Lifescripts: What to say to get what you want in life's toughest situations

• Asking for a raise
• Confronting a backstabber
• Firing an employee
• Negotiating for more severance
• Ending a friendship
• Confronting a sexual harasser
• Debating vacations with your spouse
• Heading off potential client problems

Excerpt from Lifescript #7. Asking for a Salary Increase

Icebreaker: I’d like to thank you for the opportunity you and the company have given me. I recognize that you’ve been very influential in my growth and advancement. However, I have a problem that I need your help with.

Pitch #1: I’ve been concentrating solely on my professional growth and haven’t been paying attention to my stream of income

Pitch #2: I think my salary no longer reflects my contribution to the company

Pitch #3: I think my salary no longer matches my job responsibilities

Whether you’re asking for a raise, confronting a backstabber, dealing with sexual harassment, Þring an employee, renegotiating a loan, discussing elder care with siblings, or asking your spouse to lose weight, scripts give you the most effective approach–and the actual words–to use.

Each of the scripts provide you with an icebreaker opener, a "pitch," and a ßow-chart of rejoinders to give any response, positive or negative.

You’ll also Þnd strategic pointers on attitude, timing, preparation, and behavior.

From a heart-to-heart chat with a friend to a boardroom confrontation with a CEO, scripts provide a map to navigate successfully through the most complicated and dreaded situations you may face in your career, business, and personal life.