How to Successfully Negotiate Salary After You Get A New Job Offer

How To Negotiate A Job Offer

You did it. You received an offer. All of your hard work has paid off, and now all you have to do is accept and reap the benefits…

Not really. The question you should be asking yourself here is, “Is this a good offer?” Instead of jumping for joy and accepting your new position, read the offer’s details and weigh the pros and cons. As we discussed in the last article, there’s no such thing as a perfect job. Your offer will have weaknesses; it’s your job to find them and see if you can improve the circumstances through negotiation.

If it’s lower than you expected, never turn it down on the spot.

Don’t be too hard-nosed when it comes to negotiation. Sometimes ambitious job seekers draw a line and refuse to go lower than they desire. This could be a good thing and a bad thing. In order to draw this line, ensure you understand the value you’re providing to the company.

Do you really want the job? Are you ready to commit to a high standard of professionalism? Are you confident you will be successful in the position? How much money do you actually need? You must answer all these questions to know best what you should be paid. The market isn’t often wrong. Your value usually clearly translates to a company depending on commitment and revenue potential.

Be realistic about your position in your career. This will help you see clearly when going over the terms of the offer.

Tell them you’d like some time to think about it.

If you’re having difficulty coming to a decision, ask for more time. A corporation pressuring you to make a decision quickly is usually a bad sign. This decision is essential; you may need extra time to ensure you come to the correct conclusion.

Use this move sparingly. Nobody is going to wait forever for you to make a decision. Sometimes you may not know the right number for your salary or whether this company is the right one for you. But this is the nature of the business. Nobody ever has complete certainty, no matter how many excel spreadsheets they used to help them make a decision.

What will make you outstanding in your career in sales is learning how to trust intuition. Always do your due diligence, but sometimes you have to wing it.

Prepare a counter offer and explain why you feel you deserve it.

Let’s say you decide to accept the position, but you know you are worth more than they are offering. Now is the time for negotiation.

Initially, the salary they offer you doesn’t have to be the final number. When you have the opportunity to negotiate the deal, make sure you emphasize your ability to make money for the company. Project your anticipated long-term sales to show how much of a valuable investment you will be. Provide as much evidence as possible to prove how valuable you will be to the company. If you make a good case, it will be hard for your employer to turn you down.

You don’t need to act tough in the negotiation; show why you deserve x amount of dollars a year with facts and reason. Then, if they don’t budge, you can continuously pursue your other opportunities.

Always mention if you have any other opportunities in play to create urgency and healthy competition.

There’s an art to mentioning that you have other opportunities available tactfully. It would be best to make that clear before the offer is made in the initial interview.

Nervously saying, “I have another opportunity that will pay me to double!” will show desperation and reduce your bargaining power. Instead, let’s say you received an opportunity after making the offer. In that case, you can be honest. Tell them something better has popped up since the offer, and you are considering accepting. Don’t use it as a tool to insult them, be as honest as you can about the situation.

The increased sense of urgency may cause them to sweeten the pot to secure your position. If this happens, and you decide to accept, do it gracefully. The last thing you want to do after accepting an offer is to give your employer the feeling of “I win”; it will color your relationship negatively from that point on.

Always show enthusiasm and appreciation for an offer, even if it’s lower than expected.

You never want to insult the person offering you a deal. Even if the negotiation didn’t go as planned, you showed charisma and a desire to pursue what you wanted. The worst thing you can do at this moment is to show disdain.

The salary you accept when you take the job isn’t permanent. If you genuinely got less than you wanted, use that fuel to work even harder. Earn that next raise and make it come sooner rather than later. Prove to them that you will make it rain for the company. There will be no doubt that you deserve a more significant salary if you can consistently perform well.

Conclusion

At this point, you know everything you need to know about the hiring process. But, again, the habits you develop here will translate into how you perform in sales. Challenge yourself to be the best you can be. If you can achieve this, you cannot limit what you can earn.