Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How Mid-Career Marketers Use Salary Bands to Negotiate Up
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, I want to talk about something that I think a lot of mid-career marketers leave on the table: salary bands. Not just knowing they exist, but actually using them as a negotiation tool. Luna: You mean those ranges that companies post in job listings? I feel like most people just glance at them to see if they're in the ballpark and then forget about them. Lucas: Exactly. But there's a pretty specific playbook for using those bands to your advantage. I had a conversation recently with a senior brand manager at a mid-sized CPG company — let's call her Sarah. She was about three years into her role, doing great work, but felt she was underpaid relative to the market. Luna: Which, anecdotally, is super common. A lot of marketers I talk to say they only get meaningful raises when they switch jobs. Lucas: Right. But Sarah wanted to stay — she liked the team, the brand, the work-life balance. So she decided to build a case using salary bands. And the first step was finding the bands for her role, both internally and externally. Luna: How did she get the internal band? Most companies treat that as confidential. Lucas: She actually got it from a colleague in HR — not through formal channels, but during a casual conversation about career growth. But even without that, there are ways to estimate. Some states now require salary ranges in job postings. And sites like Levels.fyi or Glassdoor have crowdsourced data. For her specific title — senior brand manager — she found publicly posted bands from three competitor CPG companies. Luna: So she triangulated. What did she find? Lucas: Her company's band for her level was roughly $110,000 to $140,000. She was at $115,000, so near the bottom. The competitor bands all started higher — around $120,000 to $150,000. That gave her solid external evidence that she was below market. Luna: Okay, so she had the data. Then what? She doesn't just walk in and say 'the band says I should get more,' right? Lucas: No, and that's the key. The second step is calibrating where you should be within the band. Bands typically have a philosophy: the lower third is for learners or new hires, the middle third is for competent performers, and the upper third is for experts or people who consistently exceed expectations. Sarah had been in role for three years, had led two major product launches, and had strong performance reviews. She could credibly argue she should be at the midpoint or above. Luna: So she targeted the midpoint — around $125,000 — plus a bit more. That's a 9 percent increase just to get to middle of the range. Lucas: She actually aimed higher. She used the external data to anchor at $135,000 — which was the midpoint of the competitor bands. That's about 17 percent above her current salary. And she prepared a one-page document summarizing her accomplishments, the internal band, and the external benchmarks. Luna: And her manager's reaction? Lucas: Her manager was actually receptive. He said he wasn't aware she was that far below market. But here's the thing — he didn't have the authority to approve that big a raise on the spot. So Sarah had to navigate the third step: timing and process. Luna: Right, because a 17 percent raise mid-cycle is a hard sell. Lucas: Exactly. She timed her conversation to align with the annual budget planning cycle — about six weeks before merit increases were decided. That way, her manager could factor it into the pool. She also framed it not as a demand, but as a request to be evaluated for a level adjustment or a promotion. Because sometimes the band for your current role has a ceiling, but the band for the next level up opens new territory. Luna: So she basically turned it into a promotion conversation. Lucas: Yes. She asked: 'Based on my performance and market data, I believe I'm operating at the senior end of this band. Would it be possible to discuss a reclassification to the next level?' Her manager agreed to sponsor her for a promotion to associate director, which had a band of $130,000 to $160,000. She ended up getting promoted with a raise to $140,000 — a 22 percent increase. Luna: That's a great outcome. But I imagine not every manager reacts that well. What if the manager pushes back? Lucas: Pushback is common. A typical objection is 'we don't have budget' or 'you're already at the top of your band.' For the budget objection, you can ask what would need to be true to make it possible — maybe a six-month review cycle. For the band cap, you can ask about off-cycle promotions or exceptions. Some companies have discretionary funds for retention cases. Luna: So it's about staying in the conversation, not taking no for an answer immediately. Lucas: Exactly. And also about being prepared to walk. Sarah was willing to stay, but she also updated her resume and started talking to recruiters. Having that alternative gives you confidence. Her backup plan was to interview externally, and she even got an offer at $145,000 from a competitor. She used that as leverage — not as a threat, but as data: 'I have an offer that values me at this level. I'd prefer to stay, but I need you to close the gap.' Luna: That's a high-risk move. Did it work? Lucas: In her case, yes. But I'd only recommend that if you're genuinely willing to leave. The company matched the offer at $145,000, plus a retention bonus. So she ended up with a 26 percent raise total. But the broader lesson is: salary bands are not rigid ceilings. They're guidelines. And if you understand how they work, you can use them as a framework for a conversation about your value. Luna: I think the psychological shift is huge. Instead of 'I need a raise,' it's 'here's the data on where I fall in the band and here's why I deserve to be at a different point.' Lucas: Right. And for marketers especially, we're trained to use data to make a case. So why not apply that to our own compensation? It's the same skill set — audience analysis, messaging, framing — just applied internally. Luna: Totally. And if these conversations have sparked something you've actually used — whether it's a negotiation tactic or just a new way to think about your career — it's worth remembering that this show is ad-free and listener-supported. People who find value in it sometimes choose to chip in at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small way to keep these conversations going without any sponsor interruptions. And we genuinely appreciate it. Luna: So back to salary bands — one thing I want to circle back to: how do you find those external bands if you don't have an HR friend? Lucas: Great question. There are a few reliable sources. First, state-mandated salary range disclosures — if you're in Colorado, California, New York, or Washington, many job postings include ranges. Second, industry-specific salary surveys. For marketing, the ANA and the 4A's publish annual compensation reports. Third, sites like Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, and Blind have user-submitted data, though you have to take it with a grain of salt. Luna: And you want to look for roles with the same title, same level of experience, similar company size, and same geography. Lucas: Exactly. Adjust for cost of living too. A senior brand manager in San Francisco will have a different band than one in Atlanta. But even a rough range can give you ammunition. Sarah used three competitors and adjusted for location, and that was enough. Luna: What about people at smaller companies where there's no formal band structure? Lucas: That's trickier. At startups or small businesses, compensation is often ad hoc. In that case, you might create your own band by benchmarking similar roles at comparable companies. Use sites like Comparably or even LinkedIn salary insights. You can also talk to recruiters — they usually have a good sense of market rates. Luna: So the playbook is: find the band, calibrate your position, time the conversation, and frame it as a data-driven case. Lucas: Exactly. And one final tip: practice the conversation with a friend or mentor. It's uncomfortable at first. But the more you rehearse, the more natural it feels. Sarah told me she practiced her key points five times before the actual meeting. Luna: That's smart. And it shows it's not just about the data — it's about the delivery. Lucas: Right. Because at the end of the day, negotiation is a conversation, not a demand. And if you approach it with humility and preparation, you're much more likely to get a yes. Luna: So if you're a marketer feeling undervalued, start gathering those bands this week. Lucas: And if you do, let us know how it goes. We'd love to hear a success story for a future episode.