How To Ask For A Raise...From Your Employees

There are countless tips on how to ask your boss for a raise - but how can you ask your EMPLOYEE for one?

I'll never forget the first time I asked my boss for a raise.  My palms were sweating.  I was trembling a little.  I had been working hard, damnit, and I deserved a big fat raise. 

I sat down with my manager and listed all of the ways I had gone above and beyond.  I talked about what I brought to the table for the company.  I went on and on.

Finally – he cut me off.

“What exactly is it that you REALLY want to talk about today, Kyle?”

Well THAT messed up my plan.

“Well, I think I deserve a raise,” I said.

“How much of a raise do you think you deserve?”

“At least $.25 per hour,” I said.

“And how exactly is that going to help the company make more money?” he countered.

Checkmate.  The question I wasn’t prepared for.

In the end, he explained that they just couldn’t afford it at that point.  It was, after all, a small company.  McDonalds doesn’t have an endless budget, he pointed out.

And so, at the wise old age of 16, I shut up and ran to the front to stop the fries from burning.

I learned a lesson that day and it’s stuck with me ever since.  What was I, Kyle Reyes, going to bring to the table for all future companies?  How would I justify not a raise based on past performance, but rather a guarantee of future performance?

Today, I’d like to share with you some tips on how to ask for a raise – from your employees.

1. Give them skin in the game.  Doesn’t it make sense that in the world of sales, the better someone performs…the more money they should make?  Set up a strong comp program.  It shouldn’t just be about giving them a percentage of the sale or a residual commission.  Tie in a retention bonus.  Tie in a sign-on bonus.  Tie in a referral of a referral bonus.  The more an employee benefits financially from the growth of the company, the more motivated they will be to help the company to grow. 
2. Help them to see how the success of your company will help them succeed as well.  One of our clients had a young guy on their team who was innovative and creative.  As a result of his actions and hard work, the company was able to score a very prestigious multi-million dollar contract and some significant media exposure.  It was spectacular for the kid’s resume.  Sometimes the reminder of what success will mean for the EMPLOYEE can go a long way.
3. Allow them to make you more money.  Enough of the bureaucratic red tape.  Enough of the whole “we can’t do that because it’s not our policy”.  If your employee wants to take a risk to grow the company by breaking the mold…and the risk is minimal to the company…give it a shot.  Want to know why so many large insurance companies didn’t even have a website that was mobile friendly until recently?  Two words: red tape.  Cut it – or let them do it for you.  Reward them for success and allow failure to be a growing opportunity…not a firing opportunity.
4. Don’t force them to do something they don’t want to do or are not good at.  My video editors are great at editing video.  My writers are great at writing.  My social media guys are great at social media.  Would I have any of them handle the web development?  Hell no.  Why not?  Because not only would they not want to do it…they’d stink at it – and most likely because they don’t have a passion for it.  I’m sick of hearing people say “double down on your weaknesses”.  No.  Quadruple down on your strengths.  Let your employees follow their passion and their productivity will soar.
5. Cut out the cancer.  I once worked with a woman who did nothing but whine and complain.  The management team couldn’t make her happy.  Her teammates couldn’t make her happy.  Why not?  Because she was just a miserable person.  You know what came out of it?  Her misery spread.  Her complaining was contagious.  She couldn’t be appeased and she was crushing morale.  The owner decided to cut out the cancer.  They fired her without remorse.  Guess what happened?  The productivity for the rest of the staff grew tremendously.

Sometimes the whole “asking for a raise” thing goes both ways.  Just make sure that when you do it, your goal is to grow the company…AND your team. 

Coming up in the next blog…Meerkat vs. Periscope.  What’s hot…what’s not…and are those of us who gave up LIVE television for Netflix and DVR’s somewhat…ironic…for using them?  

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Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, New England's #1 Marketing Agency. We're a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology. You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.