Think you deserve a raise, but are afraid to walk into your boss's office and ask? Don't let ineffective negotiation skills hold you back. Business Management Daily, publisher of Administrative Professional Today and the Your Office Coach blog, created this report to show employees at all levels how to boost their career earnings by following the rules on negotiating a raise, hashing out the best pay package in a job offer negotiation and knowing their market value.

Salary Negotiating 101: Secret #1

Negotiating a raise: Do your homework first

Few job situations prove riskier than negotiating a raise, especially in these lean economic times. Most employees—no matter what their job titles—feel apprehensive about asking for a raise, especially when companies are so occupied with trimming costs.

Even though your organization's financial condition and the general economy will factor into your salary negotiating, that shouldn’t stop you from asking for the raise you deserve. And keep in mind that if you’re a good employee, your boss is likely to do what he or she can to get you a merit raise.

The best strategy: Make sure you can demonstrate some tangible work-related reasons that warrant a raise, and give a realistic picture of ways your work will continue to benefit the organization.

Proceed methodically, have a well-planned strategy and, above all, do your homework.

Discover strategies for determining your market value, assessing salary ceilings and how to best approach a formal raise negotiation in Salary Negotiating 101.

Salary Negotiating 101: Secret #2

Negotiating a raise: 10 tips for making your pitch

1. Get down to business quickly. State simply that you're here to negotiate salary, and present the documentation you have prepared.

2. Start with a point you can both agree on.

3. Present a solid record of your accomplishments and rely on it as your key salary negotiating tool.

4. Offer documentation, such as complimentary letters or emails and other forms of recognition from customers, co-workers or supervisors.

5. Keep your tone positive. Present your raise as a win-win situation.

6. Offer a salary proposal without waiting for your boss to take the lead. Be aware of any salary ceilings, but aim high. Any documentation you have about comparative salaries in other organizations can support your case.

7. Control your body language and don't be afraid of silence. Although it can be uncomfortable, silence allows both you and your boss to digest what has been said and to consider the direction the conversation should take.

8. Repeat facts if necessary.

9. Don't latch onto the first offer.

10. End on a positive note. If you are leaving the session with a raise in hand, ask when it will become effective. If you have not been so successful, ask when you and your boss can negotiate salary again: in three months, six months?

Salary Negotiating 101: Secret #3

No firm offer? Making a win out of a loss

If you're about to emerge from your bargaining session without a firm offer of a raise, strive for a conditional agreement.

You might ask whether you can negotiate salary again if you reduce staff absenteeism by 10%, for example, or increase the number of orders processed in your department by one-third.

Put together a list of projects you would like to undertake, along with profit or cost-saving projections, and present them when you negotiate salary again. This puts your request within the context of increased profits and lowered costs—boosting chances that your boss will stretch company norms to get you the most money possible.

Salary Negotiating 101: Secret #4

Check out salary comparisons

Make sure to do your research on salary comparisons.

Tip: Don't overlook informal information sources. Job advertisements sometimes indicate salaries, and while others in your professional network may be reluctant to tell you their earnings, they might share their salary scales.

Find out which salary survey sites Business Management Daily rates among the best in Salary Negotiating 101.

Salary Negotiating 101: Secret #5

How to get past the no-raise barrier: Counter 4 common objections

When reaching for that elusive raise, look upon the first "No" as Round 1. Then step back and explore other raise-negotiating methods.

In particular, learn how to counter the four most common objections you're likely to hear from a boss:

Objection 1: "A raise would put you above your job category maximum."

Advice: Point to your industry's pay scale. Don't compare your pay to that of others in your company. Cite salaries for comparable positions elsewhere.

Objection 2: "You already earn more than anyone else in the department."

Advice: Here's how you should frame your reply: "I may be making more than the rest, but don't you agree that if I work harder and accomplish more, I should be paid more?"

Objection 3: "The company has had a bad year."

Advice: Ask when things are expected to turn around, and if they do, what impact that will have on salaries. Faced with an ironclad ban, ask about rewards in other forms—for example, more vacation time or flexible hours.

Objection 4: "I'd like to give you more money, but odds are a raise won’t be approved."

Advice: Ask your boss to outline specifically what you have to do to get a bigger raise. Then establish a timetable for evaluation.

Salary Negotiating 101: Secret #6

Job offer negotiation: How to secure the best pay package

If you're trying to secure the best deal to join a new employer, don't be bashful. Your tenacity shows the kind of confidence and self-assured leadership that can enhance your stature from the outset. Many recruiting managers respect candidates who drive a hard bargain.

Here are 7 guidelines to follow when hashing out your pay package:

1. Don't hold back. Ask away. As in any negotiation, if you don't ask for something, you won't get it. Come prepared to make plenty of proposals that involve more than pay, like extra vacation time.
2. Cite facts to uphold your position. Research what other workers at your level earn at companies in the same industry with a similar size and revenue base.
3. Emphasize your job-switching expenses. Most companies adhere to the unwritten hiring rule of “making whole,” which means they don't want new employees to make financial sacrifices or shoulder new expenses upon accepting a new position. If you're relocating, you can negotiate more aggressively because recruiting managers understand all the costs and hassles that you'll face.
4. Bend the rules. Some of your demands will be met with the all-purpose door-closer: “That's not possible given our company's policy.” Don't get discouraged if you get this answer. Instead, reframe your demand in a creative manner. Ask for a sign-on bonus or “special grants,” referring to lump-sum payments that employers agree to make in addition to standard compensation.
5. Draw the line. If you feel strongly about receiving certain benefits from the outset, let the company know. Spell out your minimum needs so that you can establish a beachhead from which to negotiate later.
6. Time your demands. Don'r reel off all your requests at once. If you rush into things, you may overwhelm your potential employer and come across as greedy and self-centered. After clarifying what you absolutely must have to consider a job change, concentrate on selling yourself as a desireable candidate during every stage of the interview process.
7. Listen for openings. You can learn much about an employer's willingness to negotiate by the words the hiring manager uses when making you an offer. Never interrupt or rush to answer when the person finally gets down to discussing details of your pay and benefits. Pay attention to how the company arrived at your compensation. When the manager is finished talking, remain silent. Then if he or she says, “Well, how does all that sound to you?” or “I hope that’s to your liking” or “I assume that meets your needs,” the manager is implicitly signaling that it’s OK to negotiate even better terms.

Salary Negotiating 101: Secret #7

Heed annual salary forecasts, economic trends

It pays to keep informed on key economic trends as most pay raises are at least partially tied to economic indicators—both nationally and locally.

For example, here’s a positive trend to note: Aon Hewitt found that the number of companies freezing salaries was down for the second year in a row in 2011, with the trend expected to continue in 2012. Only 5% of organizations froze salaries in 2011, compared to 21% in 2010 and nearly half (48%) in 2009. Approximately 4% of employers anticipate salary freezes in 2012.

Another trend: Smart employers aren’t handing out flat, across-the-board raises. Increasingly, employers are expanding pay-for-performance programs and giving greater increases to top performers.  

A survey of 773 U.S. companies conducted by Towers Watson Data Services found that workers who receive the highest performance ratings will be in store for median salary increases of 4.5% in 2012—80% more than workers with average ratings will receive (2.5%). Workers with below-average performance ratings will receive median merit increases of only 1.4%.

Towers Watson’s survey also found that employers plan pay increases averaging 2.8% in 2012 for their salaried, nonexecutive employees. This represents a moderate increase from the average 2.6% raises for workers in both 2011 and in 2010. Similar raises for 2012 are planned for executives and nonexempt employees.