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By Carole Copeland Thomas, MBA, CDMP, CITM  Women are notorious for taking the first job offer for the least amount of money, and settling for the least amount of resistance. So many of us must have gone to the same school that bangs into our heads, “Be grateful to get a job and don’t act like an ingrate by holding out for more money.” Bad advice in this competitive marketplace. You need to know your worth, know your industry, and know what salary ranges you can reasonably expect in your particular field of work. There is a time for polite caution. However, you certainly have permission to ask for as much money as possible, based on your skills, educational background, and experience on the job. The first order of business is to remember this critical point: YOU Negotiate ALL THE TIME! Here are some ways that we all negotiate in our daily lives: --Finding a choice parking space before someone else gets it --Getting the lowest price you can for that perfect outfit --On the phone with a utility customer service rep when you work out installment payments --The curfew for your teenager when all of the other moms and dads say otherwise --Switching your days off with another colleague when you really have plans next Monday That list could continue when you think of the countless ways we navigate the variables in our lives just so that we can live comfortably and confidently “in our own skin.” Here are FIVE quick tips to help you get paid what you’re worth during salary negotiations, or to help you sign the right business contact that would make the toughest negotiator proud. 1. Do Your Homework And Know The Price Parameters Don’t ever go into salary negotiations or contact talks without understanding the numbers. You can visit salary.com, www.glassdoor.com, or other web platforms that can give you the range of wages and salaries for countless job positions. Go online and do a google search. Ask the question, “How much does the average X make in (your state or county)? I just asked the question, How much do lawyers make in Massachusetts?” and received an instant list of salaries of some of the top law firms in the state. The same is true for business contracts. Understand what you should receive in a contract by searching for similar contacts online. If you belong to the trade association in your industry and actively engage in member events, you can check around with your colleagues to see what other possibilities exist when landing a contract from a similar company. 2. Establish Your Clear Goals and Expectations In Advance Yes, you want to receive the most money possible. However, you want to understand all of the price ranges that make your request reasonable and justifiable. If you are responding to a job offer, how much money do you need to live comfortably and adequately? If you are signing a business contract, do you understand all of the tasks and responsibilities it takes to complete the project on time and under budget? Know your numbers and set your goals before you begin to negotiate 3. PRACTICE and Create Pre-Meeting Responses To Objections To Your “Asking” Points Remember you are representing YOURSELF when you negotiate for a salary or contract offer. Make sure you practice your responses and think through your answers BEFORE the conference call, face to face meeting or Skype/Zoom session. Rehearse your responses, even to the point of creating a written script for yourself. And for goodness sake create responses to the reactions you may receive when you take your numbers higher, based on the position or contract you’re pursuing. Know how to respond to, “Oh that’s too much.” Or, “That amount is outside of our budget.” What’s your comeback line if those responses are given? Perhaps you can say, “I understand $XXX might be higher than you had anticipated, but here’s where my services/skills/talents/ will add substantial value to your organization.” At that point, you begin to SELL your value, talents, skills, expertise and educational background to the company representative. This leads to my next point…. 4. Stop Selling Yourself SHORT You have more talent, experience, natural ability and tenacity that you realize! You must learn how to turn OFF the little voice inside that is overly cautious and too quick to remind you when something in the past didn’t work well for you. You must listen to the bigger voice inside you that reaffirms your value, self worth, and integrity. That’s the voice that reminds you of your strength and your courage and points to the situation you had in the past when against all odds you achieved that goal and resolved that difficult problem. Turn off the little voice! Tune up the bigger voice. Stop telling yourself that you’re not good enough. Smart enough. Attractive enough. Tell yourself that YOU DESERVE the very best available in your industry. You are striving to achieve each day. You’re getting closer to achieving your goals and aspirations. Say it. Think it. Believe it. Stop selling yourself short! 5. Make Silence Your Best Friend Now the critical moment has arrived. You found the courage to ask for top dollar and you are waiting for the response. STOP TALKING AND BE QUIET! SILENCE IS NOW YOUR BEST FRIEND. Find new courage. Breathe. Wait for the reply. If the offer still isn’t to your liking, counter the offer and again.... STOP TALKING AND BE QUIET! Yes, silence makes us uncomfortable, but it is a powerful way to reinforce our financial goals during negotiations. Make sure that your voice level stays at an even keel, which indicates a sense of confidence and empowerment. Try this technique, and you will be amazed at its effectiveness. In the end, you will marvel at how well you negotiated your salary, benefits package or business contract. Good luck. Be prepared. Expect to negotiate with confidence, diplomacy, and determination. 
