Welcome back to another episode of the corporate Cowboys podcast as always I’m your host for the next half hour and my name is Alex today’s proof of life it’s Monday April 10 2023 the Monday after Easter so if you didn’t wake up today maybe you’re with him
And if you did wake up today [ __ ] you got work to do as you always do so if you’re not familiar with the form of this podcast it should serve you as form of catharsis as a session for career development if you don’t have your own circle of
Peeps to bounce around ideas and spitball strategies to one another then you’ve got me granted this is only one way where I get to go off on streams of consciousness using questions that have been posed online on forums like Reddit right so you can share this you can share this
Podcast not just this episode but if this podcast is something you enjoy listening to and you think might help someone else in your circle because you don’t know how to start the conversation tell them amen have you heard of the corporate Cowboys you might have heard of the Cocaine
Cowboys but have you ever heard of a corporate cowboy there’s a podcast called the corporate Cowboys podcast and they talk about a lot of cool things you know use whatever dope adjective you come up with whatever dope adjective you use in your friend group it’s the bomb it’s shit’s dope
This shit’s rope this shit’s cool shit’s any number of things but if it helps you positively and you think it’ll help your associates also at least get the conversation started if you’re tired of I don’t know sharing ass shaking videos on Instagram or going out to the club every weekend getting
Hammered drunk and then end up at home hungover the following morning this might be the podcast for you I mean you’ve been doing that long enough why not why not develop yourself professionally right there could be any number of things like today’s question which I’m I’ve skimmed here and they’re asking how soon
Is too soon to ask for a raise have you ever talked to your friends to your Associates about asking for a raise has that ever been a topic of discussion and not I don’t know some kardashios ass yo you just see her ass today that [ __ ] was fire fam like that meme
How soon is too soon to ask for a raise it’s a great question you want to know whether or not as soon as you get hired the following month can you request the raise can you justify that really should be the question how soon is it too soon to justify a raise
Right because that’s that’s really the shot clock you’re up against is whether or not the time the time that you’ve served with the organization whether it’s enough for you to have developed the reputation The credibility and I would say the notoriety right especially the the sooner you you move
Or the closer you get to haven’t been hired asking for a raise you have to be one notorious [ __ ] you either need to know someone or know someone let me explain you either have to know someone right I mean if you’re going to be pulling strings
You either need to know who you’re going to speak to or you need to know people how you’re going to speak to them what strings you’re going to pull with different people it all matters it all matters I think if you’re in a spot for let’s say six months I mean six months
Is still pretty uh pretty fresh but like at the year if when you first are hired if at the outset of your employment you already haven’t if you you haven’t worked out how you’re going to get evaluated what metrics it is you have to satisfy and when your review day is
If you haven’t outlined those three key stages in your employment my friend you’re in for a rough ride you’re gonna have to employ more assertive corporate Cowboy attributes you’re gonna have to move slightly more aggressively not even that slightly more abrasively I don’t want to move professionally right
Because I mean if you’re moving like a corporate Cowboy from the outset from the very beginning when you’re in your in the probationary period for however long that is maybe three weeks 30 days three months you already have to have set up a system that facilitates you either getting promoted
You’re getting an increase in salary some form of positive compensation professional development in other words otherwise you’re behind the ball you gotta get out in front of it and the only way to do that it’s going to be to rock the boat a little more
And uh you may or may not be the person willing to do that when you could have set yourself up from the beginning for success business is war that’s how you have to think of it as no one is looking out for you if anyone is setting you up more than
Likely it’s not for your success you want to listen to a good episode uh Ctrl f the first half of self-sabotage that’s that’s what you want to do you want to set yourself up for success set yourself up going into these negotiations into these employment agreements you want to be setting
Yourself up so if if the day should come that you get knocked off or that you were terminated you land on your feet you land on your best foot forward you land with yeah you land with your best foot forward you do it moving you’re just running and gunning shooting from the hip
You’re a more competent professional for doing so so this question here because I went off on a rant as I usually do but can you say this is like a form of therapy for me too right unless you’re reaching out to us directly which you can you want to set
Up some personal time for yourself talk over your situation with us one on one by all means we can arrange that find us on Instagram that’s at corporate Cowboys with a z you can find the podcast on patreon that’s the corporate Cowboys podcast and there are a couple of other places
