Salary question

I recently took a job handling a few websites for the company I work for. Before that I was putting stock away. Since then their online sales have gone from 6k in January last year to 57k this year. I've got their site ranked on the first page on four product lines in all major search engines except yahoo, second page. During the busy months they will be making over 100k a month. The most they ever made in a month before me was 12k.

I work in North Carolina and was wondering what the going salary for a job and performance like this would be. I'm currently working for under 20k and don't know what to ask or look for concerning my newly found talent. Can someone please advise?

Dude, you are a TopGun! You should be workin for #1... yourself!

I don't know what you are selling but your boss would be paying an affiliate at least 5% of gross... almost unquestionably more. Check what your competitors are paying their affiliates and ask for that percentage. Pay for performance. If I had TopGun working for me I would be paying that much - maybe more just to keep my competitor from getting you and kicking my ***. I don't think that I would pay a salary - I want TopGun fighting hard every day.

Thank you for the kind words. Their idea of a raise was 1.5% of the increase form previous fiscal year/month. My commision has been several hundred a month but someday when things level off, they'll be left with an empire and my raise will be gone. Thanks again.

I'd start making websites on my own - at home, after work and weekends. Build them until you are making a lot more than your current salary, then you can afford to leave and have good income, even if you get hit in an algo change or if a new competitor enters your space. I would not compete with my employer, but build in an area of my personal expertise and passion. A year or so after you leave then you can launch a new site and kick their butts.

Employers like this really p*** me off! If one of my employees single handedly increased my income by over 800%, and this wasn't a one shot wonder, I would be falling all over myself to work something out with him/her! If it was a one shot wonder, I'd still see that the employee got a decent Christmas bonus.


Egol, with all due respect, if this guy hasn't signed any kind of a non-compete, I'd go directly into the same marketspace and blow right on by them simply out of spite!

There are some people that are always going to be employees, and thank God for that! However, a gem like this should be rewarded, and rewarded well. I assume that your 20K number was per year? That's criminal!

Of course, we've only heard a single side here...

Personally, if you are happy being an employee, I would ask for a raise of at least triple what you are currently making and then do as Egol suggested.

YES SIR! I would be kissing their feet.


lol.... right! I feel exactly the same way. But let them sweat a year and think that they are living in gravy... it will sting more to take it from them after they are used to it and have bragged to their friends.

40k a year MINIMUM!! Ask for it, or tell them you're leaving to work for their compitition.

If the work transformed it from 6k/mo to 100k/mo, then 40k/yr is too low.

5% of 100k/mo is 60k/yr, which is the floor for this type of situation. Can all the increase be attributed to your work? If so, you need to document precisely why you are the reason it has increased, and emphasize the importance of ongoing work (i.e. if you lose me, then the rankings will go do s*** and you'll be back to square one). Be very polite and workable at it -- maybe you could get some equity?

And I'll have to agree with EGOL on the subject of waiting a year; even without a non-compete, there are issues with direct competition right after ceasation of employment -- that year off before taking them on gives you legal breathing room if they decide to come after you. Let's face it, sometimes companies will sue just because they are pissed at losing money.

Cygnus

Thanks once again for the advice. I actually like the place I work. This is new to both of us.

As far as a one hit goes, ...I've been able to get other sites ranked but not as quickly or as easily. Seems to me having been there idling for seven years helped this site alot. Lots of pages indexed before I got there but no optimization. Another thing I think helped is the sheer number of pages. We have over 30 different online catalogs. Its a hosted, template driven script that doesn't give you lots of room to move, so it wasn't completely easy-breezy site to rank.

As far as work for yourself? You're speaking to my heart, but I'm no salesman. Besides that, ...know how many calls we get from 'seo's' wanting to get our site ranked? Its fun to walk them thru google and show them 2's and 3's for as long as they want to play that game.

Getting closer to starting my own thing. I think you're right about having to take notice of my time when my time becomes more valuable to me.

When I was talking about a one hit wonder, I was referring to setting up a site for a month or three and then diving. If the site is up and it's directly due to your efforts, you need to be paid for your time and expertise. Even if the site had potential bfore you got your hands in it, it was still you who was able to see and realize that potential. No small feat for your first try....and success.

This is the exact reason you need to act now. Tell them you want a straight % of sales.

I feel your pain. I work for next to nothing, can't afford a car, barely make my rent every month, etc. But, it's my company, so the sweat equity will pay off eventually. The problem with an employer who is more of a boss and less of a partner is that the work you do now doesn't neccessarily translate into security for the future. Despite the fact that I only have a few dollars now, I know that in the future, things will get better.

My company takes a direct percentage of sales, and although it's rough going at first, we're looking at a very profitable end of 2005 and 2006.

Dude quit your job

screw those greedy retards,

1.5 percent

muhahah

like egol says you could find an affialte program in about 2 seconds that would pay you 6-10%

I started of at **** paying job during college and I made the guy a ton of money for next to nothing.

get out of that asap

even if the people ane cool etc

OK, I have a new perspective now.

I think I'm going to try a retail site of my own.

I appriciate the hospitality and support.