Read Your Manager's Calendar

Your manager has a peak-receptivity window most weeks — often mid-week, late morning, after standups and before back-to-back meetings pile up. Pre-deadline afternoons and Monday mornings are where strong pitches go to die.

The best negotiations feel collaborative, not adversarial. Frame every timing decision around what helps your manager win internally — when they have capital, when the budget is still forming, when your win is fresh.