Seventy-five percent of people who ask for a raise get one, according to PayScale’s Salary Negotiation Guide, but only 43 percent of PayScale users say they’ve ever asked for a raise. Why are so many people holding back? In part, it’s about fear.
Many of us feel uncomfortable talking about money, much less asking for it in the form of a raise or a higher salary offer. If you’re trying to psych yourself up to ask for the salary you deserve, these quotes from famously successful negotiators will inspire you.
(Photo Credit: xJason.Rogersx/Flickr)
1. “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” – John F. Kennedy
2. “Women don’t take enough risks. Men are just ‘foot on the gas pedal.’ We’re not going to close the achievement gap until we close the ambition gap.” – Sheryl Sandberg
3. “The most difficult thing in any negotiation, almost, is making sure that you strip it of the emotion and deal with the facts.” – Howard Baker
4. “Know what you want to achieve prior to starting to negotiate. It’s the golden rule but the one most people fail to heed. Without a plan, you allow the opposing party to define your goals instead of the other way around.” – Ivanka Trump
5. “Don’t stay at the job for safe salary increases over time. That will never get you where you want – freedom from financial worry. Only free time, imagination, creativity, and an ability to disappear will help you deliver value that nobody ever delivered before in the history of mankind.” – James Altucher
6. “Asking what I considered an impossible salary when I didn’t want to work for someone has boosted my pay again and again.” – Ethel Waters
7. “The salary of the chief executive of a large corporation is not a market award for achievement. It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal gesture by the individual to himself.” – John Kenneth Galbraith
8. “Money and salary is not a particularly good motivator in the long term.” – Matt Mullenweg
9. “The worst thing you can say is ‘I want $X for this job,’ leaving no opening for negotiation by the other side. Better language is ‘I hope to earn between $X and $X.’ That gives the other party more flexibility.” – Bill Coleman
10. “When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, ‘It’s in the script.’ If he says, ‘But what’s my motivation?, ‘ I say, ‘Your salary.'” – Alfred Hitchcock
Want to learn how to beat the fear of salary negotiation and get paid what you deserve? Check out PayScale’s Salary Negotiation Guide, or take our free Salary Survey and find out how much you’re worth on the job market.
Sources: BrainyQuote, American Genius
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