How do you research and determine a realistic salary or title range for your desired position?

1 Know Your Value

Before you approach your boss, you need to know your value. This means assessing your skills, accomplishments, and contributions to the organization. How have you helped the company achieve its goals, solve problems, or improve processes? How have you demonstrated leadership, initiative, or creativity? How have you exceeded expectations, taken on extra responsibilities, or learned new skills? Gather evidence and data to support your claims, such as performance reviews, feedback, testimonials, awards, or metrics. You can also benchmark your salary or title against industry standards, using online tools, surveys, or networks.

2 Prepare Your Pitch

Once you have a clear idea of your value, you need to prepare your pitch. This is the message you will deliver to your boss, explaining why you deserve a raise or promotion. Your pitch should be concise, confident, and compelling. It should highlight your achievements, your goals, and your potential. It should also address your boss's needs, concerns, and expectations. How will your raise or promotion benefit the company, the team, or the customers? How will you handle the increased workload, expectations, or challenges? How will you continue to grow, learn, and improve? Practice your pitch in advance, and anticipate possible questions or objections.

3 Choose the Right Time and Place

Timing and setting are crucial for a successful negotiation. You want to choose a time and place that are convenient, comfortable, and conducive for a productive conversation. Avoid asking for a raise or promotion when your boss is busy, stressed, or distracted. Instead, schedule a meeting in advance, and let your boss know the purpose and agenda. Choose a private and quiet location, where you can speak freely and respectfully. Be prepared to be flexible and respectful of your boss's schedule and availability.

4 Build Rapport and Trust

Negotiating a raise or promotion is not just about numbers and titles. It is also about building rapport and trust with your boss. You want to show your boss that you are a valuable and loyal employee, who cares about the company and the relationship. You can do this by expressing gratitude, appreciation, and recognition for your boss's support, guidance, and feedback. You can also show interest, curiosity, and empathy for your boss's perspective, challenges, and goals. You can use positive body language, eye contact, and tone of voice to convey confidence, respect, and sincerity.

5 Be Flexible and Realistic

Negotiating a raise or promotion is not a one-way street. It is a dialogue, where you and your boss need to find a mutually beneficial solution. You need to be flexible and realistic, and willing to compromise and collaborate. You may not get exactly what you want, but you can still achieve a satisfactory outcome. You can do this by having a range, rather than a fixed number or title, in mind. You can also consider other forms of compensation or recognition, such as bonuses, benefits, perks, training, or feedback. You can also ask for feedback, suggestions, or action steps to improve your performance and reach your goals.

6 Follow Up and Deliver

After you have negotiated a raise or promotion, you need to follow up and deliver. You need to confirm the details and terms of the agreement, and thank your boss for the opportunity and trust. You also need to deliver on your promises, and prove that you are worth the raise or promotion. You can do this by maintaining or exceeding your performance, taking on new challenges, learning new skills, and supporting your team and your boss. You can also seek feedback, recognition, and guidance along the way, and continue to build your relationship with your boss.