Negotiation has been a major part of every business deal. Everything is now negotiable as suppliers battle to retain margins and revenue and clients re-educate themselves in the process of negotiation.

Acquiring new, complicated and even specialist skills is something that will only ever help you in your quest for improving your chances in climbing the career ladder as fast as your legs will carry you.

The skill of negotiation is a highly valuable and desirable skill, and certainly one that will be useful in any career you choose. Pay rise, time off, getting assistance - all these require certain elements of negotiation.

If you are unable to negotiate well, or even not at all, then the end result will be at the expense of the relationships that you have built.

When you are trying to work on a business deal, you are working around the ultimate aim of the 'win-win' scenario where both supplier and customer meet at a deal that works best for both parties. The importance of this cannot be highlighted enough because both seller and buyer will be forming a business relationship, which may last for a long time. You want to prepare effectively, and present arguments and documentation that show how you help the company.

Negotiating an employment contract or pay-rise is different in many ways - but the main similarity is that word - Relationships…

Relationships
The first thing that you must remember when negotiating an employment contract or a pay rise is that you are either intending to work with these people or you are already, and therefore you are either negotiating the basis for a relationship or developing that relationship.

Therefore, you will eventually have to arrive at an agreement that suits both parties. The person that you are negotiating your salary with will be looking for certain things in you that will reflect that you are worth what you feel you are, and crucially these are factors that you can draw on without seeming offensive to your employer.

Do you feel that you are worthy of the extra income?
There are a number of things that have to be considered here. Do you really value yourself that highly and will you be able to justify a salary hike in front of your employer. Therefore, are you confident enough about your accomplishments?

Are you entering the meeting with a strategy? If you are considering the package they are offering, are you happy that you will be able to fit in the company's culture?

You are far more likely to be viewed as justified in your claims if the company sees you as a genuine longer-term asset than if you are merely basing your negotiations around the specific job that they have offered you.

Be ready to explain why you deserve a raise. There could be several reasons:

• Your job has changed. You've taken on extra responsibility or changed job titles
• You've saved the company money
• Your labour is worth more on the open market than you're being paid
• You haven't received a raise in more than a year, and inflation has reduced the value of your pay

It is important that you put these reasons before people because your manager might have to put your reasons before his boss, and the more ammunition that you can give him the better.

Does the company really see you as a long-term prospect?
At the meeting it is crucial that you are able to portray your skills and enthusiasm in a broader context that the company can identify with. The idea is that you are not only trying to convince the company that you are more valuable than they originally calculated but the role you have in the company is of greater value.

Should you be prepared to gamble?
It is certainly no guarantee that strolling into your boss's office with a job-offer from another company is going to immediately twist his arm into giving you a pay rise.

The counter/offer scenario is not the best option available far more recommended is equipping yourself with results - what you've achieved and produced.

Market Value
Know your value on the job market. Although many colleagues will not be candid about what they earn give it a go - and also research what people are earning in the same position in the same geographical locations. Jobsite is the perfect place to start. So do some research and find out what's reasonable.

Weigh up your options
You really do have to be realistic about this. If not getting a raise really is the end of the road for you at your company then be prepared to carry through your convictions and leave. But, if you're not happy with leaving, then giving them the impression that you are is not beneficial, it will only serve to burn bridges.

What reactions might I come across?
Something that you will have to prepared for is that in any industry there really are very few people that are totally indispensable, so take a long, hard look at your contribution to the company before you go throwing around ultimatums. However, a less pessimistic outlook might be that getting hold of a replacement that knows all the little nuances of the company could be expensive…less expensive than giving you more salary.

But let's stop for a minute. Let's say all goes well and you leave the negotiations with the raise you always wanted - still there are several things that need to be considered here.

Even if they do cough up the cash then they will seem in some way like they have been pushed into it. One of the worst things that you can do is to head off round the office promising to get everyone drunk with your amazing new flow of cash..This is a no, no as there is only ever one result - people get jealous (all your colleagues are most likely to be far more competitive than you think) and the next thing is that there's a queue all the way down the boss's corridor.

Even though it all smells of roses, they may falter
Just because the boss has given you a raise this doesn't mean that it's time to put your feet up and request a P.A. The chances are your boss might see this as the best chance to really start testing you again - yes…your workload could grow, especially if this was not part of your negotiations in the first place.