The Fastest Salary Negotiation I've Had (You Might Have One Too)

04 Nov 2026 #career

I made a list of contributions and achievements in the past year.
I did a quick market research. OK, by research, I mean I asked Gemini.
I came up with a range and an anchor point.
I reached out to an ex-coworker to ask how he asked for a raise.
I reread the chapters on negotiation from Choose Yourself Guide to Wealth.
I wrote a script and had a “what would you do in my shoes?” line ready as fallback.

I texted my “boss” asking for a time slot to discuss a raise.
I was expecting to jump into a call to present my case and “negotiate.”
Instead he asked if we could do it via direct messages.

I texted something like, “It’s been a while, blah, blah, blah… My current rate is $X and I have in mind something between $Y and $Z.”

He replied, “let me check and get back to you.”

Radio silence!

In a 1-on-1 negotiation, you get an immediate answer.
Either “sorry, we can’t do that” or “here’s what I can do for you.”
But this time, a loop was opened in my mind.

The next day, about the same time, I got a text, “Good news! Blah, blah, blah… We are supporting your request to increase your rate to $Y, effective $insertDate. Blah, blah, blah…“

The fastest, easiest, and most awkward salary or rate negotiation I ever had.

Lesson: Always go prepared. Always have a salary range and anchor point in mind. “Ask and you shall receive,” Jesus said. And maybe that could be as fast and easy as some messages via Discord or Slack.

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