Part 45 (1/2)

You need to be conscious of your body language. Be aware of the messages you are sending. There are times when the negotiation can be a real grind. Don't get rattled. Don't let them see you sweat. Telegraph what you want the employer to see. If you are smiling and your palms are face up on the table, those are signs that you are open and receptive to what they are saying. If, instead, your eyebrows are furled and your fists are clenched, I have a pretty good idea what you're thinking. Drink lots of water. No coffee or alcohol. Take frequent bathroom breaks if you need to compose yourself.

ASK FOR A LITTLE-GET A LOT

If you are negotiating an hourly wage, remember that every dollar per hour represents $2,080 per year. Most employers like to talk salary. For salaries less than $50,000, focus the employer on the dollar per hour amount. Simplify and minimize the concession you need. For example, it's easier to get an employer to agree to an increase from $20 to $24 per hour than to get them to agree to a $48,000 salary when they budgeted $40,000. Which do you think is more palatable for the employer? Asking for $4 more per hour is nothing-$8,000 causes unnecessary headaches but it's still $8,000.

You may also run into one of the following scenarios and need to decide in advance your course of action (I have a few suggestions): * The employer acts like they're doing you a favor.* They appear cordial until you dig your heels in.* Someone besides your future boss is doing the negotiations.

The employer wants to strike the best deal possible. All kinds of games may get played. Disarming the employer can be as easy as turning your hands palm-up on the table and saying to them, ”You look a little tense, is everything all right?” That phrase will force even the most hardened negotiator to lighten up. Try it.

NEGOTIATE WITH THE FINAL DECISION MAKER

Before you start, make sure you understand whom you're negotiating with. Some employers use the timeshare-vacation approach. They send in the human resources manager or some junior functionary to have the preliminary discussion and isolate your hot b.u.t.tons. After several hours of discussion, they suddenly need management approval. You don't want to discover at the last minute that your hard-fought concessions were all for naught and you're facing a new negotiator.

If the offer has come through a headhunter, you need to understand the recruiter's role in the negotiation. Typically, it's in his best interest to get you as much money as possible because his compensation is tied to yours. You'd be wise to gauge your recruiter's skill at negotiating before turning your life over. Many recruiters lack the depth of knowledge and breadth of skills necessary to negotiate a complete package. In some cases, he or she is more interested in closing the deal as quickly as possible. If this happens, the smart guerrilla remains firmly in the driver's seat.

Use your recruiter as a sounding board and a platform to launch trial balloons. If the employer gets agitated, it'll be with the recruiter, not you. If something goes wrong, just deny-deny-deny. The employer may step in to finish the negotiations and the recruiter will still get paid-it's all part of the game.

CLOSING THE OFFER

Get it in writing. Keep notes during the negotiations explaining what was agreed on. Date stamp your notes. When the final draft is completed, read it closely to make certain that the final offer reflects what you've agreed. If years down the road you notice a discrepancy, you won't be able to correct it. You get one shot at doing this right.

When the final deal is done, pay a lawyer to review the terminology of the contract or letter of employment for unforeseen pitfalls (e.g., noncompet.i.tion clauses that would force you to move to Alaska if you wanted to pursue your profession with another employer in the future). Employ the lawyer to read the terms and conditions for ambiguity only, not to renegotiate or add to the contract. Most lawyers are deal breakers not deal makers, and you don't want to kill your deal.

Finally, don't talk yourself out of a deal-know when to shut up. Once it's done, it's done. Move on quickly to another subject. I need to emphasize the importance of talking about anything but the deal once it's done. Talk about the weather or the ”big game.” Avoid anything that sensitive people can dispute.

GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE.

The Good, the Bad, and the Great!

Cindy Kraft

Jack and I started working together during the wind down of his CFO duties post-merger. Like many senior-level finance executives, he held a number of positions over the past 7 years and his positioning, through no fault of his own, was one of a job hopper. Added to his angst was the fact that his salary had taken numerous dives through the various moves.

Jack had set some high goals in antic.i.p.ation of accepting a new position, including compensation, corporate culture, and relocating to a specific geographic area. He was resolute in his determination to make a right right move rather than move rather than any any move. move.

Jack built 2 foundational doc.u.ments that served as the driving mechanisms in deciding whether or not to take the positions he was offered. The first doc.u.ment was value-driven. He identified his top 8 values and a.n.a.lyzed each position offered (including compensation and culture) against those values. The second doc.u.ment was a list prioritized around ”must haves,” ”wants,” and ”frankly, don't care abouts” in his next role. This was his road map for entering into serious negotiations to get what he wanted.

The ”must haves” list contained items he was unwilling to negotiate-they were the items that would ”make or break” the deal; the ”wants” list contained items he would be willing to negotiate in order to get a ”must have”; and his ”don't care abouts” were his ace in the hole. He put these items on the bargaining table and then magnanimously threw them out as he continued to negotiate in the things on his ”must have” list.

Through the course of our 9-month journey, Jack received numerous offers that he turned down because they did not meet his requirements and/or his values. The decision to say no took great courage on his part as he remained firm in his desire to make the right move, not a move . . . . . . despite the search taking longer than he antic.i.p.ated. despite the search taking longer than he antic.i.p.ated.

With a clear and compelling value proposition, great patience, and hard work, Jack did indeed get his ”right” job. He was able to relocate to his desired geographic location with the company paying his relocation costs as well as buying his house in this stalled housing market; ask for and receive the salary he desired, which was well above the salary from his previous position; and also obtain every one of his ”must have” perks.