5 ways to negotiate your Business Developer salary

‍

That's it, you followed our top tips on Sales & Business Development interviews and you have obtained a job opportunity. Now all that's left is to negotiate Sales' salary. You should know that 50% of Sales and Business Developers are not negotiating their first salary. However, recruiters are often open to discussion. And then, if you are not able to negotiate your salary, how will you negotiate with a customer for your future employer afterwards?

Here is a list of 5 best practices to remember before your next interviews to arrive with all the cards in hand.

1) The obvious: find out about the company before negotiating

{{cta-first}}

If you know the objectives of the company and its selection criteria, you will know which strengths to put forward during the negotiation. Consider what more your profile will bring compared to other candidates or current employees.

For example, if You speak a language less common than English, that You know some tools specific to Sales & Business Development (CRM, lead generation...), that You bring an address book or that you have followed a Business Development training at Akimbo, use it as a lever.

Remember that when you are negotiating benefits with a Talent Recruiter, he or she will often have to discuss it with his supervisor and will need to put forward arguments himself... It is up to you to provide them to him!

Learning about the company also means learning the criteria on which recruiters are flexible and those for which there is no need to negotiate.

To find out more, there are several channels: blog articles, press releases, Linkedin employee and company profiles, social networks, making contact with employees. This research will allow you to demonstrate the value you will bring to the business.

In general, avoid highlighting independent factors of the business such as rent or a long morning commute.

2) Show your worth to negotiate the salary

Prove the value you will bring to your future employer by showing why you will do better, how you will bring more turnover than others. This is a difficult but important exercise and will allow you to have a high level of discussion with your interlocutor: start by asking for information on the company's sales and sales cycles: how many new customers per year? What is the average basket? What is the gross margin? The rate of Churn (share of customers lost over a period compared to customers won)? What is the annual goal of Sales & Business Developers? From there: Show how much you can earn.

This involves starting to work for your future employer and offering him a strategy, ideas for verticals (markets) to conquer, ideas for new partnerships.

Start delivering value for your recruiter right from the interview: there is nothing more effective than to be able to present an action plan during the process over your first few months, especially in a small team. It shows your autonomy.

‍

3) Negotiate everything you want at the same time

{{cta-secondary}}

Negotiation is not about trying to persuade your interlocutor that you are right: it is more about putting yourself in the place of the interlocutor to better convince him. Negotiating everything at the same time allows you to obtain certain concessions. Remember that the decision-making power of HR is not infinite. Relaunching negotiations by making new demands on a regular basis is counterproductive.

4) Don't take a no for a no when negotiating

A recruiter is often in a position of strength in front of candidates and sometimes issues ultimatums. Don't take them as such. Again: negotiate, find compromises, offer alternative solutions, but don't let yourself be put down by a “no” which is often not really a “no”. Of course, don't just bargain on salary! You can also negotiate a budget, tools, responsibilities, promotion...

5) Engage in several negotiation processes

It is useful to get started with several recruitment processes at the same time, in the same way that a Business Developer always works on multiple opportunities. This of course allows you to choose between different jobs, but above all to have something to negotiate.

A recruiter will be reassured if they learn that other companies share their feelings and you will be more comfortable negotiating if you have other opportunities in mind.

When you ask for a higher salary, do not hesitate to put forward to the recruiter the best offer you have received. But don't lie ⛔️.

Negotiation requires early work in order to clearly clarify the benefits you bring to the company and to know what it is looking for in you. It is not a question of imposing your desires, but rather of discussing, conceding and then agreeing.

You have to dare to negotiate with a recruiter. Keep in mind that even if this negotiation does not lead to anything, the simple fact of having tried makes you stand out.

⚠️ Negotiation is not an option, it is even essential during a recruitment process, so be prepared, gather your courage in both hands, and GO ON 👍 !

‍