Tips For Negotiating a Raise By:Todd Hicks

Is it correct that you possess the desire to be handsomely rewarded for all of the hard work you put forth on the job? Is it correct that you believe you deserve a raise at your place of employment but are afraid to demand or ask for one because the economy is awful and you fear that your employer will turn you down or perhaps give you the axe? Have no fear! You will learn how to eliminate your timidity and employ good negotiation strategies that will increase your chances of being rewarded the raise you deserve.

There are at least three steps you should proactively take before acquiring the nerve to ask for a raise. The first step is to always be productive. To assist your corporation, you must produce an output that covers your salary plus additional revenue. High production is required from the employees for a business to make a profit.

The second step is to keep records and reports on your accomplishments and progress. It can help your cause to show your boss how you are helping to increase the company's bottom line. The third step is to conduct research on what people who work in your field are paid on average. Showing your boss you are paid less than the average wage can be a powerful negotiating tool.

Have you thought about seeking better benefits instead of seeking a raise? I have read that it is sometimes advantageous for an employee to seek an improved benefits package that will add up to more value than a raise.

Go about asking for a raise the right way. Do not be pushy or threaten to quit. Do not say you need a raise to buy a new car or cover your bills. Focus on what you bring to the table to state your case.

Use the possibility of working elsewhere to your advantage. Look for a job that is similar to yours and pays a little more. Once you receive a good offer, inform your boss about this.

Attempt to talk with your boss about a raise when he is in a good mood. If the administrative assistant or receptionist says he is in a bad mood, come back later.

Talk with your boss about a raise when she is not too busy. If she is too busy now, try to schedule an appointment to see her at a good time. If she asks why you want to talk with her later, tell her you have important issues to discuss. Try to avoid letting her know you want to discuss a raise.

We will cover scenarios you can use to practice so you can increase your chances of successfully negotiating a raise.

Scenario One

Boss: "I give you a raise of three percent each year and I cannot afford to give you more."

Employee: "I produce an output that directly increases your bottom line by twenty percent. You can easily give me a raise of at least five percent."

Scenario Two

Boss: "You are at the highest level of the pay scale, so I cannot afford to give you more."

Employee: "If you do not want to pay me a higher salary, please give me a better benefits package that will increase the value I get for my great service without making more money directly. If I do not get a better wage or benefits package, I will have to work for one of two companies that have offered to hire me for more money than I get here."

Do what you have learned to overcome your timidity and successfully negotiate a raise!

The Basics of Negotiating Get a Better Price on Almost Anything By:Larry A Bell

Negotiating with a sales person does not have to be an unpleasant experience for the buyer or the seller. Most sales people expect they will be asked if they can get a better price, and have been trained to handle that request. Since they're expecting it, don't be intimidated - it's your money, you shouldn't have to pay too much.

There are certain industries that have a history of setting their prices knowing they're more than likely going to accept less. Automobile dealerships and retail furniture outlets are just two. Automobile manufacturers deliver the vehicle to the dealership with a MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) as a starting point. The dealership will ask for that amount first and will negotiate down from there. The majority of furniture stores will do the same.

After you've picked out the item(s) you intend to purchase let the salesperson know the price is higher than you expected to pay. If the salesperson is trained, experienced, and is good at what they get paid for, it won't be as easy as them saying, "OK, how much will you pay?" It will probably be more along the lines of building value in the product. They may tell you it's a good price and worth more than what they're asking - selling the features and benefits in more depth than when you were just looking. Explain you understand, in fact those are the reasons you've chosen this particular item, but tell them it's a budgetary concern.

At that point, they will excuse themselves to go talk to their manager, something commonly heard at car dealerships and furniture stores and thought of as a pressure tactic. It's not a tactic - salespeople usually don't have the authority to lower the price on their own. They would have asked for an offer or perhaps mentioned they'll see what they can do before heading to see the manager. If they asked for an offer, have a figure ready for them. It should be a number below what you're really willing to pay - that's the nature of negotiations - they start high, you start low.

If you've given them a figure, when they come back it will surely be lower than the original price but higher than what you offered. That's OK, now you know they are flexible and willing to haggle. For now, stick with your original offer; don't come up at all. Do it politely, don't argue. Believe that they want your business as much or more as you want what they're selling. Have a conversation without giving up too much information. Don't tell them you have credit cards you could put it on if you had to; don't mention what you do for a living; don't give away any information that you don't have to - it can and will be used against you while negotiating.

