From:TheBahamasWeekly.com

Influential Voice - Kim Welcome
How to ask for a raise during tough economic times
By Kim Welcome
Jul 21, 2011 - 3:23:23 PM

Most people feel some anxiety about asking for a raise during the best of times, let alone during a recession. However, if you feel you deserve more money, be direct and make an appointment to speak to your boss about a salary increase. Good employees are the key to keeping the company afloat during tough times.  

Write down and rehearse what you want to say. This will help you to be succinct. You don’t want to ramble. Knowing what you want to say will increase your confidence.  

Include all the areas in which you are an asset to the company. Support your claims with examples of new business you’ve brought in, projects you’ve worked on and ideas that you’ve contributed to increase revenue or save the company money.  

Bring substantiated evidence of current market value for your position. You may be able to get this information from the Chamber of Commerce or Ministry of Labour.  

Talk about the intangibles that you bring to the table, like your willingness to go above and beyond, your knowledge of the company and the industry, the fact that you are trust worthy and reliable. Believe me, your boss knows the inconvenience of finding and training a new hire and the uncertainty that brings.  

Practice; make sure your tone is conversational. Use positive words and phrases like, can and it would be great if; avoid negative words like can’t, no and don’t.  

Do not make demands, give ultimatums, be confrontational, assume your boss will say no, or bring up your personal financial hardships.  

Expect a yes. If the answer is no, try to negotiate more vacation time or some other benefit that would be of value to you. Before you end the conversation, ask what you can do to increase your chances next time. Let him know you would like to revisit the topic in six months. Be brilliant! 
 

Kim Welcome is CEO of Influential Voice, a Communication Trainer, Coach and Voice Actor; she assists businesses and individuals to achieve their goals through helping them to develop deliberate, skillful, polished communication skills. For more info email info@influentialvoice.com .




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