Knowing your worth!
How many times do we get approached about a business opportunity with slated prices, quotes and terms that we feel are good? But after agreeing to it, we hear of someone else’s deal and feel we should have negotiated for more?
A story in my life comes to mind. I had applied twice for a role, same documents and all before I was called to an interview. To get the best chance I had answered every question, written verifiable completed examples of the tasks listed in job description to show my eligibility for the role. At the interview I was pretty confident about getting the position until one question ‘threw’ me! Undaunted but a little lacking in that confidence I had at the start, I offered an answer, “I think what the right answer to that question should be is ….” There seemed to be a sigh of relief from the lead interviewer and maybe it shifted me from the no to the maybe zone. Bursting with more confidence I asked to discuss pay when it came to questions I would like to ask the panel. They promptly told me to wait to see if there would be a job offer before that discussion. The salary I wanted was at least double my current one. How bold you might say, i knew I was worth it.
A few days later an email arrived over the weekend to ask if I was still interested in the role and on my confirmation I would get a phone call the next week. It happened. The call came through and I accepted the job offer but not the salary. I wanted more. He then said he would pay the highest ‘spine’ point of the scale. Wow. I was happy that I had brought up the pay conversation.
If you don’t ask you don’t get or might never know what might have happened if you did.
Make a decision to negotiate favourable terms of business like the labourers who were paid the same wage for different hours of work.
And in Daddy’s book there was a story about a business man who wanted some job done. Looking around he found some labourers who were standing, claiming no one had hired them. He employed their skills after agreeing a wage in the morning. The trouble was that he seemed to be adding on more workers to the job in hand throughout the day to the point that the last few batches of workers only worked a short time but agreed the same wage as the first set! What? Well when it was time to pay, the business man paid everyone one of the workers the same wage. Perhaps in today’s world the later hired workers would have boasted on social media that they got paid for doing almost nothing. There was a demonstration and demand for explanations from the first workers that were hired about the pay gap/ unequal pay. To which the boss replied that he could do what he wanted with his money and accused these men of being jealous of his generosity.
Imagine that.
Lesson: negotiate terms you are happy with and which reflect your worth.
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Arinola Araba 