Comments on: What Are YOU Worth? How to Negotiate Fees and Raises Without the Guilt

By: Seeking Advice on Salary Negotiations | Utah Tech Jobs

Seeking Advice on Salary Negotiations | Utah Tech Jobs — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:03:22 +0000

[...] 5 Things to Remember About Yourself When Negotiating [...]

By: Megan Bucher

Megan Bucher — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:19:24 +0000

Justin! Thank you for writing this!
I came through this journey of undervaluement (did I just invent a word???) myself. Business Development Manager for a local auto group from 2004 to 2009, my department (which included social media as it developed…) was considered a pain in the butt…just a cash cow for the owner and a pain for everyone else. For a social person, it was hard to be disliked for doing my job well, but I kept doing what I knew needed to be done. Since I left (when I asked for a raise the eliminated my job), sales have never been as high as they were when I was there…1/3 of them came from my department. Although I technically get the last laugh, it still makes me sad that I failed to make them realize how important the Internet and Social Media is to their business. (However, when you look at what happened in the car biz and realize that’s how the local dealers think…no suprises here…) Glad I stuck up for myself though. After years of being underpaid and underappreciated, I sat there and soaked up an invaluable education that led me to other opportunities…and hopefully more in the future.

As a freelancer, now, I have trouble putting a value on my services (so feel free to hire me, I’m probably too cheap.. But, at least I get to do what I love in a field where I’m appreciated.

Thanks for the post!

By: Coree Silvera

Coree Silvera — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:04:56 +0000

Fear of confrontation is a biggie. Funny, because the only time I ever feel really uncomfortable with confrontation is under these circumstances. If I were dished any sort of disrespect or being underestimated by a stranger (or even someone I know – that’s not paying me) I’m quick to the draw.

The reasons you laid out really nail it. Usually when we KNOW what we’re worth and we’re confident that we’re worth every penny it’s not so hard to stand up and say so.

By: Katrina Miller

Katrina Miller — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:10:44 +0000

Loved this. It IS so hard to value your work correctly. Especially as a freelancer when you have a looming mortgage payment. I think payment and respect (for you as an expert, and for the profession as a whole) go hand in hand.

I read something years ago which I’ve held on to in both freelance work and employment: “If life is to short to drink cheap beer, then it’s certainly to short to do crap work for disrespectful clients that don’t pay.”

I found when I aimed for 2 of the 3…the third just sort of fell into place. And good work for clients that respect you as a professional and pay you accordingly is like design nirvana.

By: Davina K. Brewer

Davina K. Brewer — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:39:09 +0000

#3 on being undervalued (last minute b.s. projects) is one reason I am a solo PR. Often the whole process was undervalued, the time to do the job right was not considered, etc. I’ve sat down with higher ups who had no clue, and weren’t interested in getting one.

As for the negotiating for more, as an employee or contractor, it’s difficult. We’re not objective and it’s hard to gauge what the job’s worth vs. what someone is willing to pay. You’re right, we need to do a better job estimating our worth, and stop devaluing services.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:25:31 +0000

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