In a 2008 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, University of Idaho professor Todd J. Thorsteinson conducted a series of mock negotiations and found that when subjects joked about being paid a ridiculously high amount, those subjects had more successful negotiations.
11 comments:
Money is such a hard thing to talk about, even in a negotiation situation. I thinks its because our culture shys away from talking about money in everyday situations, so when we get to situations where we have to talk about money, we feel awkward. The idea that this article brings up about making a joke as an icebreaker into negotiations is important for two reasons. First, it makes the whole situation less uncomfortable, on both sides. This means everyone is comfortable and can negotiate from a more sincere place. Even if this technique didn’t result in higher salaries, it could be useful just for that. The fact that this also creates an anchoring situation is an added perk. The phenomenon of anchoring is so interesting, but it makes sense that people would hold on to something in their recent memory. I know this is a strategy I will definitely be using in the future.
My initial reaction to this article was negative. I have a strong preference for transparency and direct communication in work relationships. The idea that I might make a joke with the hidden intention to manipulate someone into paying me more money, even if the tactic is not malicious, is uncomfortable. I understand that anchoring can be useful, but the manipulation (and that fact that it just isn’t funny) seems distasteful. I would much rather be honest about exactly how much I’d like to be paid and be direct about my bottom line, which is a challenge unto itself.
I, like many other people, have had to train myself out of a natural aversion to asking for more money and out of a sense that I somehow owe my employer for giving me a job. Studies show that women ask for raises less often and are less confident in doing it. I would like to be a part of changing that, but I don’t know that I want to get there by joking about how much I want. I would rather be clear, firm, and hold the line.
I agree with Rachel that my initial reaction to reading this article was negative. The idea of using a joke to navigate through a salary discussion seems like a very bad idea. First off, jokes can go bad, and that is not a way you want to start communicating with your supervisor. Money is already a hard thing for may people to talk about, and adding humor is too much of a cringe factor for me to consider. I'm all for negotiating techniques on how to make the most of a salary negotiation, but I too would hope that I would be able to have an honest and open discussion about what my expectations are and what honestly the company can offer me. I would be more interested in an article that gave concrete tips on how to discuss these topics honestly and openly as opposed to just deflecting and obscuring with humor.
Like Rachel and Madeleine,I also was not convinced in many ways. The biggest question was whether the study the article was based on was legit. So I went on to the link of the article that explains the study. Basically, two hundred college students were told to negotiate salary ($2900) with a candidate, who I assume was played by an actor or the same person at least. The result was that when the candidate started the conversation with a joke about $100K, the negotiated salary was about $3000 higher than when not (did not throw in the joke at all or joked about getting $1). So, even with the simple description of the method, some factors of the experiment are questionable. Do college students really know how to negotiate salary? And if the actor who played candidate played the same part over and over, he/she must have been an expert by 30th negotiation. How do uncontrollable factors such as attitude, confidence, eloquence, appearance and gender play in the result? Although the concept of anchoring is interesting, I wouldn't use the tactic that may make me look cheap and opportunistic based on the study with so many holes.
I feel like anything I type here will be a rehash of all the previous comments...But I'll throw in my two cents anyway. This article is maybe shouldn't be followed as if it's gospel. The study found that " when subjects joked about being paid a ridiculously high amount, those subjects had more successful negotiations. When asked about starting salary in the negotiations, the “joke” group simply said something along the lines of, “I’d love a salary of $100,000, but I’m really just looking for something fair.” Specifically, they were offered an average starting salary of $35,385 compared to $32,463 for the control group." And sure, in this study joking around about a higher salary ultimately earned the applicant more money, but that's a pretty big risk to take (in my opinion). I guess I'd have to get a feel of the room as well as the interviewer before I made a joke about a 100K salary.
It is always risky when trying to negotiate for a pay rate in a new hiring position. I think this is something that is not locked into hard to learn in the real world without trial and error. I wish there were a way that works greens could be given in this. However, I understand that due to the implications in stressors at the moment it can be hard to re-create that in a learning environment. What this article suggests is a very aggressive tactic that comes off initially as a joke. I highly agree with its statement of your mileage may vary. But I think it is good as far as spring off other ideas or thoughts on how to approach this sensitive topic of negotiating for your pay.
