# Four Things to Know Before You Name a Number
Every compensation conversation has a moment where someone looks at you and asks a version of the same question:
“What are you looking for?”
Most people treat this as a request for a salary expectation.
It is usually a test of preparation, self-awareness, and leverage.
If you name a number before you understand the terrain, you are not negotiating. You are volunteering an anchor that may be too low, too high for the wrong reason, or disconnected from the actual decision in front of you.
I have watched smart, accomplished people do this because they assume compensation is set by merit alone. It is not.
Merit matters. But compensation gets decided through a messier combination of business need, internal politics, budget timing, perceived risk, alternative options, and how expensive it would be to lose you.
Before I name a number, I want clarity on four things. Not perfect certainty. That is rarely available. But enough evidence to know whether I am…
