Demonstrating your Value &

Negotiating Compensation

Michael Mueller

PGA Career Consultant

Carolinas PGA Supershow Education

2.21.23

Agenda

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• Defining The Problem
• Who Is This Guy?
• Visiting The Past (2018)
• Key Terminology
• Understanding Stakeholders
• Show Your Value & Record Your Wins
• Negotiation Strategies
• Determining Your Value
• What Do You want?
• Stages of A Negotiation
• Preserve The Relationship
• Question & Answer / Connect With Me

Defining The Problem

About Me

• Father
• Husband
• Adventure Seeker
• Trying to make the world a better place

From 2018…And Back Again

Some Good News

Reported Carolinas PGA Compensation Increases

(not including Members placed in new jobs)

Let’s Create MORE Good News

PGA Compensation Profile

Compensation Increase Reporting Form

Key Terminology

• Stakeholders - “a person with an interest or concern in something”
• anyone who makes a judgement regarding the value you provide

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• Value - “the material or monetary worth of something (you)”
• Value is subjective and determined by your stakeholders
• Value is employee and facility specific

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• Negotiation - “a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement”
• Success requires trust and communication
• The “agreement” benefits both parties

Stakeholder Alignment

• What does success look like for you in your position from your supervisor’s perspective?

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• What does success look like for you in your position from your owner/Board’s perspective?

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• What does success look like for you in your position from your team’s perspective?

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• What does success look like for you in your position from your customer’s perspective?

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How do you know?

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A Valuable Equation

Demonstrating Your Value

Definition of Value

+ Clear Communication

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Earning What You Are Worth

Defining & Communicating Your Value

• Define:
• The return on investment of your employment
• Your industry expertise

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• Communicate To:
• Create trust, mutual understanding, and appreciation
• Increase in compensation and probability of continued employment

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• When:
• Daily, monthly, yearly - You are negotiating every day!

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• How: I’m glad you asked!

Record Your Wins

Wins must be quantified

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“Assisting in management of golf shop merchandising operation that was recognized as 2016 Section Merchandiser of the Year, generating annual revenues of $465,000 while maintaining a total COGS of 58%”

Record Your Wins

Wins must matter to stakeholders

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“Represented the Golf Department on the Membership Team, which has helped grow the active membership roster over 85% in 4 years.”

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Ideas To Showcase & Grow Your Value

• Create thriving engaged golf communities within your facility to increase revenues
• Commit to Golfer Development Programs
• PGA Player Engagement Consultant
• Play / travel with stakeholders
• Leadership roles - Section involvement
• Continuing Education
• PGA, CMAA, Industry Partners, Online Courses

Tell The Story

Tell The Story & (Update Your Resume)

• Keep the receipts
• Take pictures
• Get in the habit of asking for feedback
• Less is more
• Use multiple reports if necessary
• Highlight the biggest wins
• Testimonials are powerful tools
• Let others tell your story

Negotiating

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“ The art of dealing with people is to see how the world is occurring for someone else…See the world through their eyes and start from there.”

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• Dale Carnegie

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Questions To Consider In A Negotiation

• What do I really want?
• Money, title, or time
• How do I determine the my value in the marketplace?
• Peer compensation, market conditions, or replacement cost
• Stages of A Negotiation
• Opening
• Presentation & Dialogue
• Making the Ask & Handling Objections
• How do I best demonstrate honesty & transparency,

working toward a win-win?

• Always preserve the relationship

What Do You Want?

• Direct Compensation
• Salary
• Performance bonus (overall facility, golf department)
• Commissions (merchandise, new members, member retention, outings)
• Deferred Compensation
• Non-monetary compensation & benefits
• Extra PTO/Vacation days
• Family friendly schedule (weekly hours, weekends, etc)
• Education, tournament allowances
• Family privileges

Determining Your Value

Peer Compensation - What are others in comparable positions at peer facilities making?

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• Backwards looking, always looking at the past
• Depends on active updates by PGA Members
• Your peers might be underpaid too

Determining Your Value

Market Conditions - What is compensation for comparable open jobs at peer facilities

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• Snapshot of the present
• Lots of variables go into compensation for new jobs
• New hires in 2022 saw an 11% higher compensation than the previous Professional

Determining Your Value

Replacement Cost - What would the club expect to pay a replacement if I were to leave?

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• Future oriented
• Eye opening for clubs
• New hires in 2022 saw an 22% higher compensation than the previous Professional when Career Consultant was involved in the search

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Stage One - The Opening

• Ask questions! It’s an ice breaker and opens lines of communication by conveying to the other side you are curious to their opinion or position in the conversation, not only stating yours.
• Questions allow insights into the other’s motives and are necessary to get both parties on common ground. Sets the stage for creating a win-win agreement.
• Questions highlight important information, such as:
• What the employer seeks in the negotiation
• What incorrect information they may have
• What information they may need to know

Stage Two - Presentation & Dialogue

• Present the facts
• Show your value by sharing your wins
• Compensation reports, market conditions, replacement costs
• More questions
• What does your employer need from you going forward?
• How would they like you to add additional value?
• What are the biggest challenges your employer will face in the short and long term?
• Who are your competitors?

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Stage Three - Make The Ask & Objections

• Make The Ask
• Based on the facts and answers to your questions, ask for what you want. Be clear and specific, and allow time in the moment for them to consider their response.
• Handling Objections - Acknowledge. Clarify. Reframe. Redirect.
• “It is not in the budget”
• “I can only offer you a much smaller pay raise”
• “I can’t give you a pay raise now, wait a few months”
• “We only give raises at the end of the year during performance evaluations.”

Closing the Negotiation

• Reiterate your commitment to their needs
• You are still their employee, and they need to know you are committed to your job
• Reiterate the value you bring
• Remind them that more “wins” are coming
• Share what you will do in conclusion
• Both parties should have a plan for follow up
• Preserve the relationship
• “Winning” the negotiation can not come at the expense of the relationship

PGA CAREER CONSULTANTS

Jason Boaz, PGA

Southwest

Caleb Blodgett, PGA

Philadelphia;

New Jersey

Lucas Brick, PGA

Rocky Mountain;

Utah

Caitlyn Doyle, PGA

Northern California

Kevin Drew, PGA

Iowa;

Nebraska

Ken Ferrell, PGA

Aloha

Keith Fisher, PGA

North Florida

Kelly Gilley, PGA

Northern Texas

Jonathan Gold, PGA

Metropolitan

Kathy Grayson, APRW

South Florida

Ryan Holland, PGA

Illinois;

Wisconsin

Andrea Kloppman-Heit, PGA

Minnesota

Monte Koch, PGA

Pacific Northwest

Garrett Korte, PGA

Northern Ohio; Southern Ohio; Tri-State

Chris Kulinski, PGA

Central New York

Northeast New York

Western New York

Jacqueline Madison, PGA

Midwest;

Gateway

Mike Mueller, PGA

Carolinas

Todd Smith, PGA

Indiana;

Michigan

Keith Soriano, PGA

Colorado

Greg Stenzel, PGA

Middle Atlantic

Don Sweeting, PGA

Georgia

Doug Turner, PGA

Sun Country; Southern Texas; South Central

Sean Thornberry, PGA

International

Kevin Walls, PGA

Gulf States;

Alabama-NW Florida

Jim West, PGA

Tennessee;

Kentucky

David Wilson, PGA

Connecticut;

New England

Ed Winiecki, PGA

Southern California

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Michael Mueller, PGA

mmueller@pgahq.com

816.585.7407

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michaelmuellerpga.com