WNBA Star Cameron Brink on the No. 1 Negotiating Skill That Helped Her Sign Deals with New Balance, Skims and More – NBC New York

WNBA star Cameron Brink she had to learn to negotiate her worth earlier than most 22-year-old girls.

Brink, who became New Balance’s first female basketball ambassador while attending Stanford University, entered the world of professional basketball earlier this year. with a zero valuation in excess of $200,000, according to Sports Illustrated.

The second overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft is second only to him. Caitlin Clark — earned $76,535 during her rookie season and will pay $78,066 next year to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Despite suffering a torn ACL in June that put her rookie season on hold, Brink’s pace off the court hasn’t slowed down. She has signed partnerships with famous brands such as Icy Hot, Urban Decay, Skims and SoFi.

“Building confidence in negotiations has been a journey for me, but I remind myself that my skills and hard work are valuable,” Brink told CNBC Make It in an email. “Young women need to know that it’s okay to ask for what we deserve: if we don’t stand up for ourselves, no one else will do it for us.”

Brink attributes his growth in negotiation skills to watching seasoned professionals. That includes WNBA champion and three-time All-Star Diricka Hamby. and four-time NBA champion Steph Curry among her mentors.

Brink says the most important step she takes to prepare for any negotiation is researching the companies she’s negotiating with.

“I want to know if they are financially healthy and have room for growth; I found company websites as a starting point,” explains Brink. “My increased confidence has come from learning and learning from every partnership and meeting I am involved in. With every deal, I learn what I want to change in the next one.”

DON’T MISS: The Complete Guide to Negotiating for a Higher Salary

Conducting research may seem obvious before any negotiation, but many people neglect this step.

Adam Broda, an Amazon senior manager and career coach, has spent more than a decade in the hiring industry—and he says one of the most common and costly mistakes people make in salary negotiations is demanding a higher salary without giving a reason. for their request or provide research to support it.

“If you just give numbers without giving a logical chain of how you got there, it looks like extortion,” he said. recently told CNBC Do it. You also risk coming across as “insincere or selfish,” he added.

Another strategy Brink says has helped her build her confidence and sharpen her business acumen is building a network of “trusted advisors” she can turn to for advice on how to negotiate.

In a league where player salaries are still so low, sponsorship can make all the difference.

The WNBA’s highest-paid athletes earn about $250,000 a year, and a single brand deal can bring in between $300,000 and $500,000, said Taylor Burner, a former agent for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). fashion business last year.

In contrast, the NBA’s highest-paid players earn more than $50 million a year—and that doesn’t include sponsorships.

“It’s easy to let self-doubt creep in, especially when you’re facing new challenges or trying to prove yourself early in your career,” Brink says. “But the advice I would give to other women in their 20s is the same thing I tell myself: Believe that you deserve to be where you are, that you worked hard to get here, and remind yourself that you have earned yours.” place, and it’s okay to own it.”

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