Dont Say These 4 Words in a Salary Negotiation

Dont Say These 4 Words in a Salary Negotiation ShareShare You dont need to do that. You dont need to money and perks on the table. Here are some tips and tools that will help you negotiate more confidently and effectively. These tips came from an article on Glassdoor based on the book Fearless Salary Negotiation by Josh Doody. My blog readers will be familiar with many of Doodys points, such as not committing to salary figures before receiving an offer (and heres an infographic about what to say instead). But I wanted to highlight some insights I havent focused on before. Dont say these 4 words: No and other negative words. No is one of the most common words in the English language. Its useful in many ways. But in negotiation, negative language can make people defensive, interfering with the positive rapport and collaborative spirit that lead to win-win solutions. Instead, say things like I would be more comfortable with or Heres another option It may be best to avoid any language more negative than that doesnt work for me or we havent arrived at a win-win yet. Think these are weasel words? Just because youre not saying the word no doesnt mean youre accepting the current offer. Try and later. Lets say you the salary theyre offering is a bit low, and theyve informed you that the first opportunity for a merit increase would come a year after hire. Youve gotten as far as you can in improving the salary offer but its still a bit low, so youre asking for a promise of a salary review six months after hire. The tip is: Do not say try, as in lets try to reevaluate at that point. Likewise, if you get a try response, like well try to do that, the chances are good that it will never happen. Get a firm commitment. As Yoda said in the fifth Star Wars movie, Do or do not, there is no try. Dont let them weasel out. And dont say later, as in we can talk about tuition reimbursement later, after I start. You will probably never again have such a strong negotiating positionthey want you and they dont yet have youso now is the time to get agreement on the benefits, perks and working conditions you want. Lets not make absolute rules here. For example, flexible work schedules, a very popular perk, are often negotiated tentatively, with language like That should be all right or Lets try that out and see how it goes. Often the flexibility becomes a firm part of the job once its clear that youre not going to abuse it. Sorry. Salary negotiation is an uncomfortable process. At times your negotiating partner may be unhappy with a request or counteroffer you make, and its tempting to make nice with an apology. This is a mistake for two reasons. First, it can signal to the recruiter or hiring manager that you might be willing to back down, and that could cost you money or benefits that you could have had. Second, there is nothing wrong with negotiating; its a normal part of professional life. By all means be warm, friendly and appreciative throughout the process, but dont apologize for doing business. So thats what not to say. Heres some guidance on good language to use in salary negotiation. How should you ask for a bigger salary, more vacation, a later start date and so on? What kind of language is effective? To answer those question and make negotiation easier, Ive created a Negotiation Template that helps you plan your negotiation discussion, including which areas of the offer you want to negotiate (because theres no reason to stop with salary), how to introduce and justify your ask in each area, some great open-ended questions that encourage win-win thinking, and tips for following up after the initial discussion. You can download it for free when you subscribe to this blog. Dont Say These 4 Words in a Salary Negotiation ShareShare You dont need to do that. You dont need to money and perks on the table. Here are some tips and tools that will help you negotiate more confidently and effectively. These tips came from an article on Glassdoor based on the book Fearless Salary Negotiation by Josh Doody. My blog readers will be familiar with many of Doodys points, such as not committing to salary figures before receiving an offer (and heres an infographic about what to say instead). But I wanted to highlight some insights I havent focused on before. Dont say these 4 words: No and other negative words. No is one of the most common words in the English language. Its useful in many ways. But in negotiation, negative language can make people defensive, interfering with the positive rapport and collaborative spirit that lead to win-win solutions. Instead, say things like I would be more comfortable with or Heres another option It may be best to avoid any language more negative than that doesnt work for me or we havent arrived at a win-win yet. Think these are weasel words? Just because youre not saying the word no doesnt mean youre accepting the current offer. Try and later. Lets say you the salary theyre offering is a bit low, and theyve informed you that the first opportunity for a merit increase would come a year after hire. Youve gotten as far as you can in improving the salary offer but its still a bit low, so youre asking for a promise of a salary review six months after hire. The tip is: Do not say try, as in lets try to reevaluate at that point. Likewise, if you get a try response, like well try to do that, the chances are good that it will never happen. Get a firm commitment. As Yoda said in the fifth Star Wars movie, Do or do not, there is no try. Dont let them weasel out. And dont say later, as in we can talk about tuition reimbursement later, after I start. You will probably never again have such a strong negotiating positionthey want you and they dont yet have youso now is the time to get agreement on the benefits, perks and working conditions you want. Lets not make absolute rules here. For example, flexible work schedules, a very popular perk, are often negotiated tentatively, with language like That should be all right or Lets try that out and see how it goes. Often the flexibility becomes a firm part of the job once its clear that youre not going to abuse it. Sorry. Salary negotiation is an uncomfortable process. At times your negotiating partner may be unhappy with a request or counteroffer you make, and its tempting to make nice with an apology. This is a mistake for two reasons. First, it can signal to the recruiter or hiring manager that you might be willing to back down, and that could cost you money or benefits that you could have had. Second, there is nothing wrong with negotiating; its a normal part of professional life. By all means be warm, friendly and appreciative throughout the process, but dont apologize for doing business. So thats what not to say. Heres some guidance on good language to use in salary negotiation. How should you ask for a bigger salary, more vacation, a later start date and so on? What kind of language is effective? To answer those question and make negotiation easier, Ive created a Negotiation Template that helps you plan your negotiation discussion, including which areas of the offer you want to negotiate (because theres no reason to stop with salary), how to introduce and justify your ask in each area, some great open-ended questions that encourage win-win thinking, and tips for following up after the initial discussion. You can download it for free when you subscribe to this blog.