Josh Doody

Professional Salary Negotiator for High Earners, helping them maximize their comp packages when making a move

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

High Earners: Negotiating a job offer in the next 2 weeks? I’ll help you earn more. https://t.co/xTqoINEt0g

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

@patio11 I had to pause and collect myself thanks to "weird but harmless" 😂

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

Today I'm launching Leadership Dispatch.

There's a lot of leadership advice out there, but the useful nuggets are often buried in 300-page books under idiosyncratic personal anecdotes that may not relate to your situation at all.

Leadership Dispatch is just the nuggets: short, practical leadership principles you can read in less than a minute.

Here's the first one: Own your role:

https://t.co/Ag6p3XinPZ

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

@Shpigford I had lots of ideas before AI, but just couldn't justify the time and effort to build them. With AI, the time and effort is so low that I can build stuff.

I've built three things this year, and I doubt I would have built any of them even like 18 months ago. It's fun!

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

@Shpigford I'm reading OUR texts 👌🏻

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

32. I think if DFW could see what we have today, he would not be surprised and might even wonder what’s taking so long.

In the world of Infinite Jest, we are no longer saying “2026” and are instead identifying each year as “Year of [product by brand]”, where no product is too mundane to purchase a year (I believe one example was “Year of the Depends undergarment”, but it’s been a long time since I read it).

He imagined a world where we would literally track the passing of time via ads.

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

32. I think if DFW could see what we have today, he would not be surprised and might even wonder what’s taking so long.

In the world of Infinite Jest, we are no longer saying “2026” and are instead identifying each year as “Year of [product by brand]”, where no product is too mundane to purchase a year (I believe one example was “Year of the Depends undergarment”, but it’s been a long time since I read it).

He imagined a world where we would literally track the passing of time via ads.

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

@Shpigford Kinda wild that you had to build something to do this. Imagine going into Walmart and trying to discern whether that “Tid3” detergent is legit?

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

@adamwathan Sometimes, the joke actually DOES write itself!

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

@Shpigford Even better: They RSVPed “No”, making sure you know they will not be able to make it.

(I think I’m reading that right, but maybe not ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

I have noticed the same thing with AI coding tools.

But your description of a “bigger lever” reminds me of my meta approach to my business, which has mostly been driven by, “How can I use this skillset in higher-leverage situations to create more value and capture more of that value?”

Interesting that you have done this as well!

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

*Even if you DID “win” that deal, you would lose because it would not be a fun experience. Working with a client who has gritted their teeth and hired you despite feeling your price is too high for them is … challenging.

They will spend the entire engagement working extremely hard to justify to themselves that what they are paying you is “worth it”. They will be looking for proof that their initial objection was warranted. They might even get to the end of the engagement and ask for a refund even though you delivered exactly what was promised.

Certainly, there are times when any deal is acceptable because you need to pay your bills. But if you can think about the long run, avoiding these clients, at least in the short-term, is far better than trying to close them.

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

I did not realize it at the time, but starting my business ALSO meant learning how to “do sales”. The tactic Patrick describes below can be very difficult to execute without SEEMING salesy.

But if you actually believe it, it can be very powerful.

Pair it with “You know, my service may not be right for you right now, but I have a professional colleague who I think may be exactly what you’re looking for. Mind if I make an intro?” and you implicitly position yourself as THE service provider who also has expertise in who is best to work with for the service.

If that person doesn’t demand to be your client now, they are very likely to return in the future when they’re ready. In the meantime, they’ll be grateful that you helped them find the right provider for them at the right time, further cementing your position as the premier provider.

[Patrick McKenzie @patio11]

A common, well-understood sales tactic is "Don't do this if isn't the right deal for you: here are some reasons it might not be."

It works even if you say "By the way this is a sales tactic. It should demonstrate to you that I actually care about your happiness." after it.

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

Adding on to this, there is another thing which is straight from @patio11: “Charge More™️”.

Charge More™️ + This might not be for you + Let me refer you to someone who can help = EXTREMELY compelling sales pitch and objection smasher

“I looked at a couple of others who offer your service and their prices are quite a bit lower. Can you tell me why I should pay your prices instead of just going with them?”

You COULD be defensive and even make a very eloquent pitch comparing your service to their service and explaining why your service is the more valuable service and how you have more experience, or a better offering, or you get better results.

OR!

You could say something like, “Yes, my fees are higher than theirs because I was one of the first to offer this service and I am the best in the world at it. I understand my fees might not be right for everyone and it sounds like you may be more comfortable with a lower-cost option. I have a professional colleague who may be able to help you at a price point that is more comfortable for you and I’m happy to make an intro if you like. Want me to introduce you?”

You may not be in a place where you can truthfully make all of those claims today. But that is where you want to get, and there ARE claims you can make which might rhyme with the claims I describe above. If you marry those claims with “Let me refer you…”, it is a very, very powerful signal that will leave a lasting impression.

You may “lose” that deal now, but you weren’t going to win* it anyway. Then, next time they need your service—in a few months, in a year, in five years—they will think back to you and wonder, “Am I READY to work with them now? I think I’m ready! Let me reach back out and see.”

You will know this is happening because THIS TIME they will say, “I talked to you a few years ago, but we didn’t end up working together and you referred me to [referral], but I think my current situation demands the best and I would like to work with you if it makes sense. Walk me through your offering?”

That person has pretty much already hired you, if you will allow them to.

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

I used to go to Starbucks literally every morning for coffee and morning work (this stopped when everything shut down in 2020 and I just moved my routine to be at home).

I recall most redesigns back then seemed to be more austere with harder surfaces and textures such that it felt very much like they were trying to minimize time people stayed after buying coffee (due to lack of comfort). Good to know they might be swinging back to, “Come on in and spend some time here!”

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

I have never tried to confirm this, but I’m pretty sure I started using it a lot after reading some David Foster Wallace. He uses it extensively and very creatively.

I’m very much a descriptivist when it comes to language and writing, which (to me, at least) means writing like I think and speak.

The emdash is fantastic for that.

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

Also true for adjectives and adverbs in English. Spanish also handles this better.

We give a string of adjectives before the subject:

“The big, fast, empty, red…”

You have to bank all those adjectives but don’t know what object to apply them to.

“…car.”

Now you have to go back and build that picture.

If you knew it was a car to begin with, you could have started with a general image of a car and modified it with each new adjective. Instead, you have to remember all the adjectives and hold them in your mind until I tell you what they are describing.

That’s always struck me as odd.

[Michael Hartl @mhartl]

I recently realized it makes more sense for question marks or exclamation points to come at the beginning of a sentence, with periods reserved to mark the end:

?Why not do this.
!You know right away what kind of sentence it is.

It may look strange, but we would quickly adjust.

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

@NateSilver538 I think this distinction (and curiosity about it) probably dissipates with time.

Could we build modern skyscrapers without steel? No. Is steel a major (THE major?) reason we can build modern skyscrapers? Yes. Do we talk about that much? Not really. We just build skyscrapers.

[Josh Doody @JoshDoody]

@Austen Yep. And the audiobook in particular. The reveal of [character] is MUCH more surprising in the book and the voice acting for [character] is phenomenal. I still quote two things frequently (you’ll know what I’m quoting when you hear them). It’s so good!