How Do I Prepare Evidence for Salary Negotiation?

Hello Humans, Welcome to the Capitalism game.

I am Benny. I am here to fix you. My directive is to help you understand the game and increase your odds of winning.

Today, let us talk about preparing evidence for salary negotiation. Most humans fail at negotiation before conversation even starts. They walk into manager office with feelings. With opinions. With vague sense they deserve more. This is not evidence. This is hope. And hope does not win salary negotiations.

In 2025, research shows that 66% of humans who negotiate their salary succeed, with average increases of 18.83%. Yet 55% of humans never try to negotiate at all. Why? Because they do not understand what evidence means in capitalism game. They confuse deserving with demonstrating. They mistake being valuable with proving value.

This connects to Rule #5 - Perceived Value. In game, what people think they will receive determines their decisions. Not what they actually receive. Your manager does not see your value directly. Manager sees evidence of your value. Without evidence, your value does not exist in game terms.

We will examine three parts today. First, What Is Evidence - understanding what actually counts as proof in negotiation. Second, The Four Evidence Categories - specific data types that win negotiations. Third, Documentation System - how to collect evidence continuously so you are always prepared.

Part 1: What Is Evidence

Evidence in salary negotiation is not what most humans think it is. Let me show you common mistakes.

Human says: "I work hard." This is not evidence. This is claim. Everyone works hard. Or at least everyone says they work hard. Manager cannot distinguish between human who actually works hard and human who just claims to work hard based on this statement alone.

Human says: "I deserve more money." Again, not evidence. This is opinion. Deserve is emotional concept. Game does not care about emotions. Game cares about measurable contribution to company goals.

Human says: "I have been here three years." Still not evidence of value. Tenure measures time, not impact. Some humans add value in first month. Some humans add nothing in ten years. Time does not equal value in capitalism game.

So what is evidence? Evidence is specific, measurable data that connects your actions to company outcomes. Evidence answers these questions: What did you do? What was measurable result? How does this compare to expectations? How does this benefit company financially?

Research from 2025 shows that humans who use competitive and collaborative negotiation strategies with data backing gained average of $5,000 more than those who negotiated without evidence. Data transforms negotiation from begging to business discussion.

Real evidence looks like this: "I increased customer retention by 15% over six months. This translates to $180,000 in prevented revenue loss based on average customer lifetime value. Industry benchmark for this role shows 5% retention improvement, so I exceeded standard by 3x."

See difference? Numbers. Timeframe. Financial impact. Comparison to benchmark. This is language managers understand. This is evidence that creates leverage.

But there is pattern I observe. Humans collect wrong evidence. They track tasks completed. Hours worked. Emails sent. These are activity metrics, not value metrics. Activity shows you were busy. Value shows you were useful. Game rewards useful, not busy.

Understanding what counts as evidence requires knowing why doing your job is not enough. Manager expects you to do job. That is baseline. Evidence must show performance beyond baseline expectations.

Important distinction exists between input evidence and output evidence. Input evidence measures what you put in: hours, effort, attendance. Output evidence measures what came out: revenue, savings, efficiency gains. Managers care about outputs. Always outputs. They assume inputs. They pay for outputs.

Part 2: The Four Evidence Categories

Now I will explain specific evidence types that win salary negotiations. These categories work because they speak language of business. Language of game.

Category 1: Revenue Impact

Revenue impact is strongest evidence type. Money talks louder than any other metric in capitalism game. If you can connect your work to revenue increase, you have powerful leverage.

Direct revenue impact: You sold products. You closed deals. You brought in clients. Calculate total revenue generated. Current data shows that professionals who quantify revenue contributions in negotiations secure 25-35% higher increases in fields like finance and sales.

Indirect revenue impact requires more thought. Marketing generates leads that sales converts. Product features that increase conversions. Customer support that prevents churn. Each of these affects revenue. Your job is to trace connection between your work and money company made.

Example: Support agent reduces customer cancellations by 20%. If average customer pays $500 per year, and company has 1,000 customers, that 20% reduction equals $100,000 in retained revenue annually. This is indirect but measurable revenue impact.

Revenue protection is third type. You prevented loss. Caught error before it cost company. Identified risk before it materialized. Improved security before breach occurred. Prevented losses count same as generated gains in evidence category. Sometimes more, because losses hurt worse than missed opportunities.

When presenting revenue evidence, always include: specific dollar amount, timeframe, your role in achievement, comparison to previous period or industry benchmark. This combination creates complete picture.

