|
How To Power Negotiate Your Next Bonus
A raise in your base salary is a permanent source of increased income. However, to increase your take home pay, you can also negotiate performance bonuses on specific projects, activities, or time frames. In the sales world bonuses are often called commissions. That is, a person is paid a salary plus commission for a certain level of sales. However, even if you are not in sales, you can find ways to earn extra income by negotiating win-win solutions. It's all about increasing profit for the company or your department. For example, let's say you are part of a project with a $100,000.00 budget and a 10-week timeline. In simple terms, the project average is $10,000.00 per week ($100,000.00 divided by 10 weeks = $10,000.00 per week.) You approach your boss, the project manager, and/or other decision makers with a question such as "How would you feel about setting up a special bonus to encourage excellent performance. Can you think of a workable approach?" Of course, you will have already thought things through and will have a couple approaches of your own. You might say, "If I can find a way to complete the 10 weeks worth of work in 8 weeks without compromising safety or quality, how would you feel about giving me a 10% bonus on the savings?" Let's do the math: You save 2 weeks off the schedule decreasing the cost by $20,000.00 (2 weeks at $10,000.00 per week.) This saves the company $20,000.00 and all you are asking for is 10% or $2000.00 of the $20,000.00 saved. The company wins and you win. In this case, you earned an extra $2000.00 and the company gained an extra $18,000.00. Don't worry: Once you show a track record of being the kind of person who can create these types of win-win's, the more you can negotiate down the road. Fifty-fifty has a nice ring to it! Following are some ideas where you might negotiate a bonus scenario in your organization: -- Special projects -- Increased efficiency of operations -- Decreased sick leave -- Budgetary savings through increased efficiency in purchasing, inventory control, distribution, etc. -- Decreased turn over of employees, customers, vendors, etc. -- Training and development savings through leveraging in-house expertise or bringing in outside experts instead of sending people to outside training -- Researching better rates on telephone services, vendors and suppliers, business materials, capital equipment, etc. In any organization there is unlimited opportunity to find ways to do things more efficiently and effectively. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you can often find these opportunities and translate them into more money in your pocket. Dr. Dan Strakal has been an expert on the changing workplace, job transition, and career development for nearly 20 years. He acts as a trusted client advisor and consultant within the corporate sector, government agencies, civic organizations, small businesses, and educational institutions. He also provides business, executive and career consulting, coaching and workshops for individual clients and is the coauthor of and contributor to two books, Better Job Search in 3 Easy Steps and Better Job Skills in 3 Easy Steps. Dan is often called upon by the national and international media as an expert and has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Self Magazine, SmartMoney.com, Computerworld, Diversity Inc. Magazine, Chief Information Officer (Australia's Magazine for Information Executives), the Radio America Program: News You Can Use, KBS Radio Canada and many other media outlets. He is on the Board of Directors of the Career Planning and Adult Development Network and is a Platinum Member of the Career Masters Institute. More info at http://www.capable-consulting.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Jobs City of Rochester (.gov)
Careers Catholic University Communications
Careers Washington State University
Careers Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Careers The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation
JobFeed NSW Department of Education
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Get a Life Why Dont Ya?!
It's okay to take your job seriously, to be a stickler for professionalism, and sure it's wonderful to take your responsibilities seriously. However, you have to be a bit careful when you allow your job to become your LIFE.
Should I leave My Job?
Most of us have to work for a living. Since we spend so many hours each week at our jobs, it's very important that there is a good fit.
Job Offer Negotiations: Getting What You Want
You have worked hard at finding your next job. You have come through many obstacles and have reached your career objective.
The 5 Essential Telecommute Résumé Components
1. An attractive layout that is easy to read and follow.
Employment Law: Unfair Dismissal - Employer Succeeded in Changing Terms of Employment
Good News for Employers wishing to change the terms of employment of employees, however, employers must still take care.In Scott & Co v Richardson [2005], the Dependant, Mr Richardson, who worked for a Scottish firm of debt collectors, refused to accept his new terms of employment which required him to visit defaulting debtors during the evenings.
