1) Do your research. It may be tempting to ask for a lot more than your current salary, but you need to be realistic. Find out by looking at jobs websites and see what the salary expectations are of people in your line of work. If you feel that you have a lot more responsibilities and undertakings than those in similar roles, then this could be a good case for why you believe you deserve an increase in salary.

2) Don't be embarrassed. Salary negotiations are a normal part of business, and are nothing out of the ordinary. You shouldn't feel apologetic about approaching your employer, especially if you feel undervalued for the work you do. Even if your employer is not in a current position to give you a raise, it does not mean you won't be considered in the future. Remember, 'If you don't ask you don't get'- you won't lose anything from asking, and you never know, you could just gain something fantastic.

3) Be prepared to talk about flexibility. Think about the benefits you receive in the company. If you have a company car, but don't really need it, there may be a way of negotiating a cash equivalent instead.

4) Be realistic. You won't be taken seriously if you go into a meeting with your boss and demand a phenomenally high salary increase. You do not want to appear demanding, and by asking for too much, this could make it difficult to get any kind of negotiation going at all.

5) As an existing member of the company you will probably be very aware of this, but it is important to know how well the company is doing. If you are aware that the company have been having difficulties, cutting back on staff, etc, then it is probably not the right time to enter salary negotiations. If however the business is thriving, other people have received pay increases, etc, this gives you more grounds to negotiate your own salary.

6) Remain calm. This is a business meeting, and you are an employee. Therefore it is very important to ensure that you keep your cool. If you start demanding, behaving arrogantly or displaying displeasure at the outcome, this may have an impact on your future with the company. Remember to be polite, calm, and even if you are not offered anything, be gracious and thank them for their time. Your employer will respect your tenacity and confidence regardless, and they may remember this in the future. You don't want them to remember that you got angry and behaved arrogantly, do you?

7) When negotiating your salary with your employer you will definitely need to be prepared to argue your worth. Be aware of your strengths- what you have achieved in your time at the company, what you have brought to the role, any successful ideas that you have implemented and been responsible for. As well as knowing your strengths be aware of anything that you may need to improve on or previous mistakes you have made and work out a way to explain these positively, and show how you have taken steps to improve on your weaknesses. 

8) Any agreement that is made between you and your employer should be recorded on paper. Make sure that you have a written record of the agreement signed by both parties.

Good Luck negotiating your way to a better salary, you deserve it!