The women’s march captivated everyone’s attention this weekend.

And while every person seemed to have their own reasons for marching, there was one reason that was universal:

Women deserve to get equal pay.

Yet, it’s 2017, and the wage gap exists. On average, women still earn less than men.

How can this be?

Almost everyone supports the idea of equal pay…

….And the vast majority of companies have strict policies that explicitly address this issue…

………..And most HR Departments are run by women!

But even though this statistical trend is a current reality, there are lots of individual women who break this trend.

If fact, Harvard research has shown that there is one thing that women can do to break this trend, and start earning more right now:

Negotiate.

Harvard researcher Fiona Greig concludes her research by saying:

“If women were to negotiate on behalf of themselves as much as men do, they would advance as quickly as men and eliminate the under-representation of women in the top ranks of the organization.”

Now, before you run over to your boss and demand a raise, let’s develop a strategy to help you actually pull it off.

At this point, you might expect a list of “Top 5 Negotiation Techniques” like “Wear power colors”, or “Start with a higher salary figure number than you expect”.

But the truth is: Successful negotiation is not about techniques – it’s about competitive pressure.

Before we show you how to dial up the competitive pressure on your boss, and get a Sweet Raise, let’s take a quick, simplified look, at the economic principals at play here.

In our “Free Market” economy, wages aren’t set by the government (beyond minimum wage and government jobs).

Instead, your salary is set by supply and demand within the job market. Think of it as an auction for your talent.

Remember: employers don’t pay you what you are worth – as a person (you are a priceless, unique human being of infinite value and worth).

Instead, employers will attempt to pay you the minimum amount required to keep you in that position.

In other words, they pay only what you’ll tolerate.

The easiest and fastest way to get paid more is to go get competitive job offers.

You can either accept those higher paying jobs or use those job offers as leverage to get your boss to give you a raise.

(By the way, Allen successfully negotiated a $20,000 raise with his employer using these principles in back in 2013, allowing us to buy our first home.)

The key to getting higher paying job offers is to follow a system that allows you to generate multiple offers within a short period of time.

This creates a bidding war among potential employers and gives you the ability to easily and successfully negotiate your best possible job offer.

We teach this exact process in the Sweet Job Plan (currently waitlisted).

You can do this while still employed at your current job, and you can use that new competitive job offer to get a huge raise at your current job (your current employer will often magically find extra money they are willing to pay to keep from losing you).

The skill of being able to generate competitive job offers is one of the most important skills you can cultivate over the course of your career.

Imagine being able to get a better job whenever you want. Your employers would have to treat you right, or you’d just leave them behind.

That skill is how you convert your value on the job market into profitable and satisfying job options.

On an individual level, this skillset is the most important thing that women need to break through the glass ceiling, and get equal (or higher) pay than men.

We’d march to that.

Girl Power,

Allen and Monica