How to successfully address objections in salary negotiations

Objections are part of most negotiations, and salary negotiation are no different. If you don’t want to be caught off-guard, you absolutely must spend time anticipating any possible objection you can think of. Write them all down.

Once you’ve made an extensive list, for each objection in your list, add at least one option of how you to address it. This is one of the most critical pieces of preparing for a salary negotiation, so don’t skip this and carve out a good chunk of time for it.

The following are my favorite ways to handle objections as part of salary negotiations:

1. Address the objection before it arises

2. Ask a question

3. Request more detail

4. Offer a solution

5. Divert from the objection

6. Get to the real reason

7. Reduce the risk

8. Focus on the win/win

9. Negotiate (a different amount or benefits/perks)

Some of these options may seem quite obvious, and others are a bit more intricate. For example, asking questions can provide additional information that can be helpful to steer the conversation in the right direction, position your salary (increase) and in the case of a “no,” continue the conversation in a meaningful way beyond your current meeting.

When the objection sounds like an excuse, questions can also help you get to the real reason.

Addressing the objection before it arises can work great if you have a pretty good idea of what objections you might encounter. For example, you may think that the objection is about declining company profits. Finding a way to position the specific value of your work and expertise within this scenario could be a great way to minimize the weight of such an objection.

If you suspect there will be resistance to increase your pay because you haven’t been with the organization or in your current role very long, then you can even use this as an extra score pointing out how much you have achieved in very little time and then focusing on how much more you are intending to accomplish going forward, and especially in the near future. The perceived value of your work will go up, and with it, what you deserve to be paid for it.

Don’t get discouraged by objections. Instead, take on the challenge. Be creative!

When it comes to salary negotiations, I recommend for you to expect the best and be prepared for the worst. This way, you will always achieve a positive outcome. Because even if you don’t get a “yes,” you know you did your best and the answer you received wasn’t a result of poor negotiation skills. You can do something with the newly acquired information. You could decide to follow up in a powerful way and resume negotiating later. Or you might just be better off looking for new possibilities elsewhere… At least, now you know.