Should you get a strong rebuttal now, as in a definite "no", or "this is the best we can do", be prepared to say that you will think about it and get back to them in a few days. By being prepared, you're really going to leave if they don't meet your price or continue to negotiate. This is the only way you're going to know if it's truly a firm price. In a few days, you'll call the salesperson directly and inquire if they've considered your offer.

If you hold firm (for now) on your offer and the salesperson does their best to get you to raise it and remains clearly open to continuing the process, you can at this point increase your offer. Increase halfway to what you are willing to pay. For example: if the asking price was $2499 for a sofa and you're willing to pay $2100, your first offer may have been $1800. They came back at $2300, so now you bump your offer to $2000.

Eventually, if you are willing to pay a fair price, you will get a good deal. Just be patient, polite, and persistent.

The Art of the Business Debt Deal By:Ken Thomson

I have attended a lot of seminars on "how to get paid." It's always important to figure out the mindset and methodologies of collectors and attorneys and to keep up with developments.

It's a mantra with attorneys at these events that, before they file suit in a debt action, they always do their "due diligence". Most of them will say this up front. By this, they mean that they find out beforehand if it is going to be worth their client's money to go after the defendant firm. After all, if the assets are all tied up and the defendant company is on its last legs, there's not much point in filing suit.

Collection attorneys have a different take on this than other legal professionals. Some of them run high volume operations and can live on the income from doing so, but the real money is in the percentage of the cash collected. They deserve this, because they absorb some of the risk of collection, unlike your general legal practitioner, who gets paid on an hourly basis no matter what, and may be satisfied with a judgment. I know this because I've frequently taken on clients with exposed, collectible assets, but where uncollected judgments are shown on their D&B credit file. Collecting money - post-judgment - can be challenging and general legal counsel are not always very effective in this endeavor.

In their drive to collect a commission, collection attorneys can sometimes overlook the fact that a judgment will push the firm into bankruptcy. I question the fact that they always do the "due diligence" that they claim they do. As a recent example of this, a business owner called us in for emergency help. The firm was at the end of its tether and owed a substantial sum to a supplier, which had resulted in a lawsuit. The plaintiff and its attorney were unwilling to accept anything other than the full balance claimed. No cents-on-the-dollar deal and no payment schedule, despite a full account of the debtor firm's true situation.

The defendant firm was heavily indebted and on a knife edge with its bank loans. We informed the supplier's attorney that a judgment would put it over the edge. But our settlement proposal was turned down. The disheartened business owner did not want to prolong the agony by retaining counsel to delay the inevitable. A judgment was sustained and, as sadly predicted, the big SBA loan was called. The firm was forced out of business and the bank claimed all the assets, leaving the plaintiff with zero.

The supplier cried loudly that his attorney should have advised him to accept our deal, the inference being that he had not adequately done his "due diligence".

The key to resolving disputes, especially in crucial game-over situations like this, is to communicate with the plaintiff's counsel the true facts of the case. He or she has to know - if they have not done their much ballyhooed due diligence - why your firm does not have the ability to pay the sum claimed in full.

Pay Negotiation Get What You Deserve By:Shreya Raja

For most people, salary negotiations are difficult. However, if you do your homework, approach the matter in a professional manner, present your case as a request and not as a demand, you may well be surprised to hear the end results.

The first stage, therefore, in any salary negotiation is to know your true value. You have to take into account your skills, experience, your education level and what you bring to the table. After you determine your worth, research how much others are making for the same job. Again your experience, education and skills must be comparable.

You may discover someone making more money than you but before you start having a fit, look at his or her experience in terms of years. This where the research you have done will pay off. But remember, presentation is everything. The better prepared you are with the facts and figures, the more attention you will get.

Be calm and rational and explain why you feel you need the rise or salary you are asking for. Many people don't get what they want because they don't have the facts to back up their arguments when negotiating for salaries.

So do not let the same thing happen to you. Never let personal matters such as the fact that you have three children, or that your wife is not working become the basis for a salary hike. As mentioned before, keep things completely professional and the more professional you are the better your chances of getting what you deserve.

Negotiation Barriers Developing a Rapid Response Mechanism Patterns By:Cindy Chung

The negotiations you have been involved with in the past may have followed a pattern. Organizations tend to have accepted norms of negotiating, not just who is authorized to negotiate with whom over what, but the way people go about it. Fledgling negotiators learn from more experienced negotiators - by observation or hearsay. The negotiations we hear about through the media also appear to have a pattern - one which often involves the breakdown of those negotiations at some point.

