Your raise is decided in a meeting you’re not in. Give your manager the words to win it.
Most large employers plan next year’s raise budget months before reviews. This kit gives you every word, from the meeting request to your reply when they say “there’s no budget”, so your manager has something to argue with.
- 8 scripts, from the meeting request to the follow-up email
- Replies to the five pushbacks you’ll actually hear
- An impact log, so the case is ready before the meeting
- 8 scripts, from the meeting request to the follow-up email
- Replies to the five pushbacks you’ll actually hear
- An impact log, so the case is ready before the meeting
If you’ve rehearsed the ask in the shower and then not asked, this is for you.
- You’re doing more than the job you were hired for. Your pay still thinks you’re the old you.
- You’ve waited for your manager to bring it up. They haven’t.
- You’ve practised the opening line. You haven’t practised what happens after “there’s no budget.”
- You worry that asking makes you look ungrateful, or makes things awkward for good.
- And every year you don’t ask, next year’s raise is a percentage of a smaller number.
The ask is the easy part. The second after “no” is where it’s decided.
When they say, “there’s just no budget for raises this year”
What most people say
Oh, okay, totally understand. Maybe we can revisit it later in the year?
- “Later” has no date, so it usually means never.
- Accepts that money is the only thing on the table.
- Leaves nothing in writing for your manager to take upstairs.
What the kit says
I understand. When does the budget open, and can we agree today on what I’d get then? And can we talk about the parts that don’t need budget: the title, the scope, a review date?
- Keeps the door open, with a date.
- Moves to what doesn’t need budget.
- Gives your manager something concrete to bring back.
Your manager doesn’t decide alone. They argue for you.
The size of the pot is set early. At many mid-size and large companies, managers then sit in a calibration meeting, compare everyone’s ratings and pay, and make the case for their people.
Your manager can only argue with what you gave them. This kit gives them a case they can carry into that room, in writing.
US employers were already planning their 2027 raise budgets in March to May 2026. By review time, the size of the pot is usually fixed: your manager is dividing it, not growing it.
People rated “exceeds expectations” got a median 5% raise. “Meets” got 3.5%. A promotion was worth a median 9.7%.
Merit calibration · Team review
Confidential
- Employee A“Sent three results in writing in May. Has been running vendor contracts since March.”Exceeds
- Employee B“Strong year. Nothing in writing on the bigger scope.”Exceeds
- Employee C“Great work. Hasn’t raised pay with me.”Meets+
In a meeting like this, your manager speaks for you with whatever you gave them.
What’s inside: every word, in order.
Contents
The Raise Kit
- What your manager needs to say yes, and when the money is really decided.
- 01The meeting request that says “pay” without making it awkward.
- 02The first 30 seconds, plus a softer opening that still asks, based on a study of asking without backlash.
- 03The three-result case, built to be forwarded to the people who decide.
- 04How to pick a number that sounds informed, and why the first number said out loud matters.
- 05Word-for-word replies to the five ways managers say no, including “3% is standard” and “you’re not ready yet”.
- 06The same-day recap email your manager can take into calibration.
- 07The “what would it take” email that turns a no into a plan with dates.
- 08The promotion version. A promotion raise averages close to 10%, about three times a typical merit raise.
- The impact log, and the timeline that starts months before your review.
The five pushbacks
They’re checking: Do you fold at the first no?
“There’s no budget right now.”
I understand. When does the budget open, and can we agree today on what I’d get then? And can we talk about the parts that don’t need budget: the title, the scope, a review date?
“Let’s wait for your review.”
That works if we use it. Can we agree the number and the measures now, so the review is a check rather than a starting point?
“Three percent is standard.”
Standard is for the standard job. I’ve been doing the bigger job since date. So I’m not asking for a bigger merit raise. I’m asking for a market adjustment / the title that matches the work.
“You’re not ready yet.”
Thanks for being straight with me. What exactly would ready look like? Two or three things, and by when. I’ll come back with them done.
“Let me check with HR.”
Of course. When can we pick this up again? I’ll send you a short summary today, so you have it in writing for them.
Out loud: Practise these out loud more than anything else on this page. They’re where the conversation is decided.
The contents, and one full page as it is in the kit. The rest opens with your email.
How it was made
The Raise Kit holds 8 scripts, 8 sources, each linked where it’s used, and takes about 7 minutes to read. It was drafted with AI, then checked line by line against those sources by Jonathan, the founder of SpeakWings. First edition, November 2026.
It’s the free part of SpeakWings Rise, the $29-a-month practice program. The kit gives you the words. The program has you say them to someone who pushes back.
It’s for you if
- You’re doing more than you’re paid for and haven’t asked yet
- Your review is in the next few months
- You asked once, heard “not now”, and let it drop
- You want a promotion, not just a raise
Skip it if
- You want a guaranteed result. Nobody can promise that, and we won’t pretend to.
- You’re negotiating a brand-new job offer. That’s a different conversation.
- You’re leaving either way. That’s a different conversation.
Fair questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Enter your email and the kit opens on the next screen. No card. We only send you emails if you tick the box.
Will asking make things awkward?
It’s less awkward when it isn’t a surprise. The kit starts with a meeting request that says “pay” up front, and script 2 has a softer opening that still asks, built on research into asking without backlash.
Where do the facts come from?
Every inside fact links to its source: WTW and WorldatWork salary surveys, Pave and Payscale data, peer-reviewed studies, state law. Where a survey was old or self-reported, the kit says so.
Who made it?
Jonathan, the founder of SpeakWings. It was drafted with AI, then checked line by line against the sources.
The Raise Kit. Free, on the next screen.
P.S. Most large employers plan next year’s raise budget months before reviews. If yours is coming, the best time to ask is before the size of the pot is fixed. The kit opens on the next screen.