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Google HR Business Professional Is The Keynote Speaker At The November 2nd Multicultural Conference9/14/2017 By Carole Copeland Thomas, MBA, CDMP, CITM  Excitement abounds as we announce the names of our distinguished KEYNOTE SPEAKERS for the November 2nd Multicultural Conference.
The Theme: Women, Work and Celebrating Self Worth Morning Keynote Address Ayana Corbin HR Business Professional Mountain View, California Luncheon Keynote Address Dr. Velda McRae Yates Executive Director Massachusetts College of Art and Design These dynamic women will energize, inform and encourage us with their messages tailor made for our audience. You won't want to miss the unique insights they will have for YOU and your team on November 2nd. And wait! There's more! We have an entire team of other respected speakers whose presentations will validate why YOU should invest in this upcoming value-added event. We'll announce who they are in the days ahead. Women AND Men are invited to attend. Bring your managers, supervisors, staff, and colleagues to the premiere diversity conference of the region. This is the 11th conference since 2008 and will deliver the resources, toolkits, and answers you've been looking for. In addition, the networking opportunities will connect you to some of the movers and shakers who are committed to the advancement of multiculturalism throughout the marketplace. Early Bird registration rates END on Saturday, September 30th. Only $199 per person. You SAVE $100 before the price increases on October 1st. Complete conference details can be found right here at this website. CLICK HERE for info. Here's the link to the online registration page: https://2017mss.eventbrite.com Feel free to call me at 508 847-5755 or email [email protected]. Together we'll celebrate the integrity and value of working women as we discover new opportunities for women AND men to collaborate, cooperate, and communicate with gusto! -Carole  Pat Odom is a renaissance woman who has pushed her career boundaries throughout her life. We'll honor Pat at the March 3rd Black History Breakfast and celebrate her active role as Massachusetts Army National Guard's first black female recruiter. ================== Patricia Odom is a graduate of Washington Senior High School in Pensacola, Florida and a graduate of Washington Senior Vocational School of Cosmetology also in Pensacola.
Pat began her career as a flight attendant for Mohawk Airlines based in Utica, New York, and was the second black flight attendant who was hired in the early 1970’s. Later she worked for New England Telephone Company as an operator and clerk for two years and bid on jobs to explore different job opportunities. From 1976 through 1987, Pat served her country in the United States Army and served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. She becoming the first black female recruiter for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Pat also achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class (SFC - E-7) while serving in the army. Pat was honorably discharged from the army. She is a proud member of the 60 Plus Veterans Group. Pat earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Massachusetts, Boston and a master’s degree in moderate special needs from Eastern Nazarene College. She retired from a twenty year teaching career in the Boston Public School system. As a special needs teacher, she was voted in as a union representative for teachers. For more than seven years, Pat has owned and operated a landscaping business. Her community activism continues to this day. She has served on the board of the Clark Cooper Community Garden in Mattapan, Massachusetts, and is a neighborhood advocate and supporter of the East River Neighborhood Association. Pat’s talent as an artist has expanded to her latest business venture. She currently sells her paintings throughout the Boston area, and is a member of both the Roxbury Open Studio and the Hyde Park Menino Art Center. She is the mother of one son, Idrissa Johnson, a grandmother of three beautiful girls. Pat is a longtime member of Bethel AME Church-Boston and serves as a church greeter. The Black History Month Breakfast will be held on Thursday March 3, 2016 at the Boston Colonnade Hotel from 8:30 am to 11:00 am. 
