Negotiate a Better Raise

　　A CEO told me a story about a salesperson who asked for a raise. She asked the salesperson, "Why do you deserve a raise?"

　　"Because I made less this year than I did last year," explained the salesperson.

　　"That's because you sold less this year than you did last year," said the CEO.

　　"I know. And I want you to make it up to me," said the salesperson.

　　This salesperson is no longer working for this organization.

　　So how and when should a salesperson ask for a raise? Understanding your boss's point of view will help you position your raise as a good thing for the company, instead of a good thing for you. Here are seven points to consider before negotiating a better deal:

　　1. Make Sure You Have Clout.

　　The salesperson in the example above didn't have clout. Coming off a bad year or quarter is the wrong time to test your value. With clout, you could find yourself with a better offer from the company or on the free agent market.

　　A better offer from another firm validates your claim that you're worth more to the company you're working for. If your boss wants to keep you, you have the clout to establish the parameters of your raise. However, if you use the "here's-what-I'm-worth-to-another-company" ploy, you have to be willing to leave.

　　2. Watch Your Timing.

　　Don't even think about asking for a raise until you've been there a year or more. Your value to the company increases when you have some customer relationships that you can leverage for increased sales and referrals.

　　3. Ask for Small Increases in Your Base Salary Based on Inflation.

　　If it's been a while since your base pay was adjusted, this ploy might work. However, the trend today is for lower bases and increased incentives. This lets companies reduce fixed expenses while rewarding you for meeting company expectations.

　　4. Be Willing to Take an Expanded Role in the Company.

　　You have both a job and a role as a salesperson. Your job is to sell and make your quota. Your role is to mentor that new salesperson and be part of the team.

　　Your role means supporting your boss in sales meetings, not rolling your eyes and sighing when the new demands come down from corporate, and not promising clients things that your production people can't deliver. Bosses bend over backwards to keep salespeople with good attitudes and look for excuses to fire the malcontents.

　　5. Negotiate for Perks That Don't Cost the Company More Taxes and Benefits.

　　Companies don't have to pay workers' compensation and FICA on an extra week of vacation, a trip or increased car or cell phone allowances. It's income to you, but not as costly in cash outlay as a raise.

　　6. Ask for Extra Incentives After You've Made Your Quota.

　　That's the easiest thing for your boss to give you. Imagine getting an additional 10 percent, or even 20 percent, on everything you sell once you've made your commission. This works, because your boss has to deliver a number to his boss. Once you help deliver that number, you've got more clout and people want you to stay.

　　7. Make It a Winning Situation for You and Your Boss.

　　In the scenario in the beginning of this article, the only winner would have been the salesperson. The boss didn't get increased performance. Show that you're willing to take on more responsibility. Be willing to do some of the work before you get paid to demonstrate that you deserve the increase .

　　Asking for a raise is just like asking for an order. Practice your presentation. Be as prepared for this meeting as you would be for a presentation to a major customer. Arm yourself with facts and figures on your performance. Position the raise as a benefit to the company. And finally, make sure your boss sees you as a winner and not a whiner.

　　一位執行總裁給我講了一個故事，是關于一名銷售人員向她要求加薪的。她問那名員工：“為什么你應該得到一份更高的薪水呢?”

　　“因為今年我得到的薪水比去年還要少。”這名銷售人員解釋道。

　　“那是因為你今年的銷售業績不如去年。”這位執行總裁回答道。

　　“我知道。所以我想讓您幫幫我。”這名銷售人員說。

　　這名銷售人員現在已經不再在這家公司工作了。

　　所以一名銷售人員應該在什么時候以什么樣的方式來要求加薪呢？了解你的老板的想法能夠幫助你把給自己加薪描述成一件有益于公司的好事，而不僅僅只是于你有利。以下是在和老板協商加薪之前應該考慮的七點：

　　1.確定你有要求加薪的底氣

　　上面例子中的那名銷售人員就根本沒有底氣。剛剛遭遇了一個失敗的銷售年度或者季度，并不是時候去老板那里驗證你的價值。如果你有好的業績，你就會發現自己能夠在公司或者在代理自由市場上得到一份更好的合約。

　　得到另外一家公司提供的更好的合約能夠證明你對于正效力的公司更有價值所言非虛。如果你的老板想留住你，你就能夠決定加薪的幅度。但是，如果你堅持“這是我在那家公司所能得到的”策略，你就準備好離開吧。

　　2.注意時機

　　除非你在這家公司已經工作一年或者更長時間，否則千萬不要想去要求加薪。只有當你與一定數量的顧客群體建立了固定聯系，并且能夠通過他們來增加銷售和轉介業績之后，你對于公司才算比較有價值。

　　3. 基于通貨膨脹要求基本薪水的小幅提升

　　如果你的基本薪水調整之后有一段時間了，這個策略可能會奏效。但是，如今的趨勢是底薪越來越低，而獎金越來越高。這讓公司減少了固定支出，而如果你的業績符合公司的期望，就能夠得到額外的獎勵。

　　4.樂于為公司做更多的事情

　　作為一名銷售人員，你既有一份工作，也有一個自己的角色。你的工作是銷售并且完成自己的配額。你的角色就是幫助指導新的銷售人員并且成為團隊的一分子。

　　你的角色意味著你應該在銷售會議上幫助支持你的老板，而不是當公司新的任務下來的時候，眼睛轉來轉去，哀嘆連天，更不能向你的客戶承諾一些生產商并不能提供的服務。老板們總是拼命留住那些態度積極的銷售員，同時找機會炒掉那些心存不滿的銷售人員。

　　5.與老板商量得到一些不會讓公司額外交稅或者有損公司利益的補貼

　　公司不需要支付員工的賠償和一周額外假期的社會保險，旅行或者額外轎車或者手機津貼。對于你來說這些也是收入，但卻不象直接加薪那樣難。

　　6.在你完成配額之后，要求額外的獎勵

　　這是你最容易從老板那里得到的。想象一下，只要你完成你的配額后，你就能夠得到額外銷售額的百分之十，甚至百分之二十。這個方法奏效，因為你的老板要向他的老板提供一個數字。一旦你幫忙提交了這個數字，你就更有底氣了，他們也就更希望你留下了。

　　7.讓加薪對于你和你的老板來說成為一個雙贏的局面

　　在本文開頭的場景當中，唯一的贏家只能是那位銷售人員。老板并沒有得到更好的銷售業績。向老板展示你非常樂意擔負起更多的責任。要樂于在獲得報酬之前多做一些事情來告訴老板你應該獲得加薪。

　　要求加薪就好像爭取一份訂單。演練好你的陳述。像為一名重要客戶準備介紹演講那樣為這次會面做好準備。用你出色業績的事實和數字來武裝自己。把加薪定位成一件對于公司有利的事情。最后，確定你的老板認為你是一個成功者，而不是一名哀訴者。