What if the number you've been too scared to say out loud is exactly the number you should be asking for? A few years ago, Erica was hunched over her phone on her back porch about to ask for $100,000 more than she was currently making. Her hands were sweating. Her chest was tight. And a voice in her head kept saying don't push it, don't be greedy, don't blow this. She said the number anyway. And she got it. This is the full story - the research, the mindset work, and the exact words she used.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

This is the episode Erica gets asked about more than anything else - and she has never done a full breakdown of it until now. Not just the strategy (though the strategy is here, in detail), but the sticky floor that almost kept her from making the ask in the first place. She walks through the entire SNAP method applied to her own salary negotiation, shares the Harvard Business Review data that would have saved her weeks of stomach aches, and reveals the AI-powered negotiation toolkit she built inside HER Collective so no woman ever has to guess at this again. Whether you have a job offer sitting in front of you, a promotion conversation coming up, or a review in a few weeks - this one is for you.

INSIDE THE EPISODE

• The $100,000 Ask. What Erica was feeling in her body when she sat down to make the ask, why she almost talked herself out of it, and what finally made her say the number out loud. Including the three seconds of silence that felt like three years.
• Gratitude as a Cage. The sticky floor that almost cost her the negotiation wasn't lack of confidence. It was being so grateful for the opportunity that she was ready to accept whatever kept the door open. She breaks down why this pattern shows up in so many of the women she coaches - and how to name it before it costs you.
• The Harvard Data Point That Changes Everything. Negotiation is very unlikely to actually cost you the offer. The rescinded offer, the burned bridge - it's a story women tell themselves. The data says otherwise, and knowing this changes how you walk into every conversation.
• How to Research Your Number. Real market data is not a salary aggregator. Erica walks through the four variables that actually matter (role, company size, industry, geography) and explains why most people only use one or two of them - and why that gap is costing them.
• Translate Scope Into Business Impact. The move most people miss. She didn't walk in with a list of responsibilities. She walked in with the dollar value of what she was about to own - turnover cost, cost per hire, benefit spend - and handed her future boss the business case he needed to fight for her.
• The SNAP Method Applied to Salary. Stop and notice what your body is telling you. Name the sticky floor underneath the fear. Ask and answer the honest questions (including: what actually happens if they say no?). Pivot from protecting the offer to making the case.
• The HER Collective Negotiation Toolkit. The AI-powered tool Erica built so that the compensation analysis she did as a CPO is now available to every woman - not just the ones who spent a decade in HR. It analyzes role, scope, industry, geography, and company size and gives you a number backed by real market data.

ERICA'S RESOURCES & LINKS

Start small with me inside HER Jumpstart:

https://her-collective.mn.co/plans/1985289?bundle_token=60b2c61d62213cdbd16d437cdc0e4204&utm_source=manual

🤖 Grab your copy of THE AI GAP: https://amzn.to/3OAXAdL

📚 Get my first book, Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors: https://amzn.to/4uvjbE5

💼 Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericarooney/

📸 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericaandersonrooney/

🎵 Check out my TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ericaandersonrooney