How to Enhance Your Money-Making Potential – 3 Tips You Haven’t Tried Yet

Ever feel like you are stuck in a rut? Perhaps you have seen coworkers get a promotion that you wanted, or old schoolmates begin to earn more than you. Or perhaps you are still a student and you are simply wondering where you can find flexible work for students.

 

While goals of making more money sound good, it can be difficult to know where and how to start. This article will give you 3 tips you may not have tried yet, that will put you in a better position to increase your monthly earnings.

 

1. Try visualizing a money-related goal.

 

Time magazine recently reported that the top 10 percent of earners made $170,000 last year. While your sights might not be set that high, why not put a number on how much more you want to earn? Even small goals matter. Why? Having an idea of exactly how much will help you use the power of visualization to your advantage. Visualization is a tactic that most top performers and those successful in their fields use. How does a person do that with money goals? Jim Carrey wrote himself a $10,000 check at the beginning of his career for acting services rendered. It worked for him. Whether your goal is to increase your earnings by $10,000 or to get rid of debt by the end of the year. Have a goal and visualize yourself achieving it.

 

Why does this work? When you are continually reminding yourself of what you want to achieve, chances are higher you will achieve it.

 

2. Ask for a raise.

Sometimes the easiest way to make more money is to go to the source of where your present money is coming from. Worried that your boss will be upset and fire you? Don’t be. Or at least, it shouldn’t worry you too much. Looking for your replacement and training that person comes with costs that a harried employer would much rather avoid. One survey showed that 44 percent of those who asked for raises got them. If you are doing a good job, then keeping you around is a better idea than firing you. And a boss worth her salt will know that much.

 

But there are things you can do to make it easier for your boss to agree to a raise. Here are some quick tips.

• Outline how you have either increased profits or how you have helped the business save money.
• Know what other businesses are paying those in your position. Use sites like Glassdoor.com or Payscale.com as a reference.
• Have a definite number in your head of how much you want to ask for so you won’t be hemming or hawing if you are asked directly what you think you are worth.
• Practice presenting your case to a friend or someone you trust so that you are well prepared to state your request.
• Do not bring up personal reasons for why you want the raise. A reason like because you have a vacation you want to attend will not impress. Stick to highlighting your professional accomplishments and let that speak for you.

3. Invest in yourself.

 

If your place of employment provides training or educational resources, take those courses. Even if they do not, take additional courses on your own. A huge number of workshops, seminars, and courses are now available for free online. So money concerns should not hinder you from increasing your existing set of skills. Having one additional talent in your skillset could mean the difference between you getting a coveted job, or being passed over.

 

And do not be afraid of seemingly strange combinations of talents. Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic series, attributes his comic’s success to the cross section of his diverse talents. In his book, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, he states that his drawing skills alone could not have led him to success. Nor his writing ability alone. But it was the pairing of both his drawing ability and his writing of jokes that allowed him to create the office comic that has become a classic.
Just by adding one additional skill to your existing set of talents, you will be enhancing your appeal to future employers. Employers who need exactly what you have to offer will be willing to pay what you ask for, versus hiring two people to do the job that you can fill in a unique way.