Negotiating salary: don't leave money on the table

Reading time: 3 minutes

Why 6 in 10 people leave money on the table (and you don't have to)

Imagine getting a $5,000 gift card, but you have to ask for it. Would you? Probably. Yet sixty percent of employees never do that when it comes to their salary. Oddly enough, nobody's shy about asking for a discount at Best Buy, but when it comes to discussing their own worth, the hesitation kicks in.

The result: those who don't negotiate leave an average of $3,000 to $8,000 on the table every year. Do that math over a thirty-year career. That's not a missed cup of coffee — that's a leased car. Every year.

Why don't you just ask?

Usually it's not laziness, it's assumption. You think the first offer is the best offer. It almost never is. Employers generally expect you to negotiate — in fact, well over three-quarters of employers already factor in the likelihood of a counteroffer when drafting their initial offer. Not negotiating isn't "polite," it's a missed opportunity your employer secretly finds a bit odd too.

What you have to lose (spoiler: not your job)

The fear is usually: "They'll pull the offer if I push back." In practice, that almost never happens with a reasonable, well-supported request. What you do lose by not asking: the vast majority of people who did negotiate ended up with a better offer. In other words, the odds that asking pays off are much higher than the odds of getting a flat-out "no."

Here's how to actually do it

Do your homework. Check salary benchmarks for your role, region, and experience before the conversation. A well-supported ask works better than guesswork.
State a specific number, not a range. Give a range of $3,000-$3,500 and you'll still hear the lowest number. Just ask for $3,500.
Don't forget the rest of the package. Remote work allowance, training budget, extra vacation days — it all counts, and there's often more room here than in the base salary.
Don't wait for the perfect moment. It never comes anyway. Just ask, calmly and professionally, as soon as you have an offer.

Not sure where to start? There's a tool for that

Figuring out what a realistic counteroffer looks like is often the hardest part. Our Salary Negotiation Tool calculates, based on your role, experience, and region, exactly what amount is realistic to ask for — complete with ready-to-use phrases for the conversation itself. No more guesswork, just a number you can stand behind.

Try the Salary Negotiation Tool →

Quick recap

6 in 10 employees never negotiate — and pay the price for years.
Not negotiating costs an average of $3,000-$8,000 per year.
Employers expect a counteroffer; it's not audacious, it's the norm.
Asking in a well-supported, specific, and calm way works in most cases.