Many people lack the expertise at salary negotiation and want to improve so they can advance their salaries and their careers. One friend recently asked me for some quick tips on how to negotiate a better salary.

Expert salary negotiation takes a lot of experience and a lot of practice. My experience has allowed me to negotiate salary many many times, and I have been able to realize significant salary gains as a result. I am writing here to outline what I consider a great, quick approach that can help arm you for salary negotiation and get you ready to negotiate a great salary.

While what follows here is a great beginning strategy, there are many approaches to negotiating salary. It is very important for salary seekers to have the full picture. You need to know all the successful and relevant strategies and all the ways to overcome common salary negotiation hurdles.

I can’t address it all tactics here, but I am willing to give a brief overview of the best possible salary negotiation approach.

Check out the following salary negotiation do’s and don’ts.

1) Be diligent in your job market research to find out the perceived value of the role you are going to fill. Check with some common salary web sites like salaryexpert.com or salary.monster.com or payscale.com for those.

2) Write down all the value adds that you contribute to the company. Give extra attention to tasks you do that are over and beyond expectations.

3) It is very useful to know where you stand compared to other staff in your company. This can involve some research on your part. Ask people. It is seemingly more acceptable these days to discuss salary in social circles. Choose your words carefully when discussing this sensitive subject.

4) Plant the thought in your supervisors mind. Approach them at a stategic time when they are not too budy. Avoid times when they are rushed out the door or off to their next staff meeting.

5) Ask if you can discuss salary when it is a good time for them, and then ask for your increase. You should be confident about your request because you’ve done your research and built your case.

6) Make sure you’ve conscientiously rehearsed through some objections and have thought out your responses to the objections. There is always a way to keep the salary negotiation on a win-win path.

7) Avoid getting discouraged, and maintain your level of self confidence. Never us an ultimatum in the salary negotiation. You may find yourself looking further for that next job..

There are many ways negotiations can play themselves out, and its important to avoid pitfalls and other roadblocks that can sabotage your success. Make sure to consider topics and approaches that you could take that would cause you to fail. Awareness is the best way to avoid these problems and to come out successful.

A very common strategy is to wait for the employer to address the topic of salary first. They may reveal their acceptable salary range, or they will outright ask you what your preferred range is. It is best to leave this as late in the process as you can.

Another strategy that I prefer is when receiving an offer that you’re not very happy with is to ask the question, is this the best possible salary you can offer me at this time? When followed up with silence, the employer is left scrambling to say something. If the answer is yes, you can discuss why it cannot be accepted, and that you believe your value proposition is worth more. If the answer is no, immediately ask if it is possible for them to offer you your top salary request.

Whatever you do, make sure you support your case with facts and value statements that you can back up. Be prepared for the unexpected, and always leave the door open to re-negotiate if you don’t close the deal on a given day. That will ensure you can come back and work towards an end that meets the needs of both sides.

To your total negotiating success.