Small Business Blog from Atlantic Canada

I am "CA" Atreya (PMP, MBA), the author of this blog. I help businesses in Atlantic Canada achieve their BHAG successfully. You may subscribe to this blog using a feed reader (RSS).

I got a frantic call on Friday last week at around 12:30 am. It was my brother, who is just completing his Masters degree. “This job is designed for me”, he said. “I have the necessary work experience and educational background as outlined in the job description. But they are screening applicants right off the bat by quoting a very low salary. What do I do? The interview is tomorrow.”

It reminded me of my job hunting experience when I was a fresh graduate 12 years ago. A lot of my classmates were not looking even considering certain smaller organizations because they offered lower starting salaries compared to larger organizations. But to me, some of these organizations offered unique business challenges and tremendous growth potential. However, I also realized I did not want to accept their quoted figure outright.

As I was mulling the best strategy, it dawned to me that I was a sales person offering a service. The product - Me! As any seasoned sales person will tell you, you cannot win an argument on price alone. If you are asking $20 for your product and the prospect only offers you $10, you have a perception problem. You have not been able to convey the value of your product to the customer.

The same principle applies to any product or service your organization offers. You need to answer the question, “What value does my service provide?”. Does my service generate revenue for my clients? Does it improve efficiency? Do I offer a service that no one else does? If no, then how is my service offering different from that of my competitors? It is no different when searching for a job. Answering these questions is extremely important. Employers often ask, “Why should I hire you?”. Prospects often ask, “Why should I buy from you?”. See any difference? You need to define your value proposition.

And that is what I suggested to my brother. I would frame an answer as follows: “Tell your recruiters that you are going to approach the offer with an open mind. Why don’t we leave the compensation discussion aside for a moment? Meanwhile, let me tell you what I can do for your organization and how I plan to improve efficiency. This is going to save you $150,000 a year.” (Did I mention that you need to have researched your potential prospect (or employer as the case may be). Find out their business process; what works for them; what doesn’t; identify a problem that you intend to solve; and come up with some recommendations.)

I got a call today from my brother - he was offered a position in the same organization with a substantially higher compensation package.

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