Therefore, many people, observing the behaviour of other more experienced negotiators, see the patterns, learn from them and use those patterns, which eventually become their own habitual behaviours. In order to learn to be a better, faster-reacting negotiator, you may need to unlearn some of the patterns and habits you have acquired in life so far. Even if you believe that you are a complete novice at negotiation, don't fool yourself. Remember the day-to-day stuff? You will have absorbed some patterns.

Cultural norms in negotiating

Some cultures have different expectations for negotiators to others. The most obvious example of this is the difference between buying goods in a country where bargaining is part of the fun of shopping, and a country where the marked price is the one you are expected to pay.

This is also the case in different organisations. In one organisation, managers may be expected to negotiate with no quarter given or expected. In another, a 'gentlemanly' approach may be expected, where managers are expected to be prepared to get less than they would like. Operating in a way which does not fit cultural norms may lead to distressed and disgruntled players.

Negotiating Your Viewpoint By:Dr Chester Karrass

An exchange of viewpoints can be a very tough negotiation. Ideas are like possessions; people don't want to part with them. Here are eight things to consider whenever you are persuading someone to accept your viewpoint during negotiation:

1. Talk less, listen more. The other person wants to be heard. When you let the other person talk, you can gain many insights into their viewpoint. Chances are the other person will reciprocate and be more attentive when you speak.

2. Don't interrupt. Interruptions make people angry and block communication.

3. Don't be belligerent. When you feel strongly about something, it is more difficult to be soft spoken than harsh. But a soft-spoken person encourages the same treatment from others. An argumentative attitude has little success in changing opinions.

4. Don't hurry to bring up your own points. As a rule it's best to hear the other person's full viewpoint before expressing your own.

5. Restate the other person's position and objectives as soon as you understand them. People like to know they've been heard and understood. This is an inexpensive concession for you to make; it forces you to listen better; and helps you to phrase your points in the other person's terms.

6. Identify the key issue and stick to it. Cover one point at a time and avoid trying to overwhelm with arguments.

7. Don't digress and try to keep the other person from digressing. Three ways: temporarily agree on nonessential points, agree to discuss some issues later, treat some issues as not being relevant.

8. You will find it works better to be "for a point of view," not against one.

When you try to convince another to accept your viewpoint, realize that their acceptance may take some time. Give the other person time to get used to your ideas rather than attempting to force them to make a quick decision. People need time to assimilate anything new or different.

You are asking the other person to exchange your new ideas for their old. It's just like you are asking them to discard their old friends. Right or wrong, they have grown accustomed and committed to their viewpoints; and it is logical that they will be more receptive to your viewpoint if you simply give them time to adjust.

How to Stop Customer Price Haggling By:Alan Gillies

It's a general notion that nothing can be more delightful for a business or shop owner than the sight of a potential customer - but that may not always be the case.

Many business owners will agree that they occasionally feel like running for cover when a particular kind of customer steps into their place of business. I'm guessing by now, many of you must have identified what kind of person has the spotlight at the moment. Yes, the bargaining customer - the 'dreaded' bargaining customer! Such customers confidently presume that the business is blatantly fleecing them, and that adjusting prices to their appropriate level is their personal right and responsibility. After they win the price battle, the joy of victory can be judged by the gleam on their faces and twinkle in their eyes. No wonder the business owner runs for cover at the sight of them...

Such customers are the most alarming people for just about any business, and talking with them is every salesman's bad dream, as they genuinely think that they understand everything - seeing themselves to be masters of the art of bargaining. Tackling them requires equally smart and quick thinking along with some modifications to the usual selling strategy. By being on top of a few essential details, you can brace yourself to tough it out with those bargaining customers.

1. First of all, if you're actually fleecing customers - Stop Now. You can't blame bargaining customers if you're doing the same thing from the other side of the fence.

2. Make sure that you supply the best quality products that you can. Slowly, the customer will realize that he's getting value for his money.

3. Train your salesmen and every other person who comes into direct contact with customers to have predefined answers for all conceivable customer queries.

4. Convince the customers about the product's durability, usage, convenience, price etc. - and always tell the truth.

5. Assure the customer that he/she will be given good after-sales service. Talk about the additional services that the store or business provides.

6. If you can, regularly apply discounts or give away freebies along with the closing sale of the product. Contests and quizzes could also be arranged.

7. Try to be different. Sell products that customers can't easily find in other stores or with other businesses.

8. Boldly displaying the 'No Bargaining, Fixed Price Shop' board would definitely be useful too.

These tips are designed to limit, or at the very least minimise the damage done by bargaining customers. Try incorporating these ideas into your plan of action, and see for yourself how quickly you can tame those bargaining customers!