Vent: I keep seeing people skip the 'why' when they ask for a raise

I've been a personal trainer for about 8 years now, and I've had a lot of chats with folks in different fields about salary talks. The big mistake I see over and over is someone just saying 'I want more money' without building a real case. I had a client, a graphic designer, tell me last month she walked into her boss's office and asked for a 10% bump because 'it's been a year.' She got a flat 'no' and was crushed. The thing is, she had led three successful client projects that quarter, saving the company a headache with a late vendor. She never mentioned any of that. You have to connect your ask directly to the value you brought, not just the time you put in. It's like showing your work on a math test. Has anyone else had to learn this the hard way, and what specific win did you finally use to get that yes?

2 comments

2 Comments

blake_cooper1d ago

My old boss at the gym gave raises based on who he liked, not who brought in new clients. The whole "build your case" thing sounds good in theory. Sometimes it just comes down to whether they want to keep you or not. You can have all the wins in the world and still get a no if the money isn't there.

the_drew1d ago

Man you hit the nail on the head with "whether they want to keep you or not." I've seen that exact thing happen. A buddy of mine was killing it with sales, had the numbers printed out and everything. Boss just shrugged and said the budget was tight, then gave his favorite a raise two weeks later. It's a gut punch for sure. All that hard work and it just doesn't matter sometimes.