That you can send donations to if you want to write to us and donate that way by all means it’s P.O box 3372 Rancho Cordova California 95741 and so the question starts they they write I started a new job in a new career three months ago hold on fam that’s too
Early it’s too early unless you got unless you got the [ __ ] nuts to Buck with three months as early as [ __ ] I took a huge salary cut to do it but I wanted out of my last career path and into customer success where I am now okay okay so they serve
The customer they’re like in a customer service capacity client relations if you will account account management client relations right I’m just trying to contextualize what it is that they do and they’re switching careers they don’t tell us what they did before but now they’re in customer success
Slash client relations I might chalk up to you know I might chalk it up to so they’re right so I knew what I was getting into when I took the job and I have no regrets I work in SAS now and I have a couple of paths into
Different areas of the industry and this company that I will be working toward and and this com is it the company they’re in now or in another company couple of different areas into different areas of the industry in this company that I will be working toward are they working toward
This company or the different areas I don’t know I don’t know so they’re a like a software software service they’re set I mean they are selling software as a service right so they’re like um like what would you call that is it like remote admin right like a remote technician of sorts
Where if you have a a question with software I mean first they would probably sell or license some type of software and I know this because I did a short stint in a hotel right so you you’re working in a hotel or you’re working at a fast food restaurant right
And the software that you use on your computer the hotel doesn’t own more than likely they have it licensed to them by a software as a service company right so this company this saas company purchases the software and then administers it manages it and if you have any questions that’s the
Company you call to troubleshoot it for maintenance for updating right you don’t call you don’t necessarily call the people who develop the software but the people who administer it right the technicians and that’s what this individual apparently does so they work in customer success it sounds like
I mean if they’re in customer success they’re they’re not just administering software if they’re focus is customer success and it’s not just professional jargon to muddy the waters if it’s not utter [ __ ] then they’re focusing on what customers needs are and then forwarding those needs to other developers to programmers perhaps
To actualize this software and have it meet customer success goals certain customer objectives right I mean one never knows right maybe that’s what they’re rocking the boat in and that’s why they want to raise well the [ __ ] knows right maybe they’re trying to spearhead some type of initiative to make uh customer success
An actual factual Mission goal for the saas company who are we to say right that’s that’s more higher level thinking that that’s what clients actually retain us for not like this hypothetical clients their question is simply how soon is too soon to justify a raise right and I mean now notice I changed
The question how soon is it how soon is too soon to ask for a raise and ah fam you could ask for that [ __ ] day two when you start can you justify it though right even if they gave you a salary range when they were interviewing you and they hired you on
If you can prove yourself you could have yourself a raise in three months you just have to justify the added expense that this company is investing in you obviously they want some some type of return on investment but don’t let it get out of hand either don’t let it be something too far
Fetched which I have also experienced where I received the raise and the quotes Roi or the return on investment that they expected of me was actually out of my pay range but young Alex not not having been the consummate professional then he was lacking he didn’t have enough Armament enough knowledge
To use and Implement in a professional negotiation and so here he is now a killer that’s her rights but a killer no less so they say they’re right I work in the saas now I work I work in saas now I already read that I have always planned
Yeah I have always planned on asking for a raise at the six month Mark but I also underestimated how difficult it was going to be to keep up with my expenses at this salary and I’m not exactly treading water here I’m sinking a little bit so knowing that I’m doing very well at
This job getting tons of high marks from management excellent reviews from our customers and all that stuff is it too soon to ask for a cost of living raise what ah you’re not even asking for a raise fam you’re asking for an adjustment it’s not a raise I mean
It’s too early for the same all right you’ve got a um step out of your frame of mind for a second right this this isn’t a raise this is an adjustment a raise is something above average something above something above average above cost of living cost of living is
Literally minimum wage to a corporate Cowboy a consonant professional cost of living is minimum wage that’s what you want to be making minimally and to get that you have to be minimally qualified minimally minimally minimally minimum minimally you just have to be the least qualified
