A We all face this many times throughout our careers and it's always daunting. But, a little legwork spent in preparation for the meeting will save a lot of pain during it.

First, long before asking for the raise you have to gather the evidence to justify an increase. Assertions like, "my work volume has increased, " "I have more responsibility now" or "I have brought in more business" will get you no-where if you can't prove them. With specifics.

Gather information you need in advance. If you have an increased number of clients, keep a record of the numbers. If you have more responsibility, list the decisions that fell to you. If you have been managing people, have the evidence to show their development.

If you're a sales-person working every waking hour, but not increasing the bottom line, you may feel you 'deserve' more but meet a resounding 'no' from the boss.

When you have gathered all the relevant information, ask your manager for a meeting to discuss your salary. Go into that meeting with a clear objective; you don't want a vague 'raise'; you are seeking a specific salary increase.

Keep it realistic; very few people ever get 30% increases, asking for an exorbitant hike in salary will look like na�vet�. The easiest way to keep your expectations realistic is to benchmark yourself against other roles similar to yours.

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