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As much as we love the fun (and cash) blogging brought us, how many of us can claim to be a pro blogger. The vast majority of us still hold full-time job to bring the dough home and blog part-time hopping to make consistent income stream with our blogs in order to turn pro someday.

While we are still facing the steep learning curve of making passive income online, there is no stopping us to try to make more money for what we are worth - offline.

When an employee has been working for the same company for several years, it is not surprising to find there is a huge discrepancy or lag in his compensation with what the market is paying others with comparable skills and experience.

If you have been putting in the hours at work and sacrificing whatever little work-life balance you have, but still feel your earnings lag behind those of your peers in similar industries, you can really do two things:

1. You could continue to slog away hopping your contributions and dedication to the company gets notice by your boss (which he probably will not) and he/she reward you with a salary raise.

2. You could initiate a salary raise request process and build a strong case as to why you think you deserve the raise.

Asking for a salary increament may seem a daunting task, but if you do your homework, back up your claims and adopt the right attitude, you will increase the odds of securing the increase you asked for. Here are some tips to help you make a strong case, increase your odds of getting that raise, and if in the event you do not succeed, to bow out gracefully and not get scathed by the incident.

Market worth
First you should ascertain your market worth, you should know the current market rate in compensation for jobs that require comparable skills and experience that you possessed. The easiest way is to check with your peers in same industry. You can research salary levels through trade magazine and/or employment advertisements. You can also talk to executive search firms to gauge your current market value.

Make a Strong case
Here you have to sell yourself as much as possible, basing it on your performance and contributions. Demonstrate the value you bring to the organization by showing track records of your successes and achievements (you should track and document your performance for the last year). Offer a powerful argument on why you feel a raise is well-deserved and make it difficult for your employer to say “No”. Present a strong case, at the same time bearing in mind not to be overly aggressive and never resort to ultimatums or demanding an immediate response to your request.

Check you Ego
Mastering up your courage to negotiate for an increament does not mean pumping up and over inflating your ego. Aim high but set reasonable limits. Try to understand the limits of your company and adjust your expectation realistically so that your request will not be a complete turn off to your boss.

Negotiate Professionally
The art of negotiation requires you to be firm and yet able to make concession when the need arises. In short, be flexible in the negotiation process and adopt an open attitude to accept alternate forms of benefits, in the event your pay increament cannot be accepted.

Keep the Faith
Be mentally prepared for your request to be rejected. Keep a positive attitude throughout the process and even if you do not succeed this time, keep working at it to create the right environments and opportunities to negotiate your next raise. The more prepared and focused you are, the higher the chance of you achieving success.

There you go, presented above are some tips to help you secure that paycheck you truly deserved. If you succeeded by following these tips, you should probably buy me a beer!

This post is an entry to the Tips and Tricks Writing Project of Daily Blog Tips.