Resume Software - The Hidden Pitfalls
Disadvantages of Resume SoftwareFormatA large majority of software requires the use of their format; most commonly using the chronological resume style. While the chronological style is certainly the most traditional manner to write a resume, it is not always advantageous for everyone.
Dealing With How Would You...? Questions
I'm always preaching about proper preparation prior to interviews. If you research the position and company carefully, you can anticipate likely questions and prepare excellent answers.
How To Choose The Right Resume Format
After a thirty (30) second glance lots of resumes get thrown into the wastebasket. One of the reasons this happens is because the resume writer has failed to use the appropriate resume format.
Vocational Experts 7 Proposals to Solve the Unemployment Problem
The subject is constantly in the news and may decide thenext national elections - the infamous jobless recovery.More than 8 million Americans are out of work with another 4million underemployed or no longer looking for work.
Job Search Techniques: Smashing The Gray Ceiling
For decades, women have chaffed at the invisible glass ceiling which prevents their moving into the high executive brackets that their competence, knowledge and skills have earned. The same amorphous barrier confronts older workers both in terms of advancement within a company and, most especially, when a job change is required.
When the Teacher Becomes the Student
A relationship expert once said that during an argument, there's usually three sides to every story: his side, her side, and of course, the truth.This is something we must definitely keep in mind as teachers.
Become an LPN, the Fast Path to a Nursing Career
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) CareersLicensed Practical Nurses provide the most amount of direct patient care within the nursing category of healthcare. If you're interested in a healthcare career dealing directly with patients, becoming an LPN is a rewarding opportunity.
Air Liquide: Driving Liquid Air
Have you ever heard of liquid air? The process of liquifying air was a major scientific achievement that took place over 100 years ago. Even after 100 years there are only a few companies that liquify air, which is probably why you've never heard of it before.
Waiting for Lightening to Strike
Author and management guru, Peter Drucker says, "People adjust to the level of demands made on them." I would add, we also adjust to the level we demand of ourselves.
Ten Great Careers For Computer "Geeks
The universal acceptance of computers into our daily lives, both at work and at home, has decreased the image of computer users as being "geeks." The word geek itself has evolved a bit - going from meaning a socially inept person who gets along better with computers than people, to someone who is an expert with computers, a guru even.
Book Summary: How to Work with Just About Anyone
This article is based on the following book:How to Work with Just About Anyone"A Three-step Solution For Getting Difficult People To Change"By Lucy GillPublished by Fireside/ Simon and Schuster 1999ISBN 0-684-85527-5206 pages"I just can't seem to get along with this person!"Every office has that one difficult person to work with, who affects productivity due to a terrible attitude, chronic tardiness, or simply drives everyone else up the wall. Here is the answer to common problems in conflict management.
Resumes That Work: 3 Steps to More and Better Interviews
All of us involved with helping you get a new job, whether as third party recruiters or as representatives of a company, are evaluating you for employment are all receiving hundreds of emailed resumes a day. Having done professional search work for more than thirty years, I have seen both resumes change and how they are delivered change.
Career Change Success Is Yours If you Follow The Formula
Recent surveys suggest that, given the chance, about four out of 10 people would change career tomorrow and a further two might. The most popular reason given would be to earn more.
Ten Questions For Entrepreneurs To Ask Themselves
Ten Questions For Entrepreneurs To Ask Themselves1.Do I have the persistence and patience necessary to be a business owner?It would be nice if once you wrote your business plan all you needed to do would be to execute flawlessly and everything would fall into place.
Learn Some Useful Feng Shui Career Tips
As it does with every main life aspect, feng shui also provides tips and guidelines to help you improving your career. If your career is not moving on in the way you wish, that is due to a lack of balance and harmony within your environment and the elements that affect it.
|