Get That Pay Rise and Claim Your Value!

I have lost track of how many of many people have come to me challenged by the notion of asking for a simple pay rise in their workplace. Asking for more money from your boss seems to be one of the trickiest things to master at work.

Why is that do you think? I think I know why. It directly asks you to reflect inwards and PROVE YOUR VALUE. And considering one of the great problems presented to me in client sessions are issues of SELF WORTH – then it makes total sense that asking for more money based on your worth is complex and nerve-racking.

So, aside from completely hacking your self-worth challenges and asking you to become a confidence guru (although that is a great idea), how might you go confidently into your employer's office, stare them directly in the face and command your worth?

I suggest you try these preparation steps to get you feeling confident, energized and clear about what you want:

1. Totally accept that you might get told NO equally as much as being told YES. It really is a 50/50 proposition in most cases. If you don’t ASK you don’t receive. The first step is to ask. The law of abundance is directly connected to you ASKING for help or support. Asking allows the universe to say yes.
   
   
2. Totally accept that you might need to ask more than once. If you plant the idea that you need a raise, be patient. This allows your boss to know you are seeking it and may give them time to find the extra money to support you. So, if you don’t get it right on the spot, keep the conversation ongoing. You might get it three months later.
   
   
3. Let your boss know that you are going to keep negotiations going if they give you an answer such as ‘the business cannot afford it right now’ – so they realize they eventually have to address it. Perhaps even ask the questions “under what conditions would the time be right to get the pay raise?” or “what can I do to assist the process”.
   
   
4. Get armed with knowledge. You know intuitively you might be worth the extra money but back it up with some stats and bring those into the meeting with you. It’s impressive when you come armed with logic and it’s not just an “I want more money to buy something” chat. What is your market value? What are other places offering this kind of role? How long has it been since you last got a pay rise etc.?
   
   
5. Be prepared to negotiate other remuneration. If they really cannot give you money right now, can you take ½ day Friday off? Can you take an extra week of holidays with pay? Can they let you lease a car before tax taken out? Can they pay for your gym or medical? Can they train you up or pay for a course?
   
   
6. Make a note of the last 5 amazing things you did in your role or achieved in last year. Remind yourself that you are valuable and contributing to the role or team. This could be a sales figure you reached, a training event you ran, a happy client, a happy team or perhaps a creative initiative. Feeling clear about how you add value allows you to feel confident with these things top of mind when having the chat.
   
   
7. If you cannot remember this stuff, bring a sheet of paper with your notes and summary in. It’s impressive and shows you gave it some thought. We are not computer chips and cannot remember everything, so get your key points typed up.
   
   
8. Have a fallback position. If you think it really isn’t going well, then perhaps have the lowest amount you will settle on. Think about what that lowest amount would afford you to buy so it’s not just a figure pulled out of a hat and it should have a meaning to you. That extra money each month might mean a gym membership or a trip at the end of the year to Thailand etc.
   
   
9. Be prepared to walk away. If you really believe you are underpaid, then maybe you are allowing yourself to be diminished. Of course, you need to weigh up lots of factors such as job satisfaction, company perks, the team you work with, your working hours etc. However, if you allow yourself to be under-valued over a long period of time – then you may need to move on and show yourself that you are worth more.
   
   
10. Finally, get yourself energized and motivated before you walk in. Move your body that morning. Listen to some music or meditate. Imagine you get the answer you want. Ask for the right answer and positive chat to unfold. Be grateful for the fact that you get to ask as some under-developed countries don’t have that choice. And remember that money is simply an energy exchange and you are in a relationship to it. Don’t fear it, stress about it or ignore it. If money was your friend, what kind of relationship do you have with it? Make friends with money and be calm around it.

If you can follow those steps above, how could your meeting go anything but awesome? If you don’t get the raise, you win because you have strategies to follow up. If you do get the raise, you win because you asked. Everything is designed to throw us on the course and mold us, so next time you consider asking for more money at your job – do it with energy, intelligence, and conviction, because You are worth it!