This Shoe Designer Is Breaking Her No Discount Rule In Honor of Equal Pay Day
Since her days building up the shoe empire that is Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon has been a force in empowering women through footwear. Now behind the reigns of her own eponymous brand, the designer is taking that empowerment one step further than a game-changing pair of heels.
In honor of Equal Pay Day today, Mellon is speaking out to raise awareness about the wage gap. The entrepreneur is taking her own professional experiences from over two decades working in the industry to share 10 tips for women to negotiate a raise at work. "I've been a feminist since before it was a buzzword. I have always believed in lifting women up, and I'm building a brand where women manifest their power without apology," Mellon said in a statement.
Along with sharing the tried-and-true career advice, the shoe designer is also breaking her own rule of never offering sales or discounts for a one-day sale with a 20 percent discount that reflects the wage gap-meaning women can finally shop based on an equal pay dollar. Mellon expressed the importance behind both the sale and her career tips:
"Today, on Equal Pay Day, I want to start a conversation: Women earn $0.80 on the dollar compared to men. As an entrepreneur, a woman, and the founder of a women-led, women-run startup (twelve of our fifteen employees are women), empowerment and equality are two things that are vitally important to me. And because I believe in walking the walk as much as talking the talk, I've gathered ten rules for negotiating I've learned from two decades of working."
Below, read Mellon's personal tips for negotiating a raise:
Before You Meet:
1) Schedule the time. Be clear about what you want to meet about-the element of surprise does not work to your benefit. Be conscious of your supervisor's schedule and high pressure times of day-set your conversation up to have the time it deserves.
2) Do your research, but don't let it constrain you. Look up what similar positions at similar companies pay. This will inform part of your raise conversation, but it shouldn't define or limit you. Consider the numbers you discover to be a starting point.
3) Put yourself in your supervisor's shoes. Companies aren't human, but managers are. Do a mental exercise of what your supervisor values in you. Maybe you've stepped into a leadership role with other members of your team, or you've become her trusted go-to for projects involving XYZ. Your list of human value is much longer than job deliverables.
4) Consider non-monetary compensation. Extra vacation days, flexible Fridays… It doesn't change the bottom line on your checks, but non-cash incentives are a real part of negotiations. (Knowing how things compare apples to apples is key here… for example, negotiating an extra two weeks of paid vacation is worth about $4K in pay on a $100k/year salary.) Go in knowing what you want.
5) Be aware of your presence. You communicate a lot without saying a word. Non-verbal cues like touching your hair or playing with your pen can lessen your authority. Ending sentences with the intonation of questions can too. Practice the conversation aloud, and be conscious of what you're communicating with your whole body.
In The Meeting
6) Reference what you've done in the past. Choose a few key projects that showcase your efficacy and show your progress. Use these as examples to prove your points, but be wary of sharing a laundry list of your accomplishments, which can very quickly sound like you're keeping tabs.
7) … But also speak to your potential and what you will do. Your raise determines your pay going forward. With this in mind, your new rate should relate to your upcoming and current projects. Don't get so distracted by what you have done that you forget to speak about what you are doing.
8) State what you want, clearly. Once you've spent a few minutes laying your groundwork, get to your point. It's scary to say, "With all the things I mentioned in mind, I'd like to ask for a raise. I currently make $A, and I'd like to discuss a salary of $B." But that's the whole point of your meeting, so don't be afraid to vocalize your ask.
9) Don't fear silence. This is a key thing to learn in any negotiation in life. A silence after you've made a request can be agonizing, especially if you don't know how the decision will go. But filling silence with nervous chatter or rationale doesn't do you any favors. Wait for your request to sink in, and for your manager to process it. What feels like forever is only seconds, promise.
10) There is no such thing as 'no.' There is a good chance that your raise will fall somewhere between your current rate and your desired one. This is not failure-it's progress. You want to leave the conversation with a few things; having had a frank conversation about your value to your company and supervisor, having reached some kind of conclusion about increasing your salary or adding value to your employment agreement, and (this is important) having planted a seed for revisiting the conversation in the future. Whether it's a review you ask for in six months, or a follow up after a project, set a stake in the ground to have your value be an evolving conversation-just like your work is an evolving project.
Shop Tamara Mellon's one-day sale today to get 20% off any order at TamaraMellon.com between 5:00a PST and 11:59p PST on April 4, 2017 only.
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