Ask for the Raise You Want

Excerpts from Monster.com

"You are never going to get what you deserve. You only get what you negotiate" - Guillermo Villareal

Ask for the Raise You Want

You want a raise. Whether your performance review is around the corner or you've taken on new responsibilities over the past few months, chances are the thought of asking for a raise makes you nervous. "Even the strongest person becomes mush when the topic turns to raises," says Sharon Koss, a principal with Seattle-based human resources and compensation consulting firm Koss Management Consulting. "Just remember that your boss will also be uncomfortable talking about it with you."

Planning is the key to effectively asking for a raise. Long before you even head to the negotiation table, you should be laying the groundwork for a bigger paycheck.

• Leverage Your Skills: "You could be the organization's PowerPoint guru or possess some skill that everyone comes to you for help with," Koss says.
• Increase Your Visibility: Volunteer for projects or committees outside of your scope of work, she says. "What you are effectively doing is running a marketing campaign for yourself. You want to make sure you've got visibility with people other than your boss."
• Keep an Accomplishment Log: Keep complimentary letters from customers or managers, note extra projects you take on, when you stay late at the office, classes you take, new skills you've acquired and any other positive accomplishments you achieve.

Go for Gold

A performance review is a good opportunity to see if you're on a scheduled raise system. Any time you've taken on new roles but the company never coughed up extra compensation can be an icebreaker. Set up a private meeting with your boss to approach the topic.

Your job is to sell your boss on your achievements. To help you do this, take your achievement log and write out a script before the meeting. "A script will help you feel comfortable that you can objectively prove your worth to the organization," Koss says.

However, companies often have policies that dictate specific raises at certain times. "If a company's policy is to give annual raises, it's hard to get an exception to the rule," says Koss. "Usually decisions come from senior management, and your boss won't have any latitude to go outside the company's policy."

Less Than Desirable

If you do get a raise but it's much lower than what you expected, take a step back and wait a couple of days to gain objectivity. "The average person usually can't step aside from his or her emotions," says Koss. "Also, your manager may go on the defensive if you ask for a larger raise during your review."

Approach your boss after the review and ask for a follow-up meeting. Consider these tips:

• Have an Amount in Mind: "If your manager asks you what raise you have in mind, you don't want to gasp and go blank," Koss says.
• Be Reasonable: "If you were offered a 3 percent raise, you can't ask for 7 percent -- it just won't happen," she says.
• Use an "I" Message: "If you got a 3 percent raise but want a 5 percent raise, say, 'I've accomplished XYZ, I possess XYZ skills, I put in extra time at the office and I'm a bit disappointed with the raise,'" says Koss. "Be sure to use an 'I' message rather than a 'you' message. It sounds less accusatory."
• Don't Threaten to Leave: Threats work against you, because they can put you on the slow track for in-house career opportunities. "It also may put you on top of the layoff list," warns Koss.
• Be Professional: Don't tell your boss that you heard another coworker received a higher raise than you. "Talking about what someone else received really tends to turn a boss off," Koss says.
• If You Still Get Turned Down? "I'd nicely ask why," Koss suggests. "You deserve an explanation."
• Ask for a Follow-Up: If the reason is financial on the company's end, ask your boss to touch base in six months. "But if you didn't get a higher raise because of your attendance or lack of skills, ask your boss if he'll reconsider things in six months, after you've improved in those areas," says Koss.

Do Not Undervalue Yourself

-----------------------------
Tips from Keith Ferrazzi

Generosity and working for free when you're first changing careers is one thing; undervaluing yourself is another. If you're an entrepreneur and you keep offering services without charge in a well-meaning but misguided attempt to raise business, you are telling people that your time is worth zero. If you give away your expertise for too long, people will value you at the price they are paying. The same goes for employees who want and deserve raises. Bust your butt and show your boss that the market value of your work is higher than your current salary. Now you should continue to be generous by offering extraordinary value for the dollar. But you can be deeply generous and able to pay the rent.

