So, why do so many requests for a raise fail? Attitude plays a big part. If you are:

• blocked by fear or lack of knowledge, you will not ask for a raise because you do not know how to do it or are fearful to try. You neither fail nor succeed.
• blocked by a lack of discipline, you will request a raise but fail to receive one because you did not take time to prepare. You fail to achieve your objective.

On the other hand, if you are able to negotiate strategically, you are not blocked by fear and you use your will power to prepare. You increase your probability of achieving your goal.

Outline of an Unsuccessful Negotiation

The following steps might appear to you as though they would lead you down the path of success:

Step 1: A request for the meeting is scheduled.

Step 2: Facts and information regarding your job performance are documented. Your market value is established by accessing information from resources such as the American Almanac of Jobs and Salaries, The Encyclopedia of Associations, or industry salary surveys such as the one in this issue of Convene®. This information is organized into a precise and professionally written document together with a spreadsheet.

Consider the following numerous alternatives to getting a raise

• Time off instead of overtime
• Increased vacation time
• Flexible time schedule
• Educational incentives to stay professionally current or certified
• Educational incentives for your children
• A change of title and status
•  A health club membership
• Paid subscription for related trade journals, client journals, books
• Financial planning assistance provided free of charge
• A golden parachute if there are layoffs, mergers, or acquisitions
• Profit-sharing plan
• Time off to attend your children's school events
• A company car, insurance, credit card, maintenance
• Professional dues for professional associations and registration plus travel expenses for association meetings
• Payment for unused sick days, medical leave, vacation, personal days
• Stock purchase plan
• Increased pension contributions
• Cost of living increase
• Three-day weekends at certain times of the year
• A promotion which is a step towards a raise
• Request to sit on the salary and benefits committee
• Early tenure or vestment
• Sabbatical with pay every seven years
• Work from home one day each week/month

Step 3:

You achieve presentation perfection.

Step 4: You receive a polite rejection of your proposal - but with encouragement that with continued hard work and improved performance your future looks very promising. In other words, "no." Why would such a well organized, professionally documented proposal not succeed? Let's explore two reasons why.

Reason #1. The Lack of Contrast and Relevance

It has been said that two people can see the same thing very differently; the proverbial view of the glass half full or half empty. Both describe the identical, same glass. The point? The way information is presented influences how that information is interpreted ? often more than the information itself. What is Contrast?

By contrasting the relevance between your individual worth to your organization's goals, you make it evident that it is in the organization's best interest to give you a raise rather than to not give you a raise. It is of course beneficial to provide data and information regarding your performance. However, if that information does not reflect your ability to contribute to the organization's performance, it will be attention grabbing but not convincing evidence that you are worth an investment in the organization's future.

Establishing that you deserve a raise requires that you select and highlight your contributions in contrast to the organization's goals. In other words, your worth must exceed the cost of the raise.

What is Relevance?

Relevance relates to the decision-maker's reference point. This supports the negotiation principle that all decisions are made in relationship to something. The question is: What is that something? What is it that connects your proposal to the other party's needs, interests, preferences, and/or fears?

A negotiation rule of thumb: Most people do not reject your proposal. Rather, they prefer something else.

Your proposal is only as powerful as its relevance to the decision-maker?s preferences. If your proposal is not framed as a clear contrast between your worth and the organization?s goals, you are at a disadvantage. By using the principles of contrast and relevance, you position yourself as that "something" in relation to the organization as a whole. For example, calculate the direct and indirect financial impact that you have had in your organization. Let's say that you supported the sales team in its ability to generate $5 million over the past six months. Calculate your approximate value in that effort. You could calculate that you freed up the sales staff from 50 percent of their administrative duties - that includes "x: number of hours per customer to do paperwork, and "x" number of hours each day, each month, each year - enabling them to generate additional revenue instead of spending this time in administrative tasks. (If you could demonstrate that your work reduced the number of mistakes previously made and thereby improved customer relations, you have an even stronger case to make.) Thus, 50 percent of $5 million is $2.5 million. Of course, you are not asking for a $2.5 million raise. In contrast, you are asking for a fraction of that.

Reason #2. Questions and Word Pictures

Research indicates that people remember about 95 percent of what they say and somewhere around 5 percent of what they hear. You may have a magnificent proposal, but the challenge is to get the decision-maker?s attention and help lodge your message in his or her mind. How can you do this? First, by asking questions rather than making statements.

