How to Ask for a Raise (Step-by-Step Script That Works)

How to ask your boss for more money step by step. Stay tuned. Hey, so I'm Natalie Fisher. I help people get promoted, get where they want to get in their careers. I help them by starting out landing their first six-figure job if they haven't had a six-figure job before, getting to the next steps. And then I use all my tools and strategies, mental and so mindset and strategy, to help you. Advance in the position that you get. So in this video, I want to talk about asking for a raise, having that discussion, bringing that discussion up, and everything I've learned as far as how I doubled my salary in a company within a 4-year time span and what it took to do that. So obviously in this video, I won't be able to cover all of that, but I'm going to give you some steps as to how I achieved that. So The first thing people do is that they, they go approach asking for a raise wrong, right? So a lot of the times when people, when clients come to me, and no judgment, you don't know what you don't know, is they'll come and ask for a raise based on what they need, right? They'll be like, well, I need this because, like, the most basic example is my living expenses are going up, or this is happening, or this is happening. Like, the world is changing. I need more because things are changing, right? Mm-hmm. And that's not a really good, very strong position to ask for a raise from, right? It's not a very strong position because everybody can say that, right? And it's like, not everybody just gets a raise because things are changing around you, right? So the stronger position to go, to go from, and the one that I really learned to attack from every single angle, which is why I was able to double my salary in that short amount of time, was coming from the position of the value that you've brought and getting very specific and very tangible with that value and learning to communicate it in many many different ways, and that's what I really got good at. So the mistake is clearly to not ask for a raise based on, based on things that you need, based on the wrong reasons. Okay, so if you go in asking for a raise from with the wrong reasons without a plan, you're likely going to get turned down. And you might get turned down anyway, but here's why that's not a problem. So the first step is coming up with clear reasons why you want to ask for more money, why you're very solid and clear in the position that you deserve more money, and asking for it unapologetically. So that's the first step. Secondly is getting very clear on why it's a no-brainer. So say you put yourself in your boss's position and say, okay, if my employee is coming to me asking for a raise, what would make it absolutely a no-brainer for me to say, okay, it's actually going to cost me more to not give them the raise than to just give them the raise? Because cost of replacing somebody, the cost of having to hire and train somebody new, the cost of recruiting somebody new, the cost of all that time spent getting that person up to speed, all that is going to cost more than just giving you a raise. And I don't like saying this, but this is the truth. I've had clients who have done all the things, they've made it a complete no-brainer, and they still haven't gotten their company to budge. And the only solution in that situation, and it is if you have actually tried everything, because a lot of people say they've tried everything when they haven't. So caveat. It. Again, in these videos, I can't go— I can't tell you if you've specifically tried everything, but I've worked with some clients that have. They've made it a complete no-brainer, and the company still doesn't want to budge. And in that case, you, like, you will need to move on if you want to make that money that you want to make. And there's nothing wrong with that. And in fact, the statistics would show that people who do quote-unquote job hop, move on when they're not getting what they've asked for and what they've contributed in relevance to their value, when they move on, they do tend to make bigger jumps in pay than staying in one place. But I would still advocate for you to advocate for yourself in that company anyway, because it is a skill that you will need to practice and you will need to develop throughout your career in order to be able to make the, the salary that you know that you should be making given the value that you're contributing. Okay, so it's a skill anyway, so you do need to do it. So let's recap. Step 1 is creating those good reasons as to why, and the reasons need to reflect The value that you've contributed, making that a no-brainer as to why you get— why you deserve to get a raise. Number 2 is understanding that you might get a no. You might get a no, and that's not a problem. Okay? So when I was negotiating my raises, when I doubled my salary, I got lots of nos. And here's what I want to share is I didn't instantly make it mean that I wasn't good enough or that I wasn't creating the value. that I thought I was creating, which is where I find most people go. Most of my clients, when they get a no, they'll come and they'll be like, oh, like, it's not working. Maybe I don't deserve it. Either one of two reactions. They'll be like, oh, I don't— maybe I don't deserve it. Maybe I'm asking for too much. Maybe I am being greedy. Or they'll be like frustrated and be like, ah, they don't want to give it to me. They're not being helpful. They're never going to give it to me. They get frustrated, right? So neither of those two reactions is helpful or useful for you to get where you're going. So the The third reaction that I recommend that I put into practice is getting curious. Okay? It's going to be asking myself some very hard questions, questions that are not comfortable to answer, questions that I'll need to go down rabbit holes and do research on. Questions like, okay, where did I not present the value? Where did I not make it a no-brainer? Where did I not show them the value in a way that they could resonate with? What kind of boss are they? What is important to them? Did I present it in that way where it's important to them and they could resonate? Is— and then holistically, is this place ever going to