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I'm posting this as a new thread as most information on the internet is geared towards employees of large companies - while some is applicable to startups, a lot isn't, and it's hard to filter through and work out how I should approach this. I hope my ramblings here make sense - I'd appreciate advice.

I've been in my job just under a year, and have no experience of negotiating salaries. My manager has actually told me on various occasions (usually while he's very drunk) that he thinks I'm underpaid and that he expected me to try to ask for a higher salary when he made me the job offer.

Apart from this, the director of the company has recently decided he wants to add "warming up leads for the sales team" onto my list of responsibilities. Apart from the fact I find this utterly soul destroying, he's not offering me any extra commission - I already have a profit share of overall profits, but none of this is tied in any way to my performance.

I've had a look at what other companies are offering for jobs similar to mine with similar experience, and actually went to an interview and got a job offer from a company offering a significant pay rise on what I get now. However, I actually do like the company I work at and I love my job, and I don't really want to leave - especially as I wasn't convinced by the other job when I went to the interview - but I just don't want to continue to be underpaid. I have a couple of weeks before I have to make a decision.

My ideal situation would be that my current company would match the salary the other company is offering and I could stay happily where I am. However a) I don't know how to bring this up and b) I'm scared if I tried to ask for more money they'd either fire me or tell me to just go and take the other job.

With the bringing it up with my manager - do I hand in a resignation? Do I talk to him before resigning? How do I go about talking to him, do I talk to him in our weekly meeting, or do I try to make it casual and go for coffee with him, or do I email? I don't know what to do!

Weeza
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This does not differ from asking for pay rise at any other company: You have to asses your worth and then state you expectations clearly.

You have done the first step by having a counteroffer, good!

Now you just have to deliver the message. Do so by requesting a talk about your further career. You superiors will/should know that this is, amongst other things, about salary. Just calmly state what you think you should earn. See if they can make you an offer.

Do not threaten with the other job or even tell them about it. That can go the wrong way and be perceive as extortion or grounds for distrust. And don´t hand in your resignation until you really want to resign!

In the end, all things considered, if you think this is the best use of your future time, keep the job, else quit and take the other offer. Take into consideration the working conditions. Its not easy to find an employer where you actually enjoy your day-to-day work.

blueberryfields
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Daniel
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    I'd include the sound advice never to use the counteroffer directly in the negotiations. it is for OPs use only, this is the value someone else puts on his time. If you slap a counter offer on the table they will already assume you are on the way out the door. You can use industry averages as a point - and ask why management consider you a less than average worker, that is usually a more productive route. – Stian Feb 07 '18 at 13:28
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    Intended to, apparently I was not beein explicit enough, thanks will edit it. – Daniel Feb 07 '18 at 13:31