Linda Babcock offers negotiation tips to help you ask for what you want—and get it.

Is it hard to imagine forfeiting $500,000 to $1 million? Most businesspeople would say “yes.” But that, estimates Linda Babcock, Professor of Economics at Carnegie Mellon University, is how much female business school graduates sacrifice over the course of their career simply by failing to negotiate their starting salary—as their male counterparts do.

Babcock revealed this finding in her 2003 book, Women Don’t Ask (co-authored by Sara Laschever), which analyzed statistics and research showing that women generally don’t ask for what they want or feel they deserve, whether it’s a plum work assignment or their spouse’s help at home. And the issue is not generational: Young women have the same difficulties as their mature counterparts.

“When they do negotiate, women do pretty well,” Babcock tells Insights. “It’s getting to the table that’s hard.”

That subject is the focus of Babcock’s and Laschever’s new book, Ask For It. “It’s unlike most negotiation books that focus on strategy and tactics,” Babcock explains. “We focus on how to identity what you want, how to find and ask for what’s fair, and how to feel comfortable with the process.”

FOUR STEPS TO SUCCESS
The book is organized around the following program to walk women through the negotiation process.

1. Everything Is Negotiable. Babcock’s research indicates that men see negotiation everywhere. Women are less likely to recognize these opportunities. Babcock and Laschever encourage readers to identify what could be better in their lives. Then, they encourage establishing goals against which decisions and negotiation are measured.
2. Lay the Groundwork. The next step is to see where women stand, the authors say. The book and website offer resources to help readers establish a fair bargaining stance, determine salary ranges, and evaluate and improve bargaining position. “One of the reasons women don’t negotiate their salaries is that they don’t know they’re underpaid, so we suggest doing research into whatever it is you’re asking for, whether salary or the fee from a client,” Babcock says.
3. Get Ready. The third phase hones points of negotiation that most women find uncomfortable: how to handle being rushed or cut off, feeling the need to “win” at any cost and dealing with hearing “no.”
4. Put It All Together. The final step is refining strategy by using what many consider women’s superior ability for cooperative negotiation that results in a favorable outcome for both parties. “I hope that men will take the advice that you ought to be more cooperative,” Babcock says. “All the professional schools are now teaching a win-win approach and that there is a time for competition, but it is actually quite limited.” The authors also offer ways for women to create the best impression and avoid being branded “difficult,” “high  maintenance,” “overbearing,” “pushy” and “not a team player.”