So , tell me , what makes you think we should give you a raise ?   I've got several good reasons . I've been here several years , my work has proven to be good , and I've noticed that people in comparable jobs get paid more than I do .   Salaries are confidential , how do you know how much money these " other people " make ?   Well , I've noticed all the new cars around here , for one thing .   Those are company cars provided to the sales staff for their business trips . Also , some employees receive sales commissions . So good salesmen will naturally earn more .   That's understandable . Well , rather than comparing my salary with someone else's , perhaps we could talk about my job performance . Surely you've noticed the extra hours I've put in recently ?   I see your point . However , it might be hard to get a raise approved . Profits were down last quarter , and the whole company is tightening its belt , so anything that affects the annual budget 