Podcast Summary: Optimal Finance Daily – Episode 3356

“Negotiate Your Next Raise or Starting Salary”

By Laurie Sepulveda of Women Who Money
Host: Diania Merriam
Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on strategies for successfully negotiating your salary—whether you’re seeking a raise in your current role or determining compensation for a new job. Based on an article by Laurie Sepulveda of Women Who Money, the show addresses the unique challenges women face in wage discussions and offers concrete, empowering advice for all listeners. Host Diania Merriam provides additional commentary with her signature blend of realism and encouragement.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Women and Salary Negotiation: Overcoming Hesitation

• Statistics & Context:
  • A Glassdoor survey reveals 68% of women accept the salary they’re offered and don’t negotiate (02:00).
  • Causes range from discomfort in negotiation, undervaluation of their worth, to fear of losing job opportunities.
• Laurie’s Insight:
  • “Just like when you're pricing a house to sell, you have to price your unique job skills and experience according to the market, not according to what you feel you're worth, what a colleague earns, or what you earned when you left the workforce five years ago.” (02:20)
• Notable Example:
  • Sepulveda shares the story of a C-level executive who earned significantly less than male peers due to not researching her market worth and failing to negotiate upon hire (03:10).

2. Know Your Worth & Do the Research

• Tools & Resources:
  • Use services like Glassdoor, Payscale, or specialty consultants (such as Olivia Jarris’s company, cited in the episode) to benchmark salary data.
  • Importance of “cold, hard money facts” versus relying on guesswork or feelings (03:40).
• Laurie’s Quote:
  • “Unless we're armed with knowledge, meaning cold, hard money facts, we don't have the upper hand in negotiating. This is doing ourselves a disservice as a gender because we tend to shy away from talking about money.” (03:50)
• Peer Networking:
  • Advocate for open dialogue about compensation among peers, especially in women’s networking and mentorship contexts (04:20).

3. Negotiation Tactics: Using Silence & Counteroffers

• The Power of Silence:
  • Don’t feel compelled to fill uncomfortable gaps; allow the employer to complete their justification.
  • “Silence can be a very powerful negotiation tool, mainly because it allows you to react in a way that eliminates much of the emotion from the conversation.” (05:00)
  • Practice short, non-committal responses, e.g., “Okay” or “Interesting,” rather than immediate agreement (05:20).
• Making the Counteroffer:
  • Always counter the initial offer, even modestly. For example, “If they’re offering $50,000 and two weeks’ vacation, counter with $55,000 and three weeks’ vacation.” (05:40)
  • Frame counters in terms of your value to the company:
    • “Because of my years of experience and the accomplishments I’ve shown in my previous position, I’m requesting a salary of X.” (05:50)
  • Even small negotiations flex the “muscle” for future discussions.

4. Negotiation Is a Skill That Grows with Practice

• Encouragement to Practice:
  • “Negotiating is a skill like any other and with practice you will get better…” (06:20)
• Additional Perks:
  • If salary isn’t flexible, try negotiating for other benefits (vacation, work flexibility, etc.).
• Key Takeaway:
  • Cultivating a habit of not accepting the first offer, and to “ask for more” as a standard practice.

Host Commentary: Diania Merriam’s Insights (Post-Article Discussion: 09:04)

• On The Challenges of Researching Market Value (09:04–09:54):
  • Diania shares candidly: “I personally have found this very difficult. I saw no consistent market value for the roles I’ve had in my career....”
  • “It all boils down to what an employer is willing to pay based on a ton of factors. It's really hard to come to an objective conclusion on what you're worth.”
• Tactical Advice:
  • Leveraged network by asking competitor companies (without seeking a job) what salary her qualifications merited.
  • Avoided disclosing current salary: “I didn’t answer questions on current salary because I didn’t want that to influence their response.”
• Assess Your Leverage:
  • “Are you a top salesperson or otherwise able to quantify your contributions?” (09:40)
  • Consider what makes your case compelling—it helps both sets your value and makes the employer see your worth.
• Willingness to Walk Away:
  • “As with any negotiation, you're in a stronger position when you're willing to walk away.” (09:54)

Notable Quotes

• Laurie Sepulveda:
  • “Just like when you're pricing a house to sell, you have to price your unique job skills and experience according to the market, not according to what you feel you're worth…” (02:20)
  • “Silence can be a very powerful negotiation tool, mainly because it allows you to react in a way that eliminates much of the emotion from the conversation.” (05:00)
• Diania Merriam:
  • “I personally have found this very difficult. I saw no consistent market value for the roles I’ve had in my career....” (09:05)
  • “As with any negotiation, you're in a stronger position when you're willing to walk away.” (09:54)

Key Timestamps

• 01:09 — Episode Introduction by Diania Merriam (after ad content)
• 02:00 — The gender gap in negotiation and why women hesitate to negotiate
• 03:10 — Real-life example of the costly impact of not negotiating
• 03:50 — The critical importance of salary research
• 05:00 — Negotiation tactics: use of silence
• 05:40 — How and why to make a counteroffer (with examples)
• 06:20 — Negotiation as a skill and encouragement to practice
• 09:04 — Diania’s personal experience and additional commentary
• 09:54 — The power of being willing to walk away

Summary Takeaways

• Be prepared and do the research: Don’t undervalue yourself—use all available data and peer networks.
• Advocate openly for yourself: Normalize talking about money and don’t shy away from the negotiation table.
• Use proven negotiation tactics: Employ silence, avoid rushing to agreement, and counter every offer.
• Know your leverage: Quantify your contributions and be willing to walk away if your needs can’t be met.
• Negotiation gets easier with practice: Every negotiation, large or small, builds your skill and confidence.