The Briefcase Technique
Agree on the numbers six months early, then theatrically prove you hit them.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
The Briefcase Technique is Sethi's salary-negotiation playbook. Rather than begging at your annual review, you proactively set a meeting to ask your boss what three specific, quantifiable things would make you a top performer. You confirm those goals in writing, then actually hit them over about six months while sending written updates every two weeks. When you return to ask for the compensation adjustment, you theatrically pull out a chart proving you exceeded the agreed targets, backed by salary research — making it very hard to say no.
Origin
Sethi built and popularized the technique (with a well-known video demo) after watching people shrink in their seats and beg for raises with no rationale, then get rejected.
Core principles
- 01Don't beg at review time; take control of your career months ahead.
- 02Ask your boss what three things would make you a top performer.
- 03Get specific, quantifiable goals — don't accept 'just do better'.
- 04Send written progress updates every two weeks.
- 05At the meeting, theatrically present proof you exceeded the agreed goals.
How to run it
- 1
Ask for advice, not money
Set a meeting framed around your career: 'I want to be a top performer — what are the three things that would make me one?'
Pro tip Bosses light up when someone asks how to make their job easier.
- 2
Get specific and confirm
Pin down measurable goals — push back on 'just do better' — and summarize them in a follow-up email.
Pro tip Insist on numbers you can quantify later.
Watch out Vague goals give the boss room to deny you at the end.
- 3
Perform and update
Over roughly six months, actually hit the numbers and send a written progress update every two weeks.
Watch out You genuinely have to deliver; you can't ask for money for no reason.
- 4
Present the proof
In the final meeting, theatrically present a chart showing you exceeded each agreed goal, then state your researched target range and ask for the adjustment.
Pro tip Do salary comp research so your number is defensible; if they still say no, you can take it elsewhere.
In the wild
Six months after agreeing on goals, the employee sits down, recaps the three targets, and pulls out a chart: 'Our goal was a 6% conversion improvement — I delivered 7.2%,' then presents the researched pay range they want to discuss.
→ The groundwork and evidence make it very difficult for the boss to refuse the raise.
Common mistakes
Begging at review time
Walking in and timidly asking for a raise with no rationale ('maybe, if it's okay') invites an easy no.
Accepting vague goals
Letting the boss say 'just do better' leaves you with nothing quantifiable to prove you earned the raise.
Is it for you?
Best for
Employees willing to do six months of documented high performance to earn a raise.
Not ideal for
Someone who wants a raise immediately without demonstrating results, or in a role with no measurable output.
From the transcript
“You take control of your career.”
“I call it the briefcase technique. You can Google it and see my video on it.”
From the episode
Ramit Sethi: How to Spend Without Guilt and Still Build Wealth
Ramit Sethi