Salary Negotiation: Building a Business Case That Gets You the Raise

By

Hannah Kissel

March 31, 2026

•

14

min

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About the episode

When you have a reputation for being super dependable and you constantly over-deliver, companies come to expect that you will take a bigger scope with decreased pay. If you are 15K below the median for your level and already received a soft no from your boss, you must re-approach the conversation to break this pattern. In this episode, Hannah explains how an underpaid HR director can advocate for herself by building a factual business case. She details exactly how to structure a one-page report with internal and external benchmarks and why you must set aside a separate meeting rather than trying to shoehorn a salary negotiation into the end of a one-on-one.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

If you do not advocate for yourself, no one else is going to magically give you more money.
Being 15K below the median makes a substantial difference because that money compounds over time.
You must create a one-page business case that details your scope expansion rather than relying on an emotional conversation.
Benchmark your salary externally by bringing job descriptions from competitors directly into the conversation.
Schedule a separate meeting to discuss your salary so you do not shoehorn the negotiation into the last five minutes of a one-on-one.
Sending your business case to your boss beforehand ensures there are no surprises and prevents you from backing out.

Timestamps:
00:45 - The most common salary question Hannah gets
01:00 - Two issues at play: practical skills vs. confidence and self-worth
01:30 - Listener question: underpaid HR Director, soft no from her boss
02:55 - Hannah's response: why you must re-approach this negotiation
04:10 - Step 1:Build your business case (the one-pager framework)
08:35 - How have YOU approached salary negotiation?
09:05 - Step 2:How to actually have the conversation
10:30 - Mindset: reinforcing your self-worth before you walk in the room

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Executive Coach, columnist, podcaster, and speaker.

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