Salary Negotiations: You don’t have to be an executive

Brian Tracy’s advice on salary negotiations

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So, you’re not an executive. You’re never going to be an executive because, candidly, you never wanted to be.

Me either. I figured out quite awhile ago that the only people I enjoyed managing were the ones who didn’t need it.  So, I wasn’t climbing that ladder.

Besides, most executives don’t write enough to suit me. I became a writer because I have to write. It’s not that I decided I would be a writer and then started writing; I was already writing and figured I’d better learn to make a living that way.

The point is, you don’t have to be an executive to grab the benefit of today’s post: Salary negotiations.

Enough with the excuses

I’ve heard all the excuses and myths:

• “They won’t give me a chance to negotiate; they’ll just tell me what I’m going to make.”
• “If I try to negotiate, they’ll take back their job offer.”
• “I don’t know how to negotiate, so I’ll probably end up losing more than I would gain.”
• “If I try to negotiate, I’ll look like a fool.”

Most employers will not penalize you for negotiating your compensation package. If they do, are they a company you want to work for? What other sorts of petty revenge will they exact?

On the other hand, most employers WILL allow you to keep your mouth shut when you could be bettering your compensation. It’s to their benefit.

The change you can make is to learn how to negotiate. It’s not a birthright like royal blood or in your DNA like blue eyes. It’s a skill, and that means you can learn it.

Negotiations Webinar

Lucky for you, this week you can learn it quickly. All you have to do is sign up for the webinar I’m giving Dec. 5, 2013, for The Career Experts. Maria Hebda and I will be taking you through the steps to prepare for your own salary negotiations.

The webinar will be presented live at 1pm Eastern (12 noon Central; 11am Mountain; 10am Pacific) that day, but sign up even if you can’t attend live. Maria is making the recording available to everyone who signs up. (And just for signing up, you gain access to one of Maria’s special reports.)

If you didn’t catch my Salary Negotiations webinar live, you can still listen to the replay of the webcast here.  (Click “Slides” to listen and view slide presentation | Handout attached below.) Please note that you will hear a 1-2 minute of silence or music during the “My Compensation Comparables slide.” You didn’t miss anything; it was just a technical glitch.)

If none of that works out for you, stay tuned here. I will be posting tips on compensation negotiations throughout December.

If you decide you’re still not ready to go it on your own, you can take advantage of my individual coaching in negotiations by special appointment. I offer three one-hour phone coaching sessions with homework in between the calls to get you ready to negotiate the salary you are worth. Just contact me to get the process started.