Input on salary negotiation

[jt1980]

I’m an NZ based TV producer selling and making shows for the international market. It’s time for me to negotiate a new fixed term contract with my employers.

Over three years, with a sales target of 8.7 million in revenue, I created and sold 14.7 million worth of ‘product’. Which are basically concepts for new shows we then got contracts to produce.

I think I’m on a pretty good wicket really but I’m curious what almost 5 mill in revenue per year would earn me in other industries.

My package: circa 180k per annum, 40-50 hours per week, 4 weeks holiday. There’s a bonus scheme but it’s basically unattainable. Rolling 3 year contracts.

What would I earn in real estate? Cars? Or any other big-ticket sales based industry.

I’m ignoring the fact I’ve got to invent the IP as well as sell it. Easier to just look at income per sales revenue for a comparison.

 

[dnx90]

@jt1980 do you think you'd enjoy other sales based industries more than the (by the sounds very creative) industry you have now?

Do you feel you are underpaid, then consider what increase you need in order to feel like you are fairly compensated.

If you think the bonus scheme should be more attainable, that would be something to discuss during negotiations?

 

[brorob]

@ajebajeb This. Why not negotiate for like a 1 or 2% bonus of sales achieved beyond your target. Are you aware of what your colleagues/others in the field make?

Comparing this to other industries seems pretty tricky given the uniqueness of creativity, IP generation and sales.

 

[shadowenoch]

@jt1980 Car's is hard work and you would be lucky to be pulling 180k normally big hours, but you will generally get a company car. I've got friends/family in the car game and a decent sales person will clear 120k-240k but its big hours.

Real estate is a different kettle of fish and it will take time to earn good money but the money can be crazy but you need to give yourself 2-3 years of barely earning anything.

Technical sales/It sales is probably the most lucrative you can clear 200k but its at the moment a hard field to get into and with all the tech lay offs it would be a hard ish roll to keep at the moment.

Given your salary and what your on all you could ask for is a more attainable bonus and I think you would be sitting pretty.

 

[lcbwtb]

@jt1980 If you know anyone in advertising I would ask them this question using those figures. Would consider it a adjacent semi-creative industry.

If they are your ideas / concepts and the value of them is what you're saying it is I suspect you're being severely undepaid.

 

[resjudicata]

@jt1980 $15mil at 2.5% (real estate) is $375k. But who wants to sell houses

 

[stealthsparx]

@resjudicata OP is selling $15M over three years, so he's taken home $540k, better than real estate.

 

[zofran]

@resjudicata Also real estate is incredibly competitive.

People talk shit, but you actually have to be good to succeed in that industry because so many people consider it fast money.

If you move into real estate you’re most likely to be a property manager not an agent.

 

[salvationsoldier1072]

@zofran Real estate isn't selling houses it is getting the houses to sell.

That's why kids of real estate agents do so well.

 

[zofran]

@salvationsoldier1072 Yep, and if you don’t have the networks established you’ll just work at a real estate agents office or wind up a property manager.

The idea that it’s free money is obviously wrong because lots of people go into the business and don’t ever become successful agents.

If something seems like a get rich quick scheme because the 1,000 people doing it are rich you have to ask”am I the 1001st person to notice, or are the another 9000 who never made it?”

 

[feri]

@zofran Every Job you need to be good at to make alot of money.

In terms of big ticket item/service sales, real estate agents have it pretty good.

Any accepted 1 mill+ RFP is going to require alot more skill than selling property.

 

[zofran]

@feri Yea but you’ll just literally never became a real estate agent if you’re not good at it

You’ll be a property manager. Or working in a real estate office.

If you want to work in sales for easy money being a two for a tobacco company or working at Harvey Norman is more likely to be consistent than trying to be a real estate agent

 

[jt1980]

@resjudicata That 15 figure is spread across three years so I’m doing better than that already. And nope, don’t want to sell houses.

 

[newb787]

@resjudicata The agent doesn’t get 2.5%, they have to pay 1/2 to the agency they’re under, so a normal agent will still be on around $180k with those sales.
Depends a bit where your working too

 

[wordnord]

@jt1980 B2B a good salary+comms is around $150k, plus either company car or vehicle allowance.

 

[melco]

@jt1980 What would it take for you to be the owner here? I knew a guy who did local sports TV producing but he managed everything and did pretty well.

 

[juliusstclair]

@jt1980 I work in the Industry and have been around people who have to create the concept, make the show and then sell it abroad etc. However not at an employee/employed level, more of an owner operator of a prod company level.

They sure as heck pay themselves alooot more than that at any given opportunity, however I realise they carry all the risk and liability when securing funding and making said shows so it’s different.

180k for coming up with the ideas and selling them is certainly not bad, and as a job something like that on a no risk level seems pretty rare in nz I’d think? Perhaps as you are achieving well getting a more achievable bonus program would be the way to go.

All the best, don’t know what shows you’re making but she’s quiet out there at the moment for me!

 

[cydelee]

@juliusstclair I like this advice, salary negotiations around a more achievable bonus scheme would be a good area to focus on for sure. Especially if you like what you’re doing and who you’re doing it for, it’ll demonstrate a willingness to push harder.

 

[jt1980]

Thanks all of you. I don’t want to jump industries, just seeking a little relativity. Which you’ve provided.

 

[mrhopeful]

@jt1980 Its a hard one, I own a couple of accounting firms, here and US, so from the finder fee/partners perspective and also looking across our client bases. How has you remuneration changed over the past three years? It should be up 25 percent ideally. A good operator/ sale person for a mid tier firm in NZ from our client based would top out around 300k all in. Usually 200-300k range. Your income in USD is around 120k that’s okay/middling however my feeling is you are not being adequately paid for the creative element of your work. I would have thought the 200-300 k range would be appropriate. Dependent on your industry and how competitive it is…we have creative clients in writing…more turnover, all earning over 500k when established, self employed. So given you an employee…up to 300k relativity fits unless you can show you add more value on standard metric’s.