{"id":344,"date":"2016-09-20T08:31:27","date_gmt":"2016-09-20T12:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/?p=344"},"modified":"2018-04-17T14:34:01","modified_gmt":"2018-04-17T18:34:01","slug":"the-art-of-negotiating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/?p=344","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Negotiation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is your career where you want it, or do you have work goals and future ambitions to conquer that seem out of reach?\u00a0 Working hard at what you do won\u2019t always garner a promotion or contract.\u00a0 More often than not, you have to ask for it, or negotiate your way to it.\u00a0 Now, don\u2019t let the word \u2018negotiation\u2019 scare you off.\u00a0 And, if you think the art of negotiation only applies to top-level politicians or six figure salespeople, think again.\u00a0 Negotiating skills are a necessary tool for every business person, and the mastery of it begins with assessing your own self-worth.<\/p>\n

Begin your negotiation plan by asking \u2018how much do I value myself, and what do I need and want\u2019?\u00a0 Do you feel worthy of the very thing you have your sights set upon?\u00a0 If you dream about a career advancement, but deep down feel you are undeserving, or don\u2019t have what it takes, begin your work there.\u00a0 Set aside feelings of unworthiness for a moment and take a look at your resume, or Linked-In profile.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t created either, it\u2019s time to begin a chronological inventory of your work history and skill sets.\u00a0 A full review of your accomplishments and abilities should provide a realistic picture of your background and an objective representation of what you\u2019ve accomplished.<\/p>\n

After such an exercise (given you\u2019ve been in the workforce a while) you should have an undeniable sense of your value as an employee, entrepreneur or freelancer.\u00a0 When you doubt your value, do a self-check by looking at your accomplishments in black and white.\u00a0 With a boost in confidence, then ask yourself \u2018what do I want, or what is it I need?\u2019\u00a0 Sometimes we feel we need more, but can\u2019t always define it for ourselves.\u00a0 Here are a few goals and needs some of my clients have expressed to their employers over the years:<\/p>\n

\n\r\n
Promotion<\/td>\n Pay increase<\/td>\n Benefits increase<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\r\n
Bonus<\/td>\n Vacation time<\/td>\n Special assignment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\r\n
Larger workspace<\/td>\n Work from home<\/td>\n Earlier\/later start\/end time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n

Perhaps these examples pertain to you, or maybe they\u2019ve helped you connect with what it is you want or need in your career.\u00a0 Negotiation is a give and take, so the next step involves figuring out what others need and looking toward the future.\u00a0 What are you willing to give, give up, invest in or do in return for what you want?\u00a0 Whatever it is, link it to what interests your negotiating partner.\u00a0 Your company, team or manager could have the following wants or needs:<\/p>\n

\n\r\n
New product innovation<\/td>\n Increasing revenue<\/td>\n Company merger<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\r\n
Reducing overhead<\/td>\n Employee reduction<\/td>\n Industry nomination<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\r\n
Company award<\/td>\n Reduced workload<\/td>\n Successful project completion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n

Do you have the ideas, capacity or skill set to help your manager reach his or her goals?\u00a0 Maybe a combination of these suggested ideas and\/or other unmet company needs would make an attractive proposition to a manager.\u00a0 If your manager\u2019s future or unmet goals are tiered up to a greater company goal, even better.\u00a0 Now it\u2019s time to create the deal or build your negotiation strategy.<\/p>\n

Consider multiple combinations of ideas, and begin simply.\u00a0 For example, you would like a raise, and in return, you agree to take on an important project.\u00a0 In presenting the idea, demonstrate how your work on the project will help achieve your manager\u2019s goal of increasing revenue, reducing their workload, or keeping within budget and timelines by avoiding a salaried new hire and training time.\u00a0 Or, propose that you could increase revenue as the new assistant sales manager with your training and motivational skills.\u00a0 The negotiating combinations are almost endless, just make sure the output is not.\u00a0 Know your breaking point.<\/p>\n

Define and understand what and when you are willing to walk away from.\u00a0 Enter into the negotiation with a plan A, B and C.\u00a0 Offer to assist with the most obvious goal, and ask for what you want in return – time off, raise, etc.\u00a0 If the deal is met with some resistance, don\u2019t give in immediately.\u00a0 Tell your manager you understand they may need time to think about it, and set a time and date to reconnect on the proposal.\u00a0 When you meet again, if your request is rebuffed, increase the stakes, but just a little.\u00a0 Put option B on the table.\u00a0 For example, if you offered to take on a special project in return for a raise, say you\u2019ll deliver the work 4 weeks earlier than the original due date.\u00a0 Whatever the second offering is, make sure it demonstrates that you are sincerely invested in the first offering in return for the raise (or whatever you asked for).\u00a0 Upping the ante typically results in an acceptance or refusal, and you will know where you stand.\u00a0 If, however, you still sense some resistance, now would be the time to pull out the ace in your back pocket.\u00a0 On top of the first two offerings, include a clincher to the deal that you know your manager can\u2019t possibly pass up.<\/p>\n

If the negotiation has gone this far, know your bottom line<\/em>.\u00a0 The overall atmosphere and attitude during the negotiations should provide a gut check on how far you are willing to go.\u00a0 If you feel the process is being considered in a fair light and a respectable sense, throwing down the gauntlet with your third offering may feel right.\u00a0 If instead, you sense that you\u2019re being exploited, be willing to walk away.\u00a0 Further, before you enter into negotiations, understand how much you are willing to give, and stick to your resolve.\u00a0 What are the non-negotiables?\u00a0 Have a tough conversation with yourself prior to the negotiation, otherwise, you are at the mercy of the person you are negotiating with.\u00a0 Your time, experience and talents are valuable.\u00a0 Don\u2019t give, give, give until it hurts.\u00a0 The danger here is selling yourself short by giving too much away in return for too little payout.\u00a0 Do so, and you will not only devalue your self-worth but your perceived worth by your employer as well.<\/p>\n

\u00a9Copyright 2016.\u00a0 Kay Fittes.\u00a0 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is your career where you want it, or do you have work goals and future ambitions to conquer that seem out of reach?\u00a0 Working hard at what you do won\u2019t always garner a promotion or contract.\u00a0 More often than not, you have to ask for it, or negotiate your way to it.\u00a0 Now, don\u2019t let<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3,26,17],"tags":[9,45,44,46,21,6,42],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qkhe-5y","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=344"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":463,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions\/463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}