The math on a $150K base, and why the first executive offer matters most

Women in Central Indiana do ask for more. Research from Berkeley Haas by Kray, Kennedy and Lee shows that in 2023, 54% of women bargained over their latest job offer against 44% of men, yet the women still came away with less pay. So the trouble is not whether you raise the subject. It is what slips away when the request is modest, arrives too late, or is never made on the one offer that determines every figure that follows.

Take a look at a sample case. Suppose your first executive offer in Indianapolis is $150,000 and you could have asked for $160,000. You accept $150,000. Each later pay increase is calculated as a share of that smaller starting figure. At 3% a year, that single $10,000 gap grows to roughly $270,000 in base pay across twenty years, before any bonus or retirement match that is calculated on top of it. Because every subsequent offer gets benchmarked to the first executive offer, that initial number matters more than any other.

The cheque

Think honestly about your last three offers or raises and answer each question with a plain yes or no.

1. Did you name an exact dollar amount rather than say you wanted "a bit more"?

2. Did you bring up your request before accepting, rather than afterward?

3. Were you aware of the published pay range for the position and knew where your target fell inside it?

4. Did you push for something besides base salary, such as a bonus, equity, a title, or a start date?

5. After naming your figure, did you stay silent long enough to let it sit, instead of hurrying to soften it?

6. After hearing "that's the top of the band," did you ask in Indianapolis or Indy what would move that band?

7. Did you get the final terms in writing before giving notice at your current job?

8. Did you avoid apologizing, justifying your personal expenses, or saying "I know this is awkward"?

9. Before the talk, did you check with a recruiter or a colleague in Indy about what the role typically pays?

Step ten. Have you negotiated at least once in the past two years, whether or not an offer was on the table?

Reading your score

Anyone scoring between 0 and 3 tends to accept whatever first figure lands in front of them, without pushing back. This is not a failing. Few people ever learn how these negotiations actually work, whereas those on the other side prepare for them every single year. You stand to gain more than almost anyone reading this, because your opportunity is the largest.

A score of 4 to 7 means you do ask, but you lose ground somewhere along the way. Usually it is the timing or the second item. The pay you have been leaving on the table is genuine and can still be reclaimed, and your next negotiation is the place to start.

A score of 8 to 10 shows you negotiate the way someone who has studied the other side's playbook does. Going forward, you need to confirm that your anchor reflects what the market in Central Indiana pays, not only your own past salary.

Your options from here

If you scored 0 to 3, pick one sentence for your next offer and practice it out loud until it feels second nature: "I'm excited about this. I was expecting a base closer to X. Can we get there?"

If you scored 4 to 7, bring up a second item as well. The next time a base salary is accepted, try saying: "Thank you. Would we be able to discuss the bonus target too?" Winning the first agreement makes the second one much easier to secure.

If you scored 8 to 10, do a market review this quarter by comparing your current base pay with the midpoint for your title in Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, or wherever you work. If your pay falls below that midpoint, your negotiating may have been strong, but it was aimed at a figure that was off from the beginning.

Pass your score along to one woman you mentor in Indiana. The cheapest protection for your first executive offer is a friend who has already been through one.