I think that it takes the right kind of personality to be able to pull this off. Some people may attempt his and it could be taken completely wrong. I think that something like this is a hard line to walk between being perceived as funny versus being perceived as arrogant. Which also means that it depends on the personality of the employer who is doing the interviewing as well. First impressions can be hard to shake and it would be horrible if that "joke" came off he wrong way. This suggests that Lenard's before making such a joke that you have a good perception of the way in which your interviewer may react. I do however believe strongly that each person should have a strong sense of what they are worth and be able to honestly ask for what they are worth in a positive and sincere way. Another great tactic is giving a salary slightly higher than the one you want but expresssing that it's negotiable. Which in my opinion seems much more professional and still pretty effective.
I’ll have to remember this joke when applying for jobs. The idea behind it makes sense – if you plant a high number in someone’s mind, that’s what they’ll remember. Negotiation is difficult and a lot of people don’t want to do it – especially when it comes to their salary. I don’t think that there is any reason not to do this. Although, as I’ve learned in Negotiation class, this could backfire and the potential employer could walk away. I’ve done the same thing in reverse when looking to make orders for materials. Sometimes I’d give a low ball offer for a product and the vendor would come back with something reasonable, at least in terms of the budgets I was working with. I was ready to read an article about incorporating humor – and actually telling a joke – in my interviews or salary negotiations. This is just another tactic in negotiation.
I agree with the psychology behind the idea in this article, but I don't agree with the idea itself. At the very least, I think this article could have phrased some things much better. I don't think most people are really inclined to do something that sounds so manipulative and icky. "Sneaky joke" makes it sound like you're lurking in the shadows, laughing maniacally as people unknowingly do your bidding. I don't think it is necessarily a huge issue to jokingly ask for more money. The best tip I ever got was because I joked with my table about leaving s stack of 20s on the table. While it is more extreme, it's pretty much the same as asking for more money than you are expecting, which is generally the way to go when negotiating salary anyway. However, I do think joking around in an interview is pretty risky business, since interviewers aren't always the most humorous bunch. But hey, whatever works for you.
Yes! I talk about this all the time. Number anchoring is one of my favorite psychological tricks. From cognitive psych courses to marketing and entrepreneurship courses, this is one of the coolest concepts to me. When we name a high number, a person's brain is "anchored" there, giving them the expectation for higher numbers, and the same in reverse. It may be silly, but when you joke with $100,000, you flip a SWITCH in their brain to think high. Totally manipulative, totally cool. One of my favorite experiments on this topic involved a study of how much people would pay for a certain product. First, the subjects were asked to write down the last two digits of their social security number. Then, they were asked to write how much they would pay for a certain product. The people with higher digits at the end of their SSN reported significantly higher prices they were willing to pay, than people whose SSNs ended with, say, 04 or 11. Starting with $100,000 and ending at $35,000, even if it is $5,000 more than average, starts to feel like a bargain to the employer. Absolutely recommend and will use this tactic.
Comedy and humor are oftentimes very disarming in a conversation. People who give off a vibe that they have a hard “outer-shell” will usually come out of their shell when prompted with a joke or humorous anecdote. This article provides a very unique method of using comedy to be a useful negotiation tactic. Humor also endears you to someone, and as a result takes them off their guard. By using humor to negotiate for a higher salary, you become more likable to the employer and in turn their mentality can change when deciding what number to offer you. One concern that I have about using this tactic is sexism. Given the horrific pay disparity that exists between men and women in the workplace, I am concerned that this could backfire or be less effective for women when men are doing the hiring. The article does not explain if this study controlled for gender when examining the effectiveness of the joke. On the contrary, there is a possibility that this joke could actually be an equalizing force in ending sexism and pay discrimination in the workplace if it allows women to negotiate for higher salaries more easily.
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