Earn It

If that sounds like too much hard work, then stop right there. Everyone wants to earn more money. Saying you’d like a raise because you want to go on holiday/buy those Gucci loafers/your rent has gone up is basically like getting out your begging bowl. It will undermine your future attempts to negotiate, so stick to proving your worth.

Blow Your Own Trumpet

Braggadocio is often seen as a negative trait (unless you’re Kanye West), but humbly keeping your accomplishments to yourself is not the way to a financial boost. Kim Mullaney, executive vice president at Monster, says: “Doing a great job and working a lot of hours aren’t enough to warrant a promotion or raise. You need to demonstrate how you’ve gone above and beyond to add value to your team and organisation.” Shout your wins from the rooftops (or forward that email from a happy client) and your case will be much easier to make. And if possible, add some numbers in. Elana Lyn Gross of Forbes adds: “Numbers are very convincing, include statistics and measurable data wherever possible. Instead of saying you doubled monthly sales, say that you grew monthly sales by 50 per cent, a difference of £20,000.”

Get Real

Of course, we’d all like to double our salaries, but before you go in all cash blazing, conducting a bit of research can help you get a realistic increase. Use sites like PayScale, Glassdoor and Salary.com to find out the market rate for your role, and keep it specific. Researchers at Columbia Business School found that it’s best to give a precise number, and that the average raise is between one and five per cent.

Practise Makes Perfect

It can be at best, unnatural, and at worst, cringeworthy, to practise a speech in the mirror. However, if you’ve rehearsed what you want to say, you won’t forget any vital information when it comes down to it. As Harlan says: “After role-playing the part of a resistant boss, having the actual conversation will be infinitely easier.” So get over the cringe-factor and say it out loud.