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Year in search was a little off the mark, no?
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I mean, you can ask (and your ask doesn't sound outrageous), but a lot of the big players (Havvas, WPP, Publicis, etc.) in this space have set starting salaries for each role now and internal promotions have very little leverage. I don't say that to dissuade you from asking, but to prepare you for being told "take it or leave it"
Thanks, I really appreciate the dose of reality but feels good that my ask does not sound outrageous. The way I see it is I'd rather at least try to advocate for myself, but want to do it in a way that makes sense, especially after three years of salary stagnation.
15% is a minimum to expect, especially considering you've had same salary for 3 years.
I did a quick check & to keep pace with inflation, you should be around $87,500. 15% of that would get you a little north of $100k.
I feel like 15% is the cap for promotions at most agencies unless you’re a superstar.
$90-95k would put you right in the middle of the salary band for same role at my agency. It's a good spot to ask for. I hired someone a couple years ago in that band and i got them in at $92k.
I got 15% when promoted to SPM. Also make sure you negotiate next time you have a job offer at a new company. I got $95k plus extra vacay time as just a mid-level PM. That starting salary anchors you for future raises.
There’s no such thing as asking for too much (within reason) for three reasons:
1. No one gets fired for asking for a raise. If they do (I’ve never heard of that) you need to GTFO because they are horrible people
2. The amount should be based on SOMETHING, eg, basic inflation calculator will show you $75k in 2022 is worth about $84.9k now. Inflation averaged over 2022-2024 is about 5%. So rationalize it as a base of inflation adjustment plus performance based and prepare a list of accomplishments. Note, coming to work for three years is not an accomplishment. Do not say “well I’ve been here 3 years”. While it maybe should be, loyalty is almost never a catalyst for raises. So accomplishments and anecdotal input from people you work with pointing to your value to the team, etc
3. You need a jumping off point for a negotiation. Where are you willing to settle? Starting at $95k probably means you’ll end up south of there. Hard to imagine they would ever bump someone more than 15% without a promotion. That puts you at $86.25k. Would that be ok or would you walk?