(Part 10) 3 Things You Absolutely Must Do To Get a Raise
Ask The Right Questions
I can remember when I was a kid and my mom would ask me how my day at school went. I would give that famous one-word answer that all kids give: Fine.
What my mom later learned and something we all need to learn from is that we never ask questions that can be answered by yes or no or fine. In your raise interview you've got to be asking questions that are open-ended.
What is the procedure for getting a raise?
What is the policy for advancement?
Sales people know to use open-ended questions because they know that that type of question unearths valuable information.
Can You Help Me Understand…
The best open-ended question in the world is this:Can you help me understand…Can you help me understand… is a fantastic open-ended question for a number of reasons.
First, it enlists the help of the other person. Which is a great technique. Most people want to feel helpful and will help when asked to do an easy favor like explain something. Thus you're actually making them feel good by giving them the opportunity to teach you something.
The second reason why Can you help me understand… is such a good question is that it sets the stage for you to dig deeper into the inner workings of your firm's raising-giving policies and culture. You might really need open-ended questions like these if you're not getting the positive responses from your boss that you want:
Can you help me understand… what steps I need to take to get a raise?
Can you help me understand… what obstacles are in my way of getting a raise right now?
Can you help me understand…the policy for raises in our firm?
What open-ended questions can you think of before going in for your raise interview? Jot them down and memorize them!
…to be continued…
Thursday, May 31, 2007
