Black Sales Journal

Negotiating a salary in a new job, or an existing job is no joke.  It is the way you make your living, and your job is to make sure you get paid!

I received a testimonial that I want to share.  For some reason, the majority of BSJ readers who respond with comments do so by writing me directly.  I certainly do not mind, as many want to ask for advice regarding their relationship with their employer; and that certainly makes sense to me.  I always appreciate comments, responses, and testimonials regardless of whether they appear in the publication.

This following two pieces of correspondence was shared by a BSJ subscriber who we can all be proud of:

DATE – April XX, 2013

Hello Michael,

First, I want to thank you for all the amazing sales advice and insights your blog provides, especially since it’s geared towards professionals of color!

I’m in my first of year of sales (I sell  industrial supplies) and have had some substantial success so far. I’ve been approached by another company and I just received an offer. I just read your post on ’Negotiating Salary’ and have crafted my counter offer. I will present it tomorrow morning and will let you know how it goes. Please keep up the great work!

Sincerely D,
Boston, MA

_______

A few days later I received this one:

DATE –  April XX, 2013

Hello Michael,

I have good news! The negotiations went very well. I was able to get 10k more in base pay with only a 3% decrease in commission (from 8% – to 5%) I also got a bigger car allowance!

I did everything that the articles recommended and the results speak for themselves. I’m not going to lie, I was very nervous, as I had never negotiated my salary before, but like the saying goes: “closed mouths don’t get fed”.

Feel free to use this email as a testimonial and keep up the great work!

Sincerely D
Boston, MA

________

I thank “D” for the communications and the update.  I also thank him, and the rest of you for reading Black Sales Journal.

Need Some Help Negotiation Your Salary?

Almost annually I publish some assistance that you should be aware of.

• Black Sales Journal – How to Get The Salary That You Want – I
• Black Sales Journal – How to Get the Salary That You Want – II

These two posts are common sense approaches to helping you get the salary and benefit packages that will make the position worth while.

It is not a matter of reading these; it is a matter of “buying in” and doing the pre-work.  It is a matter of having substantiation through research, and taking the right actions.

Dedicated to Helping Black Sales Professionals Achieve Success

I have another that I will be sharing in an issue this month.  They feel good because the “cards can be stacked against you”.

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Any of these methods will ensure that you do no miss a post.  I will protect your information and never share your email address.

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Always be prepared.

Your comments are appreciated.

As a first year sales rep I never looked forward to the dreaded sales meeting. As always, unit results would be reviewed early on in the meeting and my production, which was severely lacking, would stand out like a sore thumb. The sales meetings were also tough because the unit was not doing well.

In front of the other sales reps, the regional sales manager, and God, they focused on the results for the month.  Quite frankly, it was ugly, I felt as if the world, and everyone in it was looking at me when they read the results.

I don’t have to go much deeper into this story as I think you get the picture.  This scene plays out in sales meetings across the globe, and will continue to do so. It may be lessened with ‘virtual’ sales meetings, but the feeling is the same.   Poor results, for even a portion of the year, affect you in the form of embarrassment and performance hampering stress.

Motivator? Yes or No?

No one wants to surrender to this condition.  Is it a motivator?  Can you use this to increase your energy level and effectively change your situation? Your ability to deliver job saving, high-level results can be at risk when you put up your defenses, or even retreat because of this condition.

There are better, more effective ways to be motivated. See Black Sales Journal Getting Motivated – What Motivates You? Just maybe it is one of those items that has a life of its own.  It might just be part of the landscape of sales that will always be with us.

Does this act as a motivator?  It probably does.  Black sales professionals consistently battle with the perception that they will have difficulty in the corporate sales world, and the bright lights of the sales meeting seems to have the effect of amplifying that if they are having some sales difficulty.  You cannot only succeed; you can make money and enjoy the spoils of a good job.  Don’t let anyone tell you differently.  If you are good, you only need to survive the difficult periods.

What Can You Do?

No one wants to be embarrassed by disappointing sales numbers.  If you are in sales for a long period of time, it will happen to you and often it is just situational, a matter of timing which will solve itself at some point.  No matter whether short or long lived, there are some things that you might want to consider:

• Look Confident – as if you know it is going to change.  If your co-employees and management can tell you are embarrassed by your performance, your customers will be able to tell also.
• Body language is important
• Your expressions will make you transparent
• You will live through this…there are others just like you in the room
• Be Productive – I know, this does not solve the pain, but this is the only way to make sure that you won’t have the embarrassment in subsequent sales meetings.  Work through this issue.
• Thicken your skin – As best you can, harden your exterior as you are in the most measurable occupation out there and you will continue to be measured by your peers, your management, and yourself.

The Shoe on the Other Foot

To be sure, there are some things that you will not be able to control, and this is one of them.  Practice on your ‘poker face’, and recognize this is a ‘place in time’ and with good work ethic and some good luck, things will change.

Think about what happens when the fortunate ones that do have great sales results ‘spike the ball’ in the sales meetings as opposed to taking a nod of the head and accepting praise.  We know that this happens, and it can be embarrassing as well.  When you do sell remember to act like you have been in the end zone before.

Above all, always be prepared.  It is natural to have pride in what you do.  If the numbers are not there, it can be a fleeting moment.  You will get over any embarrassment and move forward.

Your comments are appreciated.