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Salary Negotiations: Two Powerful/Expensive Words


When you're negotiating salary, two words can mean a difference of thousands of dollars. One of the words won't be found in the dictionary, but it will put money in the bank almost every time. The other word can be very expensive.

The word that's going to cost you is "O.K.". Say "O.K." in salary negotiations--or other negotiations--and Bam! Those two letters just cost you plenty!



How much can they cost you?Those two little letters may have...

A) Flushed your new stereo system down the toilet;

B) Ripped off your new computer system;

C) Canceled your reservations for a two-week dream trip to an exotic location;

D) Burned the blueprints for the addition to your house;

E) Yanked your kid out of college because you were short.

How could that one word be so powerful? Easy. "O.K." is what most people say in re­sponse to a salary offer. They mean "I'll accept what you've just offered, thank you." Depending on where your salary is to begin with, you could lose A, B, C, D, or E. But you could also keep it, and more besides, if you learn even one small negotiating technique:  substitute the second word for "O.K."
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What's the second word?

That second word is"Hmmm." Say "Hmmm," and watch what happens. If the employer offers you minimum wage, and you say, "O.K.," your pay is frozen right there. But a "Hmmm" response could increase it, and just 50 cents an hour more will earn you $1000 extra in a year of 40-hour weeks.

The same goes for all other levels, too.A simple "Hmmm" instead of "Okay" can change a $35,000 salary into $39,000 and finance your new computer system.$55,000 can be pushed to $60,000, affording you that much-needed two-week vacation.

The "Hmmm" response can drop another ten grand in the bank for high-level executives, and senior-level execs can buy a freshman year for a daughter or son by swallowing the "O.K.." If you can manage that swallow, you can negotiate a better salary.

Don't worry that the employer will change his or her mind about hiring you just because you ask for more. If you've interviewed well (and you must have done that, or you wouldn't be getting an offer!), you're the front runner already. Choosing the second best, or going through the whole recruiting-interviewing-hiring process again, will cost a company more than $1,000 - $5,000 anyway in the long run. Odds are, you'll get that little extra, and the employer will still consider it a good bargain to avoid that hassle. The worst that happens is you don't get more, but your boss knows you know you're worth it.

Besides, you probably aren't even pushing employers higher than they expected to go anyway. Good managers always start low to give themselves negotiating room.They might even really want to give you more, but if you say, "O.K.," you tie their hands! Then there is no gracious way to raise the offer.

This hmmm response can be called a "flinch." Even if you're so excited about the offer that you're ready to dance a jig, make your first response a flinch! To flinch effectively, repeat the figure offered, then act "contemplative." Repeating the offer lets the interviewer know you haven't fallen asleep or tuned out! Then, say, "Hmmm," or, "$X/hour? Hmmm. Isn't that a little low?" Or, "$X thousand...hmmm, is that the best you can do?"

Paradoxically, you don't just get more money, you make your potential employer feel better too! How so? Think of when you sold your car. If Mr. Buyer had eagerly accepted your first offer, you'd think, "Phooey!I could have gotten more!" Instead, he flinched and said, "Hmmm, that's a little high." Then he offered less than what he expected to pay. So you haggled with him. He gave in a little, and so did you (but you'd padded the price to allow for negotiating)--and you both felt satisfied.

Likewise, your future employer will most likely give in and offer a bit extra--he/she allowed room for negotiating too.You both win: you have more cash and the employer has increased respect for you and his/her hiring savvy.

No matter what your level, there's easy money to be made by changing "O.K." to "Hmmm." Whether you're a hamburger flipper, or a shift supervisor of burger flippers, or an executive negotiating a regional marketing position for a burger-flipping chain, don't say, "O.K., say, "Hmmm."

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