Apparently one of the best ways to ask for a big raise and GET ONE is to start with a joke, where you ask for an INSANE amount of money, like a million bucks.
It has to do with a technique called "anchoring," where you start with a higher number than you actually expect to get.
Studies have found it even works if you got way over-the-top with it, because throwing out ANY high number makes your boss less likely to low-ball you.
Plus it's a good ice-breaker. So it also works if you're negotiating your salary in a job interview.
A study in 2011 had a bunch of people interview for the same job that paid just over $30,000. When people joked that they wanted a HUNDRED THOUSAND, the average offer they got was $35,385.
When they DIDN'T, the average offer they got was about $3,000 less. So almost a 10% difference.
Source: New York Magazine