Fearless Interviewing“What exactly would that be?” Tina queried.
[Kei knew that the advertised range for the salary was between
$129,000 and $146,000 a year. However, he calculated that the compa-
ny would most likely have 15 to 20 percent more to offer him.]
“Well,” he said, “I would say that starting at something above
$165,000 would be reasonable.”
“Kei, our salary range for this position is from $129,000 to
$146,000, and I’m not sure we’ll be able to go beyond that.”
“Although $146,000 sounds like something I would consider,
I would actually be more inclined to accept a substantially higher
offer. Since I’ve led launches of over 20 products that have earned
a return on investment in as quick as 9 months, I’m more than
certain that I can bring Panatel this same aggressive approach to
making immediate profits. If we can agree on a sum that’s some-
what higher, it would ensure that I would find this offer more
attractive than the one I’ve received at Nusite.”
[Notice that Kei said he would “consider” $146,000. That indicated
that he was interested in the position, but he didn’t have to get stuck on that
sum. He also kept the door open by not rejecting the offer at this early stage
of negotiations.
You’ll see that he strategically used the phrases “substantially higher”
and “somewhat higher” to avoid mentioning an exact number. Phrases like
“I’d be more inclined.. .” and “the offer would be more attractive.. .”
also lend themselves to keeping options open and follow the guidelines of
open-door negotiating.
Kei used the technique of “leveraging offers” when he alluded to (but
does not go into detail about) the real offer he had from Nusite. He also
reminded the CEO that he offers considerably more value than just “fill-
ing a position,” by highlighting one of his more impressive past accom-
plishments, adding that he planned to use those same talents to add value
to Panatel.]
Tina listened and agreed: “All right, I’m prepared to offer
you closer to what you’re asking for. Are you prepared to take a
stab at finding a suitable number?”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. I think an appropriate salary
for the contribution I plan to make would be something closer to
the high $160,000 range.”
[He got closer to a number here but still did not lock himself into an
exact figure.]
“Then how about $169,000 to start?” she offered.