You have to check the boxes as an entry level just be an average employee and earn cost of living right now granted if you don’t pull your weight as an entry level the [ __ ] you don’t deserve cost of living you can make minimum wage like statutory minimum wage which is what is
It now like ten dollars or some [ __ ] I don’t [ __ ] know because I haven’t made a minimum wage in a while right I don’t track that the people individuals who make minimum wage to me I view as having nothing to lose having having everything else to gain
You want a cost of living adjustment I mean it’s obvious at least from what the hypothetical client is telling us that they’re doing very well they’re excelling in the job they’re getting high marks lots of Praise from customers I mean who’s to save from their co-workers right I don’t know if they
Work in a team if they have uh colleagues in a group or a direct supervisor that could vouch for them but this might be an issue this might be a human issue you could bring up to management a cost of living adjustment a cost of living adjustment
And even then I mean [ __ ] you want to raise ask for a raise you could ask for it at the six month Mark I think so long as your track record justifies it at the six month Mark you’re gonna ask for just the cost of living adjustment
I mean you’re gonna go back to just treading water when what you want is to Pivot and dive in to this customer success aspect of business as a career I mean I guess if you want to start from a safe place again we don’t know what the biographical background of the
Hypothetical client is otherwise if we had them in front of us who would ask them their age their marital status if they have dependence what their actual cost of living looks like and whether or not they are [Applause] averse to risk taking right because it’s
Always a risk but it’s always a risk to ask for more money than you make currently but you don’t necessarily have to frame it as a raise just an adjustment for cost of living and if we ask for more background info on their organization they’re in now does the organization
Lend itself to your success to your development I mean these are questions that the hypothetical client can ask themselves if it’s an emergency if you find yourself short of living on the street you could probably approach them now for just a cost of living adjustment
And then at the six months or at the month whenever you’re review and evaluation is you know bump up that raise but keep hitting your marks keep making your numbers meeting your metrics going above and beyond show them you’re hungry show them customer success matters to you that your professional success is
Tied to the success of your clients and your customers because that also demonstrates loyalty to the company not just that you’re reaching your hand out wanting more and not having contributed you were part even I mean they don’t [ __ ] know you right but but you humanize and again we’re essentially reintroducing
Art and Humanity to business not liberal arts don’t [ __ ] get carried away with him but Humanity professionalism looking out for your team for your crew if business is war you look out for your army so you play your cards right you Advocate correctly and you justify getting more money
I mean [ __ ] you could probably get that cost of living adjustment now and and a raise in six months I mean that’s not that’s not too ambitious that’s not even that ambitious at the year shoot for something above average though always be um having your your finger on the pulse outside the
Organization what the market looks like so you know what the average salary looks like so you know you’re not just pulling numbers out of your ass arbitrarily oh you want more money just because I want more money no I mean it has to be tied to some realistic figure
Out there in the industry where if they’re going to pay you above average they should know that you are above average and that you Merit being compensated that way they’re paying you above average is justifiable because you’re an above average [ __ ] male or female right I mean you could
The supplies I most most all the advice that I give that we give um the corporate Cowboys podcast is unisex right unless you’re hiding behind your sex right and in that case kick rocks [ __ ] out of here we’re we’re inclusive to hiring and firing how much time I got I got a couple
Minutes here you know what I’m gonna do read let’s say two comments two comments right and then from there critique them because every now and then Reddit does come up with some uh some helpful maybe not holistic maybe not like integral advice but you know some some offhand advice never hurts and if
You are familiar with Reddit uh reddit’s rating system if you if you upvote a comment and it goes to the top so I’ll read the first top two right because obviously they’re uh popular if they’ve been given more upvotes the first one writes a bad idea a very bad idea I’m reading
It like a redditor a bad idea very bad idea have you looked into the I.T job market overall at this point in time save this for the annual review at least hit the 12 month Mark before talking about labor price increase for your company while many it companies are
Shedding labor costs if you do this only after three months this is going to cause unnecessary headaches before asking for more money plug the holes and remove the water you don’t want more rain or a new hurricane to come with the pay increase and cause
