NEGOTIATION PLAN
Mikkel · Software Developer · Senior · 6 years of experience
Industry: Finance · 50-200 employees · Greater Copenhagen
Built on 203 verified profiles
1. Where you stand
| Base salary | 48.100 kr/month |
| Bonus (12.000 kr/year) | 1.000 kr/month |
| Employer pension (4 %) | 1.924 kr/month |
| Total package | 51.024 kr/month |
The market (total package)
Other profiles that match you · 3 of 203
Real salary packages from verified payslips - rounded to protect anonymity.
2. Your numbers
Anchor
59.500 kr
your opening ask
Target
58.200 kr
the median
Minimum
55.000 kr
below this, Plan B kicks in
The anchor deliberately sits above your target - it gives you room to be negotiated down and still land on the median.
3. Your timing
Your salary review round is in October. The salary budget is usually locked long before the talks are held - by the time you hear "there's no budget for that", you're already too late. Book the meeting no later than September 5.
Your meeting request email (ready to send):
"Hi [manager]. I'd like to find 30 minutes for a talk about my salary and role. I've prepared concrete numbers, so we have a solid starting point. Would week 36 work?"
4. Your opener
"I've looked at my salary against the market. The median for a profile like mine is 58.200 kr. Since my total package sits roughly 7.200 kr below that - and with only 4 % employer pension - I'd like to discuss an adjustment so my salary matches the market. My proposal is 59.500 kr in total package."
Say the sentence - then stay silent: don't apologise, don't explain, don't fill the pause. The next person to speak is your manager.
5. Your arguments
Written based on the initial conversation between Mikkel and his Salary Advisor.
- 1."I've been the lead on the architecture for the new API and mentored two new developers on the project - responsibilities beyond my current level."
- 2."I optimised our CI/CD pipeline, cutting deploy time by 50 % - that saves the team around 3 hours a week."
- 3."The market median for my profile is 58.200 kr. My total package sits roughly 7.200 kr below that. I'm already delivering at that level - now the salary needs to catch up."
6. Your counters
Selected from the objections Mikkel said he feared most.
"You already got a raise last year"
→ "Yes - and since then I've taken over the API architecture and two mentorships. Let's talk about what the role is worth today."
"There's no budget for that this year"
→ "I understand. Then let's agree now on what it takes, and set a date. The market sits roughly 7.200 kr above my total package - that's the level we need to talk about."
Most important of all: Hold your ground. You don't need new arguments for every objection. Your numbers and arguments are strong, and they can easily stand being repeated.
7. Plan B: If the base salary is locked
In priority order for Mikkel:
- 1.Employer pension at 10 % (~2.900 kr/month more in value - your biggest gap)
- 2.Renegotiation with a date and criteria - in writing ("What do I need to deliver to reach 58.200 kr by March 1?")
- 3.Benefits outside the salary budget (training budget, extra vacation days, or flexible working hours)
8. After the meeting
If yes: Send a confirmation email the same day: "Thanks for today. As agreed, my salary will be adjusted to [amount] as of [date]."
If no: Get the Plan B agreement in writing - send an email the same day: "As agreed, we'll follow up on [date], where I need to have delivered [criteria] to reach [amount]."