‘Shark Tank’ Star Robert Herjavec Has Advice For Women About Asking For A Raise
You may have seen that deodorant ad featuring a millennial-aged woman nervously prepping to ask her boss for a raise. She’s looking in the bathroom mirror and seems taken aback when she’s realizes she’s not alone. An older woman emerges and tells her, “Just do it.” Robert Herjavec, star of Shark Tank, wrote in Time that women tend to be less assertive than men when it comes to asking for a pay bump, something they should attempt to overcome.
“One challenge still to be overcome is that while women represent some of our best salespeople and account managers, they tend to be less assertive than men. Learn to be assertive without being aggressive or unreasonable. If you have the ability, the attitude, the training and the performance to perform your job at the level your employer anticipates, you have a case to seek an appropriate salary level.”
In the Time piece, adapted from Herjavec’s book You Don’t Have to be a Shark, the internet security entrepreneur gave a laundry list of tips for people of all genders looking for a raise. He describes the process as a sales pitch. It’s important to show confidence and justify the ask with examples of contributions to the company. The ask should be paired with a commitment to continue to bring value to the company.
Herjavec emphasizes the importance of preparation, calling the pay ask a business negotiation. Business consultant Leila Gowland made a similar point in an article for Think Progress, where she offered a critique of the deodorant ad. The millennial chatting with herself in the mirror is clearly not ready to ask for a raise, according to Gowland.
“[T]he ad basically tells Lucy she should dive in with no coherent plan and word vomit all over the boss’ desk while complimenting his tie. Please no. Don’t jump in unprepared. Do practice what to say and figure out what feels comfortable and authentic — and coherent. It’s one of the best strategies for effective negotiations.”
Gowland also objects to the ad’s tagline, “Lucy does her part to close the wage gap,” because it implies wage inequality is the fault of women not asking for more money, when in reality, a number of factors contribute to the phenomenon. Among those factors is the lack of women in high-paying jobs. The company behind the spot told AdWeek it is one of a series of three intended to show the pain points of millennial women who are “challenging cultural norms.”
For both men and women looking to increase their paycheck, Herjavec has an additional piece of advice: choose the right time. He suggests setting up a meeting to explicitly discuss the issue and to not blindside the boss. A more successful salary negotiation may result if employees make the move three to four months before an annual performance review. That way, the powers that be have time to add the increase into the budget. Another tip is to arrange the pay discussion for a Thursday or Friday because superiors are more amenable before weekends.
Herjavec also advises employees to practice the pitch, know the company’s perspective, and be pro-active about doing their part to earn the raise — he calls these “the three Ps.”
Fans of Shark Tank will know Season 7 wrapped up last Friday, but the show’s reruns will continue to air on ABC and CNBC.
[Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images]
