How do I figure a fair salary for a unique position?

I'm currently being sought after to work on the core creative team of a relatively small (but very profitable) business. (They're actively pursuing me, I didn't approach them.) The job involves creative writing, brainstorming new products (and possibly new business ventures), developing marketing strategies, and a host of small creative tasks. The position isn't comparable to others I've seen in the job market, so I'm not sure how to figure a fair salary. They've offered $60k, but I have a hunch it might be a lowball number. Would it be crazy to come back with a figure of $80 to $90k? I don't want to appear greedy, but at the same time, I know I would be a valuable commodity to their organization. They're clearly very interested in me, and there aren't many folks with the particular creative talents I have to offer. Any thoughts?

artemisaodc1 - For sites like Salary.com, you need a common position title. Without that, they have no way of doing salary comparisons.

I have worked in HR for many years.

I have never given a potential new hire an offer that was not competitive for the industry. Low balling is really not something that happens when HR is involved, unless it is an old-time industry like manufacturing or shipping. That being said, depending upon our analysis of capabilities depending upon experience and interview "wow factor," we might shoot out an offer that is on the lower end of competitive.

If I were to give someone a 60K offer, I would be willing to consider maybe a 5-10% increase, but only if the candidate is perfect for us and we don't think that we could find anyone else to do the same job. To hear that a candidate wanted a full 3-40% increase on the initial offer would probably not fly, and we might even let the candidate go, because they clearly care more about the money than the work that they are performing, particularly in the context of marketing, where drive is everything.

I have developed positions that are quite a bit more complicated and unique than this, and still been able to find comparables via breaking out the role into 3-5 different more common jobs. In this case, "Copy Writer," "Emerging Markets Manager," and a mid-level "Marketing Manager." Calculating percentage of total work for each of these jobs, and weighting appropriately provides a number.

If you know how to weight this job, then you can find information online, such as salary.com, or even ask the recruiter to provide the comp data used to price out the job. (Variables to find in analysis of comperative competitives include the industry, the size of the company, how current the data is, and the general culture of the company (including benefits)).

Good luck!

Have you checked out salary.com?

Another option is to say that you are excited about the possibility of working with their company and you appreciate the fact that they are willing to create a position for you. You believe you will do above and beyond what they are expecting, so you are happy to come aboard for 9 months at their offer, but would like an increase of 10% at that point if they are satisfied enough to keep you on. They may not