Assumptions: the review period is since your last raise in March 2023. The churn figures (12% to 7%) refer to your own book of accounts for this year. I described the Acme and Brightline handoff as a "team transition" rather than naming Dana, which reads more professionally in a pay memo.
Your memo
To: Priya Shah, Director of Customer Success From: Jordan Lee Date: [Date] Re: Compensation review: Senior Customer Success Manager
Priya,
I'd like to discuss adjusting my compensation to reflect the scope and results of my work since my last raise in March 2023. Over the past 2.5 years as a Senior Customer Success Manager on the Mid-Market team, my role has grown well beyond managing my own accounts. I'm requesting an increase from $72,000 to $82,000.
Key results
- Cut churn on my accounts from about 12% to 7% this year. That protects [add $ ARR or # of accounts retained] in recurring revenue and supports our top team priority: retention.
- Took over the Acme and Brightline accounts during a team transition and renewed both. This kept [add combined $ ARR] from being at risk during a handoff period.
- Upsold [add #] accounts into the premium tier, adding [add $ expansion revenue] and deepening those customer relationships.
- Built the onboarding checklist now used across the entire CS team. It gives everyone a consistent process, which helps reduce errors and [add time saved or other measurable effect, if known].
Growth in scope
- Trained 3 new hires, and 2 are now fully ramped. That directly supports our goal of getting new team members productive faster.
- Ran the quarterly customer webinar 3 times and received positive feedback from attendees ([add attendance or feedback score, if available]). The webinar has become a regular touchpoint with our customer base.
Looking ahead
Next year, I plan to keep building on these retention gains across my book. I'd also like to keep refining the onboarding checklist and training approach so new hires ramp even faster. I see more room to grow premium-tier adoption among my accounts as well.
The ask
Based on these results and my expanded responsibilities, I'm requesting a salary adjustment to $82,000. Glassdoor and current job postings show roughly $78k-$90k for similar roles in Denver, which puts this request well within market range. With the company coming off a record year, this feels like the right time to have the conversation.
I appreciate your support and would welcome the chance to talk this through with you.
Best regards, Jordan Lee
Before you send
- Fill in every [bracket] placeholder: retained ARR, Acme/Brightline ARR, number of upsold accounts, expansion revenue, checklist impact, and webinar attendance or feedback. If you can't find a number, rewrite that line without it rather than leaving a bracket.
- Verify each figure, especially the 12% to 7% churn numbers. Confirm how they were calculated and that they match what your manager can see in your CRM or reports.
- Keep the ask as one figure ($82,000), not a range. Your market data supports it, so don't soften it.
- Strengthen your market data with at least one more source, such as another salary site or a recruiter conversation. Note the exact titles and dates you looked at in case you're asked.
- Check the timing. Ask before budget or comp planning is finalized (find out when that happens), and avoid end-of-quarter renewal crunch weeks.
- Send the memo with a meeting request (for example, "Could we find 30 minutes next week to discuss?") or 1-2 days before an already-scheduled 1:1.
Talking points
- Opener: "Thanks for making time. I wanted to walk through what I've delivered since my last raise, especially on retention and onboarding new hires, and talk about bringing my pay in line with that."
- If asked to justify the number: "$82,000 reflects the results and the added scope, including inherited accounts, training new hires, and the team-wide checklist, and it sits within the $78k-$90k range I found for similar roles in Denver."
- If the budget is tight: "I understand. Could we agree on what would need to be true for me to reach $82,000, and by what date? I'd also be open to discussing a timeline or other options in the meantime."
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