How He Added 55K to His Salary From a 30-Minute Chat

Why smart people still leave tens of thousands on the table (and how to stop)

"Can you help me negotiate?"

Aman’s voice cracked just a bit when he asked.

He’d just landed a FAANG offer after months of late nights, interview prep, rejections, and second guesses.

Now the real nerves kicked in.

“I don’t want to screw this up,” he said.

We hopped on a call. For 30 minutes, we walked through:

• What parts of the offer were fair game

• How to ask for more without sounding like a jerk

• The exact words to flip hesitation into a confident “Sure, we can do that”

He walked in anxious.

He walked out with $55,000 more.

All from a single conversation.

That’s more than a year of busting your ass for a 4% promotion and a pat on the back

That could mean:

• A down payment on a house

• A first-class getaway to Europe

• A safety cushion so you don’t feel stuck at your job

And here’s the part that hurts to say:

Most people don’t even try.

They’re so relieved someone finally said yes that they freeze.

You might know the feeling:

• You tell yourself, “I should just be grateful”

• You’re scared they’ll pull the offer if you push back

• You feel awkward asking for more money, like it’s selfish or greedy

Imaging crawling through broken glass to finally land that offer, only to leave 20K, 30K on the table…

Not because you’re not worth it.

Because no one ever taught you how.

But here’s what I’ve learned from 9 years in tech, hiring for teams, negotiating my own offers (badly at first, then better):

You don't get what you deserve. You get what you ask for.

And asking doesn’t mean being aggressive or annoying.

It means knowing your value, and communicating it like a pro.

That’s exactly what I’m teaching in my “Negotiate 20% More” workshop on Thursday, July 10 at 11 AM EST | 4 PM BST.

I’ll break down the system I’ve used to:

• Help Aman pull in $55K extra

• Bump my own offer by $40K with no competing offer

• Coach clients to 10–25% salary jumps by shifting just one recruiter convo

You’ll walk away with:

• The “asset mindset” that flips the script from please hire me to I solve your problems

• What to say (and not say) when they ask for your salary expectations

• How to gather leverage during interviews so you’re not negotiating from fear

• Dos and Don’ts on the offer call

• A plug-and-play script that works even without any competing offers

This is usually for my private clients inside Code to Careers.

But I’m opening up a few day passes.

A few housekeeping things

• Don't think it was worth it? I’ll give you your money back, no questions, no hard feelings.

• If you can’t join live, you’ll get the recording. But the page goes down July 10 at 11 AM EST sharp, and I won’t sell the replay.

• No offer yet? Even better.

  • You'll learn to anchor 20% higher offers from the first recruiter call.

  • You’ll know exactly what to say when they ask, "What's your salary expectation?" and learn how to push back without ever saying the first number

  • I'll show you how to gather leverage during interviews to make asking for more feel bulletproof, even without a competing offer.
    

• Not job hunting yet? This will still pay off. Negotiation isn't just for job offers. I once used the same techniques to cut my rent by 25%.
  

Picture this: Your next recruiter call hits. You know exactly what to say. You’re calm. You’re clear. You don’t just hope for more - you ask for it.

And you get it.

That’s the power of having a system.

Let’s stop leaving 20K on the table.

Let’s make sure you take it with you.

*Hey Substack paid members, here’s a 20% discount code just for you 👇