They broke the mold when she stepped out of her native New Orleans and landed in Lowell, Massachusetts years ago. She is indeed a “class act.” Petite yet powerful. Elegant but effective. Classy but community focused. And my oh my…does she know how to host a Martin Luther King celebration each year! The entire city of Lowell comes out to support it!
We’re talking about Lura Smith, the Assistant to President Carole Cowan at Middlesex Community College and the founder of the Lura Smith Fund. Lura and her husband Robert are LONGTIME supporters of my conference and the Multicultural Symposium Series. Lura is the Conference Emcee and Robert takes wonderful photos and video records each event I hold. I am very very fortunate to have them as my friends and supporters of this endeavor. And my friendship with Lura has led to a longtime relationship with Middlesex Community College. So get ready for a charming emcee at the November 6th Multicultural Conference. Lura knows how to work a room and help build the cultural connection at each and every event. State Street Corporation is the LEAD SPONSOR of the Multicultural Symposium Series. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Lura Smith and her husband, Robert, reside in Lowell, Massachusetts. They are the blessed parents of two sons, Alvin M. Chapital, III (spouse Donna) of Haymarket, Virginia and Dr. Brent A. Smith (spouse Jillian) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the grandparents of twin boys, Alvin Maurice and Addison Blake Chapital. A graduate of the School of Management, Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lura joined Middlesex Community College in the Fall of 1994, as Assistant to the President. Prior to joining Middlesex, Lura served for eleven years as Sr. Marketing Manager for Wang Laboratories, Inc. As a forty-one year resident of Lowell, Lura supports the community through her involvement on numerous non-profit boards. Among her most precious accomplishments is her collaboration with the Middlesex Community College Foundation in the creation of the Lura Smith Fund. This Fund was established in 1999 with the mission of providing scholarship opportunities, programs and events that reflect the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We hope that YOU will attend this upcoming conference. It will be held at the University of Massachusetts - Boston Campus on Thursday November 6, 2014 from 8am to 3pm. Tickets are only $99, which includes a 12 month membership in the Multicultural Symposium Series. Click Here to register for the Multicultural Conference. Click Here to learn more about the Multicultural Conference. For further information contact Carole Copeland Thomas at 508 947-5755 or email [email protected] 
She is the type of wise advisor and friend every diversity professional needs to have. Confident yet caring. Insightful yet understanding. Contemporary yet respectful of historical legacies. And someone who is passionate about multiculturalism, global diversity and education.
At her Roundtable session at the November 6th Multicultural Conference, Dr. Barbara “B.J.” Addison Reid of Lesley University will speak on, “Confronting The Backlash-Educating To Empower,” an important look at how education can be used to help enlighten others on the value of global diversity. State Street Corporation is the LEAD SPONSOR of the Multicultural Symposium Series. International Speaker | Professor | Executive Career Coach Dr. Barbara Addison Reid is Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Title IX Coordinator at Lesley University in Cambridge Massachusetts. She has delivered papers at the Oxford Round Table, Oxford University, Oxford England, and the International Diversity Conference in Beijing China. Barbara currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Commonwealth Compact. She is Chair of the Commonwealth Compact Higher Education Collaborative comprised of 30 academic institutions, and she is the Emerita Chair of Women of the Harvard Club of Boston. We hope that YOU will attend this upcoming conference. It will be held at the University of Massachusetts - Boston Campus on Thursday November 6, 2014 from 8am to 3pm. Tickets are only $99, which includes a 12 month membership in the Multicultural Symposium Series. Click Here to register for the Multicultural Conference. Click Here to learn more about the Multicultural Conference. For further information contact Carole Copeland Thomas at 508 947-5755 or email [email protected] |
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