<prompt> Human: Hey there,A bit of background before I get to my question: Im a 27yo Data Governance Consultant. I started off as a BI consultant in September 2012, but quickly made the switch to the master data management domain. In september 2015, I made the switch from a well known Belgian IT consulting company to a start-up. During my carreer, Ive had one 10 raise because of benchmarking everybody that started together with me got that raise and I had a slight increase in salary when I made the switch to my current company. The past couple of weeks I have done some research and preparation and booked a 1on1 meeting with my manager to discuss my salary. That meeting was last Friday.To keep it short, I asked for a 20 increase in salary. My manager didnt respond with a flat out no, instead he stated that he himself made some 20 jumps in his carreer, but that was during the early years 2000, when there still was a shortage of ITers. Today, a 20 raise is practically impossible.With that explanation, he suggested that wed work towards that 20 increase gradually. He could not give me an exact period or what he could offer me at this very moment, but he did plan a follow-up to provide me some feedback this Friday. And heres my question:How do I approach that meeting? I had some material on how to prepare to ask for a raise, but I have no experience with negotiating a proposal like that. Im also not the most confident guy in that kind of situations. I know negotiations are an everyday human interaction, but I just dont have a lot of experience. Do I need to be happy with a 5 raise? Do I need to make a counter offer? Do I wing it, wait and see what he proposes and say Ill think about it over the weekend?Currently making around 35k a year, excluding benefits fully paid car, health insurance, small pension fund, phone subscription, which is around a normal salary in Belgium for an IT consultant.  <response>: Im going to be Debby downer here, but your boss is borrowing time to find your replacement. Remember, its not what is right and business smart, a raise to you means scrutiny to him. But, prepare for the worse. Remember, there is always someone out there who is as talented as you, but far more desperate. 