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Salary Negotiation

How to Ask for a 20% Raise: A 3-Sentence Script

Asking for a raise feels terrifying, and many professionals plead instead of presenting business value. The exact 3-sentence spoken framework to anchor a 20% salary increase with calm authority.

Amit Kasliwal
Amit KasliwalCEO & Founder, Dehurdle
August 19, 20262 min read

The Friction

Many professionals delay asking for a raise for months because they fear sounding greedy or putting their manager on the defensive. When they finally speak up, nervousness causes them to ramble about personal living expenses rather than business outcomes.

The Common Mistake: Pleading Personal Need

Never justify a compensation increase with personal inflation, rent increases, or family expenses. Your company does not pay for your cost of living; they pay for the value and revenue you create or protect.

What to avoid
"My rent went up 15% this year and I've been working really hard, so I was hoping we could look at bumping my salary up a bit?"
What to avoid
It invites pity rather than respect, gives your manager an easy out, and sounds hesitant.

The 3-Sentence High-Performance Script

Deliver this 3-part framework at the midpoint of your scheduled 1-on-1:

01
The Anchor: "Over the last six months, our team exceeded our retention goal by 18%, largely driven by the client onboarding workflow I led."
02
The Benchmark: "Given that scope expansion, I have researched market data for this output level, which ranges between $135,000 and $145,000."
03
The Collaborative Ask: "I love working here and want to ensure my compensation reflects this level of contribution—what steps do we need to take together to align my salary to $140,000?"

Handling the 'Budget Freeze' Pushback

If your manager claims budgets are frozen, do not concede. Immediately transition from compensation to a defined timeline.

Recommended script
"I completely understand fiscal timing constraints. If we cannot adjust the base number today, what specific milestones do I need to hit over the next 90 days so we can formally execute this adjustment in Q4? Let's put those in writing today."

The 2-Minute Practice Drill

2-Minute Spoken Practice

The 2-Minute Practice Drill

Open a Dehurdle simulation and practice delivering this 3-sentence script against an AI manager persona who pushes back on budget. Maintain a steady pace of about 130 to 165 words per minute (WPM), insert a 1-second pause after stating your target number, and resist the urge to fill the silence.

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