A Few Things to Do

A Few Things to Do

Come, my friends, ‘tis not too late to seek a newer world.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Excerpts from "Tools To Life"

################################################################

It’s getting pretty easy to wake up by now. This week is filled with information. Tomorrow is the end of our TOOLS week, and we are starting a new activity every weekend. Let’s go shopping. There are a few things we need, and we are not going to spend a lot of money. We are going to improve our lives. Each week I have a few simple ideas for you.

You have two assignments today, and they are both simple. The first stop is a drugstore, supermarket, or good convenience store. What are we buying? I’m getting to that! I want you to buy a new toothbrush for home, and then I want you to buy a travel toothbrush. The travel brush can be one that folds in half or a regular toothbrush in a case. Make sure you get the plastic round tube to carry it in. I also want you to buy several small travel size toothpastes.

Before I continue, I want you to stop reading and go into your bathroom and brush your teeth, even if you just did. I want you to do it again and come right back. Don’t eat anything or drink anything. Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you.

Come on, go!

Open your mouth and breathe in and blow out. Take your tongue and swish it around the front of your upper teeth and then the lower teeth. Doesn’t your mouth feel good? Did that take a long time? Why don’t we do that more? We are going to. When your mouth feels clean and refreshed you feel better and perform better. When your mouth is clean you have more confidence, smile more and speak with pleasure. Never mind all the health benefits from brushing and keeping your teeth clean. You know this is true. Come on, breathe in again, and feel how good it is. We know this is true, but we don’t do it. We are going to now. There are other hidden benefits to this and to many of the shopping day exercises. One of them is that by doing things that are good for you, you tell yourself that you like yourself.

The more you do things that reinforce this mes­sage, the better decisions you will make. If you like yourself you will exercise, eat right, not smoke, not drink and drive, not do drugs, pay attention to your relationships, and pursue a career you enjoy.

Why? If you like yourself, these things will come naturally. We make many bad decisions simply because we forget to like ourselves, and the more you forget the easier it is to make bad decisions. We are going to start doing easy things that make us feel good and reinforce the positive mes­sage that we like ourselves!

Here’s what you are going to do. You are not going to just brush your teeth when you get up and go to sleep. No, after you have breakfast brush your teeth. After lunch, guess what? You have to brush your teeth. Before leaving work, guess again? Brush your teeth. After dinner, yes, brush your teeth and then, of course, before you go to sleep.

That’s why you are getting a travel toothbrush. Leave one at work and take one with you if you can. You will do this every day forever and you will love it. Of course, if life gets in the way now and then you will not die. But the rule is that you do it and exceptions happen. Never let the exception become the rule. You are going to find that this simple procedure, which only takes a minute, will increase your quality of life. You will then wonder why you did not do this already. Hey, don’t worry, there are many simple things we can do to live better. To make sure you brush correctly, consult your dentist about the best brushing methods. We will discuss dentists and doctors in another chapter, but go see them! Learn about flossing, too. Do these things and later you will not have to suffer. You cannot escape life. The things you do not do get you later!

Don’t go anywhere because we still have another stop. We have to keep the economy going here. We need to spend a little bit more money. Don’t worry, this is a simple one, too. I mention two stores here for several reasons. One, I know they have what I want you to get. Two, I see them all over the United States. Three, they have a great selection. Lastly, because I like them. The stores are Bath and Body Works and The Body Shop. Find these or similar stores in your country and area or online.

I’m sure you can buy what I recommend at your local store, too, but I highly recommend these two store chains. They have testers for each product I want you to get. I want you to buy a new body sponge and a new shower gel. The reason these stores are good is you can sniff the testers and select a fragrance you like. Then when you run out, go back and pick a new one. You see, after you wake up and say, “I’m hav­ing a great day!” and you take a shower to start your day, you begin your day with enthusiasm. Scents influence how we feel, and they stimulate us.

So get in the shower with the morning smell of oranges, or coconut or mango; whatever soap you choose. Pick it up and scrub. You’ll feel good, and it will be another edge you have on the day. Subconsciously, as you smell the fragrance, you will think, “I like myself!” So enough explanations. Let’s go shopping!

Enjoy your shopping day...