Value-First Raise Proposal
Earn a raise by sharing measurable gains with your employer
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
The Value-First Raise Proposal frames increased pay as a share of new value rather than relief for an employee's personal expenses. Audit the business for opportunities to increase sales, reduce costs, or free a decision-maker's time. Quantify the likely gain and propose a concrete arrangement: a fraction of verified savings, a completion bonus for a useful credential, or a bonus for qualified leads. Present the idea as an experiment with an agreed measurement period. This changes the manager's question from “Why should I fund your needs?” to “How much value do we both gain?” Even if an immediate raise is unavailable, the conversation can establish a track, evidence requirements, and review date for future compensation.
Origin
Kinney illustrated the method with employees who negotiated a share of supply savings, a certification bonus, and bonuses for leads that generated new business.
Core principles
- 01Employers pay for business value, not personal need
- 02Shared upside aligns employee and employer incentives
- 03Specific evidence makes compensation easier to approve
- 04Cost reduction and freed capacity count as value
How to run it
- 1
Audit for value
List practical ways your role could increase sales, reduce costs, or release managerial capacity.
Pro tip Use costs and workflows you already understand well.
- 2
Quantify the gain
Estimate the financial or operational improvement and define how it will be measured.
Watch out Do not rely on broad claims about working hard.
- 3
Design shared upside
Ask for a specific payment tied to the verified result, such as a percentage of savings or a milestone bonus.
Pro tip Leave the employer with most of the gain so the proposal is easy to support.
- 4
Present the business case
Lead with the company's benefit, explain your contribution, and request the linked compensation.
Watch out Do not justify the raise with private-school fees, a house, or another personal expense.
- 5
Secure the path
If the answer is not immediate, agree on actions, evidence, and a date for a compensation review.
Pro tip Document the baseline before starting.
In the wild
An administrator who purchased company supplies knew the cost base. She proposed that her employer pay her twenty-five cents for every dollar she saved. The employer accepted because the company retained seventy-five cents of every verified dollar while rewarding her initiative.
→ The employee and employer became aligned around measurable cost reduction.
The same employee proposed that anyone who gave the sales department a lead resulting in new business should receive a bonus. The employer could pay only when revenue was generated, while every employee became more alert to sales opportunities.
→ She left the conversation making five hundred dollars more than an hour earlier.
Common mistakes
Leading with personal need
A personal financial problem gives the employer no business incentive to increase compensation.
Leaving value unmeasured
Without a baseline and clear result, neither side can verify the gain or price the reward fairly.
Is it for you?
Best for
Employees who can identify measurable revenue, savings, capacity, or skill gains in their role.
Not ideal for
Roles where compensation is fixed by a rigid scale and managers have no discretion.
From the transcript
“here's how i could help increase sales in this company here's how i could reduce costs”
“for every dollar i save how about you pay me a quarter”
“here are some ways i've identified that would help actually grow the business here's what i've identified to help reduce costs here's what i've identified…”
From the episode
YAPLive: Good Money Revolution with Derrick Kinney
YAPLive