be able to pay me that much? Are other people making, um, even in leadership, are they making quantifiable salaries to what I want? Are they making similar salaries to what I want? Like, is it realistic in this environment? Now, I'm not saying is not realistic in— if it's not realistic in that environment, it's not realistic anywhere. I'm saying that there's just going to be some places that won't be able to afford it, right? So say a nonprofit or like the school district or whatever, they just won't be able to pay more than a certain amount. But if you go to a different company company, maybe doing the same role, the same type of work, then you will be able to get paid more. So I always use the example of a really qualified chef who, for example, he's, he's got really great skills, he's got awards, he's a, he's a master chef, right? Maybe he's even won a cooking competition or two. He could work at the high school cafeteria and he can make a certain amount of money, and he's doing the same skills, he's offering the same value at the high school cafeteria. And probably more than he needs to. If that same chef goes and works at an upscale New York restaurant on the Upper East Side, for example, he's going to make a lot more money for the same skills, right? For the same, for the same person doing the same work, he's gonna earn a lot more money cuz he's in a different location. So I want you to be very careful to not assume that if you're not getting a raise, it like, don't assume it's because you're not good enough or cuz you didn't offer enough value. And don't assume it's because they're jerks and they're not willing to pay you. Here's more helpful assumptions. More constructive assumptions would be: I didn't communicate the value well enough. I haven't put it in front of them, so it's a no-brainer. I could potentially be in the wrong environment, so I could be the right package at the wrong address. And all of those situations, all of those assumptions will put things back in your control, right? You get to control exactly how you take action now, how you move forward now, what you do. And so by repeating this process, I was able to double my salary. Now it's nuanced. It doesn't mean that you just put it into play, boom, boom, boom, and then it works. Okay, everyone wants like an easy, easy step-by-step solution. No, it's nuanced, right? You're gonna be dealing with different people. You're gonna have different value that can be quantified and shown different ways. And that's why I have a deep dive program that I, that I call the Value Vision Program, which actually helps you to quantify that value very specifically with very detailed questions, helps you identify the 4 different types of people that you'll be dealing with, like bosses, decision makers, how to talk to each one, how they want that value to land with them, how it'll be a no-brainer for them, and how to identify the environments that are going to be right for you, attract those environments, speak to those environments, and be a match for those environments. So I hope this was helpful for you. The reason I wanted to make this video was because a lot of people ask for raises and a lot of people don't get them. And I don't want to see people discouraged when they don't get them because I was one of those people. I was told no. But if I had just— if I had told myself, that I wasn't good enough or that I wasn't creating the value, then I wouldn't have never had the resolve, the conviction to just keep going and asking until I got what I wanted. And there was no apology about that. I wasn't saying, oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be asking for this, I'm being greedy. It was more like, nope, I've contributed this, I'm asking for this. I kind of saw it as like, I'm making you a bigger pie and I'm asking for a bigger slice. I'm— I think that's pretty fair, no? And When I saw it like that, I'm just like, I just need to keep adjusting how I'm communicating this so that they see that way too, right? And if you know me or you know my story, you know that I was in a relationship for a really long time that never valued me, that didn't acknowledge my feelings, that didn't— personal relationship. And the way that I kind of saw that differently was, I am— I'm just not a match for this environment anymore. I'm not a match for this person anymore. Once I was able to see my own value, I was able to say, okay, it's painful, it's hard, it's uncomfortable, but I need to to leave this environment because I need to find one that's going to be a match for me. And when I did all that work, it became very simple. It wasn't easy, of course. Emotion— emotions were, were tough to navigate, but it was the right thing to do. So that's going to be how it comes down. Like, if you're asking for raises, you're going to either get, uh, get met with a yes, or a yes, we'll go check, yes, we want to do that for you, we want to figure this out, we want to keep you, we really value you, or you're going to get with a no. And if you get met with a no, it doesn't mean That you are not doing a good job. It doesn't mean that you're not good enough. It doesn't mean that your work is not good enough. It— and it doesn't mean that they're jerks either, because none of that is helpful to you in ultimately going where you want to go. And that's what I want to help you do. So if you like this video, give it a thumbs up if it helped you switch your perspective. If you didn't like it, I always give the option, give it a thumbs down. And if you want to leave a comment and let me know any ahas you had from this video, I would love it. Um, my Value Vision program, there's a masterclass to get started with that where I walk you through the different types of ways to communicate the value, the different types of people you'll be speaking with, and exactly how you need to change in order to see the value that you put out into the world reflected back to you in a different way. So I hope to see you, um, in the next video, and I will talk to you next week. This concludes our How to Talk to Your Boss series, and I can't wait to do another series. And I don't know exactly what it's going to be yet, but I will see you back here for that. See you soon. Bye!