Those who negotiate for a salary rise must expect pushbacks. Your counterpart will certainly have some objections to which you must respond. To help you be prepared, here are some of the most common counterarguments to salary demands.
Objection 1: "Do you really think your performance justifies such a salary increase?"
Counter: "Of course, I am convinced of that. I have driven our most important project forward in the past months and completed it successfully. That is why I am fully behind it: I deserve more pay."
Objection 2: "I'm sorry, but you can't ask for more money in your position. That would break the salary structure of the company."
Counter: "I believe that my performance warrants a promotion. What criteria will be used for the next career steps?"
Objection 3: "I'm sorry, but the company's financial situation doesn't allow for that right now."
Counter: "I am well aware of this situation. Instead of a higher basic salary, I can imagine negotiating additional benefits as an alternative."
Objection 4: "If I pay you more now, your colleagues will all want more too."
Counter: "I assure you that I will not talk about our agreement with any colleagues. I only want to talk to you about my performance."
Objection 5: "It's nice that you have fun at work and enjoy working in a great team. That's much more important than earning a few hundred francs more."
Counter: "A good atmosphere in the company is indeed very important to me. I also think that I contribute a good part to it. However, the financial reward for my performance is also very important to me."
The examples are based on the blog post " Mehr Lohn: Mit diesen Argumenten kontern Sie jeden Einwand " by Christina Holl on the website of Robert Half. You can find more examples there.