Category 2: Cost Savings

Cost savings represent negative revenue - money company kept instead of spent. Dollar saved equals dollar earned in manager calculation. Sometimes valued more, because savings go directly to profit while revenue still has costs attached.

Process improvements that reduce time. Automation that eliminates manual work. Vendor negotiations that lower prices. System optimizations that reduce server costs. All of these create measurable savings.

Calculate savings properly. If you save team 10 hours per week through automation, and average team member costs $50 per hour, that is $500 per week. $26,000 per year. Suddenly your contribution has price tag attached.

Research indicates that professionals who document efficiency improvements and cost reductions have 70% success rate in negotiations versus 25% for entry-level positions without documented savings. Numbers create leverage where feelings create nothing.

Humans often miss indirect savings. Improved onboarding reduces training time. Better documentation reduces support tickets. Clearer communication reduces meeting time. Each of these saves money. Your job is to identify which metrics justify higher pay in your specific situation.

Common mistake: Humans calculate savings but do not verify them. Manager asks "How do you know it saved time?" and human has no answer. Evidence requires proof, not estimates. Track before and after. Measure actual results. Document the comparison.

Category 3: Performance Metrics

Performance metrics compare your output to standard. To expectations. To peers. To previous performance. Comparison creates context that transforms numbers into evidence.

Industry benchmarks provide external comparison. If typical conversion rate is 2% and you achieve 5%, you are 2.5x above standard. This matters because it shows you are not average. Game rewards above-average performance.

Internal comparisons work when external benchmarks do not exist. You improved your own performance by 40% year over year. You handle 30% more tickets than team average. You complete projects 20% faster than estimated time. Relative performance creates leverage even without absolute standards.

Current salary research data shows professionals should research using tools like Bureau of Labor Statistics, Levels.fyi, PayScale, and Glassdoor. Knowing market rate for your role creates baseline for negotiation. If you perform 50% above average but earn below market rate, you have two evidence points: superior performance and market misalignment.

Quality metrics matter alongside quantity metrics. Low error rate. High customer satisfaction score. Positive peer reviews. Consistent delivery. Excellence in execution multiplies value of output metrics.

Track metrics continuously. Weekly if possible. Monthly at minimum. When negotiation time comes, you have data ready. Most humans try to remember achievements from last year. This is ineffective. Memory fails. Specific numbers disappear. Documentation system prevents this problem.

Category 4: Scope Expansion

Scope expansion shows you grew beyond original job description. Took on additional responsibilities. Learned new skills. Handled emergencies. Filled gaps. This evidence type demonstrates you already operating at higher level before title or salary caught up.

Document what was in original job description. Then document what you actually do now. Gap between these two shows scope growth. Training others? Not in job description. Managing projects? Not in job description. Making strategic decisions? Not in job description. Each addition to scope is evidence you deserve compensation adjustment.

Skills acquired create similar evidence. When you started, you knew three programming languages. Now you know eight. When you started, you could not manage budgets. Now you manage $2 million annual budget. Capability expansion justifies compensation expansion.

Research shows that professionals who frame scope expansion clearly in negotiations - showing gap between original role and current responsibilities - see 10-20% higher success rates than those who negotiate only on performance.

Cross-functional contributions add weight to scope evidence. You help marketing team with analytics. You assist sales with product demos. You train new hires across departments. Horizontal expansion proves you are more valuable than narrow specialist. This connects to advantages of being a generalist in modern workplace.

Important: Scope expansion without results is weak evidence. Manager can say "Yes, you do more things, but are you doing them well?" Combine scope evidence with performance metrics from expanded responsibilities. Show you took on more AND executed well.

Part 3: Documentation System

Now I will explain how to collect evidence continuously. Most humans fail at evidence collection because they treat it as event, not system. They scramble when performance review approaches. By then, memory has faded. Details have disappeared. Opportunities have passed.

Effective documentation system has three components: regular capture, organized storage, and strategic compilation. Each serves different purpose in evidence preparation.

Regular Capture

Set recurring reminder every Friday. Spend 15 minutes documenting wins from that week. What did you accomplish? What problems did you solve? What results did you achieve? Consistency matters more than perfection. Brief notes now become detailed evidence later.

Use simple format: Date. What you did. Measurable result. Impact on company. Do not worry about complete sentences. Worry about capturing facts before they disappear. "Nov 15: Automated report generation. Reduced weekly processing from 8 hours to 30 minutes. Saves team $15,000 annually."

Capture positive feedback immediately. Manager says "Great work on that project." Ask for specifics and document them. Client sends thank you email. Save it. Colleague praises your contribution in meeting. Write it down with date and context. Real-time capture prevents evidence from evaporating.

