20. Expert Interview: How to Negotiate Higher Compensation for Yourself
Victoria Pynchon
After 25 years in high stakes business litigation, Victoria Pynchon took a mediation course that changed her life. Nearly a decade after receiving her degree in conflict resolution from the world-famous Straus Institute, her business, She Negotiates Consulting and Training is prospering. More importantly, it is helping individual women close their own personal gender wage gap.
Salary Negotiation
Most Americans don’t negotiate their level of compensation, explains expert Victoria Pynchon, founder of She Negotiates Consulting and Training. Although she specializes in reducing the gender pay gap between women and men, few male or female clients know the market value of the work they do. A well-researched strategy can yield enviable results.
Why Is This Important?
“Americans don’t negotiate,” Pynchon notes. In the 20th century, we were a rich country. The valuation of labor was rising. Since the 1980s, most pay has remained stagnant, even amid prosperity. In this era when the market rules, workers need to know the market value of the work they perform and ask for it.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Armed with hard data about market rates of pay, and bringing an openness to employer’s concerns, an employee or job-seeker can formulate a strategy for negotiating a win-win situation. Knowing market values can help depersonalize the issue and open a discussion, increasing the prospects for greater personal compensation.
Books on The Topic
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, and Bruce Patton
Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation, and Positive Strategies for Change, by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever
Top Tools on Her Browser
“There are numerous ways to research compensation that are readily available online today. I tend to use Payscale.com. It has gathered together 40 million pay profiles.”
Connecting With Victoria Pynchon
Website:
shenegotiates.com
Twitter:
vickiepynchon
Facebook:
victoriapynchon