Your boat to sink while you still have a boat that at this time is currently sinking fix the sinking that then set sail for the pay raise straight forward to the point and I low-key agree I agree why because they brought in that market analysis me myself
I don’t I’m not actively tracking what labor Trends look like in I.T and technology in general right I know that there’s been a lot of cuts a lot of layoffs but we’re talking service here again we’re talking software as a service I feel like at this point a layoff would
Have struck this cat three months ago they were already talking about layoffs and three months ago this cat got a job right now that’s not to say he’s safe not at all but I mean don’t don’t go prophesying this this doomsday [ __ ] when this person is sinking
Now I don’t necessarily know what they mean by plugging holes and removing water maybe that’s what from their expenses from their quote costs of living maybe they’re buying Starbucks every [ __ ] day right I mean if you’re living check to check that [ __ ] matters a [ __ ] adds up maybe you’re eating out
For lunch or dinner every day and that adds up when you could buy a rice cooker and grains and legumes in bulk I’m not above rice and beans there’s times never mind that’s for another episode I didn’t I didn’t come up and get it out
The mud like they say right I wasn’t I wasn’t I didn’t have to live in the trenches to know how to dig trenches you feel me so I’m not above plugging holes and evacuating water I’m not above it living minimalistically save save luxuries and save the lavishness for when you have the money
Right if you’re living on on a shoestring budget at the house don’t overextend yourself I mean that’s an easy concept to grasp and follow but at the same time if you’ve done that I mean if you’ve already done that and still struggling to keep your head above water that first comment probably
Frustrated you and that’s probably why a low-key I mean subconsciously probably why I read it in such an annoying voice this is a bad idea very bad idea when we don’t know what our hypothetical client’s background is we don’t know how how capable they are we don’t know their
Skill level their expertise their experiences that inform whether or not salary increases Justified we just don’t know we don’t have the information right oh and the hypothetical client actually answers in response to this first comment here I’ll I’ll follow up and I’ll read they write thank you for the advice but
Damn really 12 months when I took the job it came up during the interview that based on my skill set for my previous career I would probably have advanced into data analytics or QA that’s uh quantitative analytics I would imagine within the company by the time I reached
My 12-month Mark earning a higher salary by default I was raised poor so I know how to be frugal there you go that’s I mean that’s working class that sounds like a lot of folks I know but you never know some working class folks claim to be living
Frugally and just are hemorrhaging money on [ __ ] every month again we don’t know we don’t have the hypothetical client in front of us but these are questions again I’m giving you the blueprint these are questions that you want to ask yourself or that we would be asking of you in any interview
That we have they’re right I was raised poor so I know how to be frugal I guess that’s what I will have to do until I make it out of customer success that’s CS out of customer success it just sucks not for me and my wife really but for our kids
Oh they have kids I can’t spoil them the way I always wanted to but again I was raised poor and turned out all right I know our kids will too it means a lot that you responded thank you yeah yeah well they sound strong they sound strong they
Sound confident they sound like they’ve got some leadership skills right they’ve they themselves have been in the trenches before granted probably not with the wife and kids in the past but if they’ve developed good mechanisms to overcome not necessarily to cope because a lot of folks again spend money to cope
Whether it’s cigarettes alcohol [ __ ] cable TV I don’t know I don’t know what your Vice is right but you don’t want to just cope you want mechanisms that help you overcome don’t don’t fall complacent and just oh well I guess I’m [ __ ] stuck here no you want to develop mechanisms to help
You overcome and that requires both creativity and innovativeness you need something that is actionable so yeah so they’re right it means a lot that you responded thank you and I’m not going to follow I’m not going to like go through this thread right but but 12 months I mean and in the
Interview they talked they talked it wasn’t promised this wasn’t a a pathway right that this wasn’t a career path they weren’t on a career track for data analytics or quantitative analysis they just talked about it so it’s not even guaranteed if it’s not guaranteed at the sixth month Mark is when is when
You actually could bring up the fact that you would like to be put on this path right there’s that if you don’t want to ask for the cost of living adjustments or arrays to get above at least above entry level and and or above average then at the six month Mark knock on
Somebody’s door you know tap somebody’s shoulder and let them know hey when you brought me on six months ago this and this was discussed in the interview I’m interested what do I need to do to get trained for that position that’s where you show them you’re hungry that’s where the consummate professional
Comes out and that’s where you as a corporate cowboy get your way in all’s well that you make and well take care of yourselves I’ll catch you on the next one
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