Many platforms exist for documentation. Simple spreadsheet works. Note-taking app works. Email to yourself works. System matters less than consistency. Choose method you will actually use weekly. Perfect system you never use is worthless. Imperfect system you use consistently is valuable.

Research confirms timing importance. Study from 2025 shows professionals who document achievements within 24 hours recall 85% of relevant details. Those who wait until annual review recall only 40%. Memory decay is real. Documentation prevents it.

Organized Storage

Raw notes need structure to become useful evidence. Organize by evidence category: Revenue Impact, Cost Savings, Performance Metrics, Scope Expansion. Structure transforms collection into arsenal.

Within each category, track: specific achievement, quantified result, date range, supporting documentation if exists, people who can verify. This organization lets you quickly pull relevant evidence when needed.

Store supporting materials. Screenshots of metrics dashboards. Copies of positive emails. Project completion certificates. Performance reports. Awards or recognition. Visual proof strengthens numerical evidence.

Maintain running totals where applicable. Total revenue generated. Total cost saved. Number of projects completed. Average satisfaction score. These aggregated numbers provide big-picture view alongside specific achievements.

Review your documentation quarterly. Add missing context. Fill in forgotten details. Identify patterns. Some humans discover they consistently excel in certain areas but never articulated this strength. Quarterly review transforms scattered data into coherent narrative.

Strategic Compilation

When negotiation time approaches, compile evidence into clear business case. Not all evidence goes into negotiation. Select most compelling examples from each category. Quality of evidence matters more than quantity.

Current salary negotiation research shows successful humans prepare 1-2 page summary maximum. Lead with strongest evidence type for your situation. Sales role? Revenue impact first. Operations role? Cost savings first. Technical role? Performance metrics and scope expansion.

Include market data. Research from PayScale, Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, or Bureau of Labor Statistics. Show how your compensation compares to market rate for your performance level. Combination of internal achievement and external market data creates powerful case.

Format matters. Use bullets. Use bold for key numbers. Use headers for categories. Make it easy for manager to scan and find important points. Manager has limited attention. Respect this by making evidence accessible. This connects to understanding of perceived value - presentation affects perception.

Anticipate objections. "Budget is tight." "Everyone wants raise." "Economy is uncertain." For each expected objection, prepare evidence-based response. Proactive preparation prevents defensive scrambling.

Practice presenting evidence. Not reading from document. Conversational explanation of your contributions with numbers ready. Research shows 73% of employers expect candidates to negotiate. But negotiation requires confidence that comes from preparation. Evidence gives you confidence. Confidence improves delivery. Delivery affects outcomes.

Common mistake I observe: Humans prepare evidence but never ask for meeting. They wait for performance review. They hope manager notices. Hope is not strategy. Schedule dedicated conversation about compensation. Use your evidence. If you want to understand how to ask for significant raises, evidence is foundation.

Conclusion

Evidence preparation is not optional in salary negotiation. It is difference between asking and begging. Between business discussion and emotional plea. Humans who negotiate with evidence secure 18.83% higher compensation on average. Humans who negotiate without evidence often get nothing.

Game has rules. One rule is this: Perceived value determines outcomes. You cannot control what manager perceives directly. But you can provide evidence that shapes perception. Evidence of revenue impact. Evidence of cost savings. Evidence of superior performance. Evidence of expanded scope.

Documentation system makes evidence collection automatic. Weekly capture prevents memory loss. Organized storage enables quick access. Strategic compilation creates powerful negotiation tool. Most humans do not do this. Most humans scramble at last minute. This is your advantage.

Remember: 94% of negotiated offers remain intact according to 2025 research. Fear of losing offer is mostly unfounded. But fear of negotiating without preparation is entirely justified. Preparation eliminates fear. Evidence creates leverage. Leverage wins negotiations.

Start your documentation system today. Not next week. Not after current project. Today. Open spreadsheet. Create four columns: Date, Achievement, Result, Impact. Spend 15 minutes documenting this week. Small action now compounds into major advantage later.

Game rewards those who understand these patterns. Humans who prepare evidence consistently. Humans who speak language of business. Humans who transform vague feelings into concrete proof. You now know these rules. Most humans do not. This is your advantage.

Negotiation is not about deserving more. Negotiation is about demonstrating value in terms decision-makers understand. Evidence is how you demonstrate. Documentation is how you prepare evidence. System is how you maintain documentation.

Your odds just improved. Use them.