Ask For More in a Downturn
Flip what you lack into what you have, and negotiate as an act of service.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 90%
Carter rejects the myth that nobody can ask for more during a pandemic or downturn — you just need care in your wording and messaging. The first move is a reframe: people say 'I can't ask for more because I don't have experience,' and she flips it to 'what do you have that other people don't?' Younger, more recently in the workforce: maybe technology skills others lack, more recent education on topics that let you update the company, fresh eyes on a problem, energy, vision. The second move is category-checking: if there have been layoffs and you've been asked to take on more responsibilities, if you've outperformed your benchmarks, or if you have specialised skills that are important right now, you should be asking. Her closing frame is the moral one: negotiating for yourself demonstrates leadership and teaches the company what kind of negotiator you'll be for them — and when you teach someone how to value you, you teach them how to value all of us.
Origin
Carter's first salary negotiation was the birth of the book. She went in with her power suit, super nervous, and the offer came in slightly above what she expected. She called a senior woman in her field asking if she should just take it. The woman said: 'you're gonna go in and you're gonna ask for more, because when you teach someone how to value you, you teach them how to value all of us. Do it for the woman coming after you. Do it for the sisterhood.'
Core principles
- 01It's a myth that nobody can ask for more during a downturn — you just need care in wording and messaging.
- 02Flip 'what I don't have' into 'what do I have that other people don't'.
- 03There are specific categories that justify asking: more responsibilities, outperformance, scarce specialised skills.
- 04Every dollar of a company's money should be spent on a proven performer.
- 05Negotiating for yourself teaches the company what kind of negotiator you'll be for them.
- 06When you teach someone how to value you, you teach them how to value everyone who comes after you.
How to run it
- 1
Reject the downturn myth
It's a myth that nobody can ask for more during a pandemic. The constraint is on wording and messaging, not on asking.
- 2
Flip 'what I don't have' into 'what I have'
Instead of 'I can't ask because I don't have experience,' ask: what do I have that other people don't? Recent tech skills, more current education that lets you update the company, fresh eyes on a problem, energy, vision.
Pro tip Think about what you do have to offer rather than what you don't.
- 3
Check whether you're in a qualifying category
Three categories justify the ask: (a) there have been layoffs and you've been asked to take on more responsibilities; (b) you've outperformed your benchmarks; (c) you have specialised job skills that are important right now.
Pro tip Yes, dollars are precious right now — but shouldn't every dollar of the company's money be spent on a proven performer like you?
- 4
Build the case with a forward commitment
Lead with your commitment to the company, lay out everything you've done this year, state what you should be making, and attach what you'll deliver once paid appropriately.
- 5
Frame the ask as leadership evidence
When you negotiate on behalf of yourself, you're teaching the company what kind of negotiator you'll be for them. Tactful, collaborative, assertive self-negotiation shows leadership skills.
- 6
Do it for the people coming after you
Before you hesitate, ask: who's looking to me for inspiration? Who might I, through my negotiation, make a seat at the table for down the line? Asking for more can be an act of service.
Pro tip When you teach someone how to value you, you teach them how to value all of us.
In the wild
A younger woman heading business development at a smaller company killed her sales benchmarks even during Covid. She and Carter strategised, and she went to her boss and said: during the pandemic, I love working here, here is everything I have done this year, this is what I should be making — and once I am paid appropriately, I want you to know I'm going to go out and continue to sell like you've never seen.
→ She got the raise.
Carter went into her first salary negotiation in her power suit, super nervous. The offer came in slightly above what she'd expected, and she called a senior woman in her field to ask whether she should just take it. The woman told her to go in and ask for more — because when you teach someone how to value you, you teach them how to value all of us. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for the woman coming after you. Do it for the sisterhood.
→ That moment — realising asking for more could be an act of service to the people coming after her — was the birth of the book Ask for More.
Common mistakes
Disqualifying yourself on inexperience
'I can't ask because I don't have experience' is an inventory of what you lack. The flip — what do I have that others don't — usually produces technology skills, current education, fresh eyes, energy and vision.
Assuming a downturn is a blanket no
Dollars being precious is precisely the argument for spending them on a proven performer. The downturn changes the wording, not the entitlement.
Waiting to be given rather than negotiating
Not negotiating also teaches the company something — about what kind of negotiator you'd be on their behalf. Silence isn't neutral.
Is it for you?
Best for
Early-career professionals and anyone who has taken on more work or outperformed during a downturn but feels they can't justify asking.
Not ideal for
Someone with no expanded responsibilities, no outperformance, and no scarce skills — the categories are the qualifier, not decoration.
From the transcript
“i think it's a myth that nobody can ask for more during a pandemic”
“think about what you do have to offer rather than what you don't”
“when you negotiate on behalf of yourself you are teaching the company what kind of a negotiator you will be for them”
“you're gonna go in and you're gonna ask for more because when you teach someone how to value you you teach him how to value…”
From the episode
Alexandra Carter: Negotiate Anything
Alexandra Carter