terms of your employment contract will be clearly established from the start.
First and foremost, we must be clear on the following principles:
The most appropriate attitude for negotiating in any area of life is a “win-win” approach . Even if you’re in a position of advantage—for example, because you’re the most productive employee on the team—you should put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Only then will you be able to maintain a relationship of trust in the long term.
Determining when the best time is, is essential. We must make a concerted effort to identify that moment accurately, choosing calm situations where we are fully present and the atmosphere is positive. We must avoid the tendency to procrastinate—that is, the inclination to put things off. Any time is better than never.
The starting point is that you want to secure better job benefits, so it’s in your best interest to learn how to negotiate your salary. We’ll approach this section in a more instructional way to bring out the negotiator within you.
The first thing you need to understand is that hesitation and insecurity are initial roadblocks in any learning process. It’s natural—even human—to feel hesitant due to embarrassment, lack of knowledge, or fear. However, you have every right to negotiate and improve your working conditions. Labor negotiation techniques will be your best asset.
Have you ever heard of the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement? The acronym AMAN encapsulates this concept, which—believe it or not—is your main advantage when entering into a negotiation. It involves defining and being clear about your Plan B. In other words, what is your best alternative if the negotiation doesn’t go well? Therefore, the initial preparation for any negotiation should always be to secure the most favorable AMAN possible.
Consequently, you should ask yourself as soon as possible what the worst-case scenario might be. Losing your job while supporting a large family is not the same as having an offer from another company that meets all your expectations.
Indeed, in the latter case, your negotiating position will be much stronger, since, if the negotiation were to fail, you could explore the employment conditions offered by the other company, knowing in advance that it is highly unlikely you’ll end up unemployed at both.
Once you’ve established what might happen if no agreement is reached, we recommend putting the following tips into practice:
Prepare as thoroughly as possible. Gather as much information as you can—facts rather than opinions—to support your case. Productivity metrics, performance metrics, loyal customers, revenue generated, etc.
Get toknow your counterpart thoroughly. Identify their objections and counter them.
Do your research. Investigate what precedents exist within the company and the industry.
Use mind maps and scripts to structure your content and improve your public speaking.
Practice. Yes, you should rehearse and run through the scenario with someone you trust.
Focus on your goal; stay focused.
Spend twice as much timelistening as you do speaking.
Stay calm and composed at all times.
Respect silences: they convey meaning and allow people to think. Don’t feel compelled to fill them.
Be creative. Think in terms of emotional compensation, not just financial compensation.
Focus on solutions, not problems.
Reflect—don’t let your heart be your only guide.
What do you think? Now you have a clearer idea of how to negotiate your salary and which job negotiation techniques work best for you, right? Take action to secure the benefits you deserve!
Image by vectorjuice on Freepik
Image by Freepik