Higher Salary? Working Remotely? This 3-step method worked for me

Stop asking, start proposing. How I turned my 9 to 5 into a fixed income stream at a tropical surf mecca.

Right after my graduation I started working as a product developer for a renewable energy company. I really like the job, the people and our mission. I got a lot of responsibility and pretty good rewards.

But the 9 to 5 wasn’t doing it for me. No matter how fun the job is, sitting on your ass five days a week is very hard when you’re 25. And let’s face it: trading 5 days of office for 2 days of fun isn’t such a good deal.

And the travel itch I had since graduation wasn’t going anywhere…

I decided I could get a better surf and late-night bbq ratio than in my current situation. As I’m not the yoga-instructor or jewelry-seller hippie type I thought: “why not take the job with me?”

Good wifi and good coffee

So I carefully made a Remote Working Agreement and proposed it to my boss. My tactics paid off, and as a result, he agreed upon my terms. No more commutes, no more bad coffee and no more bad coworker jokes. This is my workspace for the next months. I can easily live from the parttime Dutch salary and even save a bit. I’m not going digital nomad forever: I’m just enjoying my freedom for a year or two.

I see so much frustration about the cubicle life. That’s sad. But what is even sadder, is the conformity. The ‘I’ll get used to it’. I deeply feel that humans are not designed to stare at screens 5 days a week. So let’s not abide by these crazy standards. You don’t have to give up your job to make a better deal for yourself. And getting a better deal for yourself is possible. Also in terms of money. Here’s how.

3-step method to a better deal

This method works if you want to land a remote working agreement, if you want a higher salary or if you want to take a few months off to travel. For me it has been essential in creating better deals for myself.

1. Exceed expectations
2. Create leverage
3. Use that leverage

1. Exceed expectations

Ticking the boxes isn’t enough. Send that extra mail to your team at 11 in the night. Call your boss on a sunday to prepare for mondays meeting. Bring in customers from your own network. Seriously, one phonecall on a sunday night equals three times of coming to work later.

2. Create leverage

Achieve this: You have skills that no one else has. You have a network that is very relevant for your company’s success. In other words: you have made yourself valuable. At that point your team will value you for what you bring to the table, and not for the hours spent on the job. (This is an important step in disconnecting hours and performance. I want to be paid for my performance — not for the hours spent in an office.)

3. Use that leverage to get what you want

Ok, so now you are valuable to your team and everybody knows it. Now you can play out that leverage. Biggest rule here:

To get what you want, you NEVER ask. You propose.

You make a proposal that states your higher salary. Or that you’re moving abroad. Make sure that the one who reads it always sees why he/she should say yes to your proposal. I recommend to not use any personal arguments like: ‘I need more salary because I just moved to a more expensive house’ or ‘I want to work from abroad because I like palmtrees and sunshine’. No. That’s not a business proposal.

Some examples of improved sentences:

“I think I learned a lot and should be paid more” Should be:

“My output has increased and that should be matched by the remuneration”

“I’m looking to buy a house so a higher salary would be nice” Should be:

“I like this job and I want to make sure that I won’t get hampered by limitations in the future”

“People say that I’m doing a good job so I feel that I’m being underpaid” Should be:

“I grew sales of product X by 20% and made the company X euro’s this month alone. A company that rewards such achievements will be a company that is able to maintain talent.”

Always use structure in your proposal. If you made your case, pause. Don’t be afraid for silence. It’s up to the other side of the table now. Give the other party a few days to come back with a counter proposal. When you receive it: always say: “I will review it with my advisor.” It sounds good, and besides, your uncle or friend or whoever you discuss your proposal with is kind of an advisor, right?

Above method has worked for me, both for higher salary as for remote working agreements. I really want to share this with everyone because it will get you so much further to where you want to be! Enjoy