Listening is hard work and busy decision-makers are likely preoccupied or distracted with many issues and challenges. This means that while you are presenting your proposal, they may not be giving you their full attention and may remember little of what you said later on when making the decision whether or not to give you a raise. Asking a person a question obligates a reply. It is difficult to answer a question and remain preoccupied. Ask questions that direct their thinking toward your worth. Using the example from above, you could say, "Remember how the sales team used to be bogged down with administrative work?"

The second way you can encourage better attention is to compress your proposal into a 15- to 30-second word picture, metaphor, diagram, illustration, or story. Most people think in pictures rather than words, and they remember pictures better than words. The following three points are guidelines for using word pictures:

1- The idea here is to replace many words with a concise mental picture. Pictures should be able to stand on their own without many, if any, words. This could be an athletic metaphor, or a reference to a well-known work of literature or movie. For example, a manager was asking for a raise following the organization's request to completely reorganize her division. She prepared a 31-page document detailing her challenges. She knew that her supervisor was a sports fan. Instead of walking through the document, she contrasted her task to the movie "Rocky" and the hurdles Rocky had to go through to reach the top. He "got it" within five seconds. The 31-page document backed up her analogy and she got the raise.

2- Do not explain what is understood. Lengthy descriptions are counterproductive to focused listening.

3- Ask the decision-maker what the word picture means to him or her. You might ask something like this root question, "As you can see, this diagram has many potential applications. Would you like to discuss how you think it applies to your/my situation?" (Work this root question to accommodate your style and the situation.)

Analysis of a Failed Negotiation

Let's go back to the previously described negotiation steps, which resulted in a poor outcome and analyze what went wrong in the process.

Step 1: A request for the meeting is scheduled and accepted.

• No problem here; a perfectly fine start.

Step 2: Facts and information regarding your job performance are documented. Your market value is established by accessing information from documented resources. This information is organized into a precise and professionally written document with a spreadsheet.

• Facts and information can be interpreted numerous ways. You cannot afford to allow others to interpret your information differently than you have intended. Therefore, provide a clear contrast that confirms your worth. The contrast must be positioned in terms of the decision-maker?s reference point (what is valuable to him or her - not you).

Step 3: You achieve presentation perfection.

• The difficulty here is that this presentation is you talking. Listening is a difficult and time-consuming task. Your goal is to get the decision-maker's attention, to focus his or her energy on your proposal.

Decision-makers are hard pressed for time. You are competing with many other demands for their attention. Therefore, consider opening your request with a question that builds your credibility. For example, you ask a question that demonstrates your grasp of the complexity of his or her job. Two or three of these kinds of questions should help demonstrate that you are promotable.

Step 4: You receive a polite rejection of your proposal.

• The reality is, most people do not receive a rejection of their proposal. Rather, the decision-maker preferred something else. Asking for a raise is not exclusively about what others can do for you. Rather, it is also about helping them understand that how giving you an incentive can help them achieve their goals and objectives.

When preparing to negotiate a raise, answer the following questions:

What do you think your job is worth? What added value does your position contribute to this organization?

What does your employer/manager believe your position is worth? Do you provide a direct or indirect financial return on investment (ROI) to the organization? Can this be quantified? Qualified?

• What is the economic context of your organization and/or industry at this time? Is the industry in an upswing or downturn? Your answer should provide insight as to the timing of your request. Often a downturn indicates caution in requesting a raise, but there may be exceptions to this. If you do not receive your proposed raise, will you seek other employment?
• How difficult is it for you to find another job? How difficult and/or expensive is it for the organization to replace you? Can your employer afford to lose you to a competitor?
• What is your past performance record? It is commonly accepted that the best way to prepare for a raise is through past performance.
• How long have you worked at this organization or in this position? Do you have seniority? Does the corporate culture expect you to "put in your time" before a raise will be considered?
• Are you promotable? Do you need additional certification or educational credentials to pursue a raise or promotion?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses related to your job? What do your past performance appraisals say about your strengths and weaknesses? Have these changed?

Dr. Kenneth Sylvester holds a Doctorate in Leadership and Management and an M.A. in Organizational Management. He has more than 30 years of experience as a professional negotiator, marketing advisor, and business operations, education, management, and leadership consultant, working with such organizations as the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, Boeing, Microsoft, the U.S. Attorneys Office, and Coca-Cola. He is president of Organization Strategy Institute Inc., www.kenosi.com.