Before you make the ask, get clear on what’s your ideal number and you must aim high. What would make you really happy? Always ask for higher than your target number. For example, if you want to make $65K, ask for $70K or $75K (given you have a strong rationale and data to back up this ask). It’s unlikely you’ll get a YES right away, so you need to create a buffer to get as close as possible to your target number.