u/Unlucky-Thing4593

Hi Folks

I have recently converted an offer at a global B2B SaaS company. They have invited me to their office for a customary HR interview. I think they'll negotiate the salary there too and close the offer.

I have close to 5 year of experience and targeting around 50L fixed.

Although they don't look like they are a type of company that would anchor on my current CTC(I'm literally asking for a 45-50% hike), how do I negotiate this strongly and close it?

I want to talk to the salary negotiation beasts on how to approach this.

Please help, it's urgent.

https://preview.redd.it/zlj0cjubarxg1.png?width=2148&format=png&auto=webp&s=0e69df5cda42eb24b548ce514eb6bde7c46912a0

Tldr: PM wants to know how to get triple digit hikes like SWEs

I came across this compensation post for an MTS III role in Bangalore, and it made me think about career jumps in tech.

The person had around 5+ years of experience, prior SDE II experience at a product company, previous CTC around 18 LPA, and got an offer with total comp close to 48 LPA.

First of all, genuinely happy for the person. Not trying to question the offer or compare in a salty way. I’m just trying to understand how this kind of jump happens.

Because I remember in 2021 these kinds of jumps were much more common. The market was hot, companies were hiring aggressively, and people were getting crazy hikes. But this is not a 2021 market. This is 2024, where hiring is slower, companies are more selective, and a lot of people are struggling to even get good calls.

So I’m curious how this still happens.

I understand software engineering has clearer leveling in many companies. Strong DSA/system design, good product company experience, right timing, and the right company can lead to these jumps.

But how does this work in Product?

For PMs, the path feels less straightforward. There is no single “DSA equivalent” where you prepare hard for a few months and unlock a higher compensation band. A lot seems to depend on company type, product scope, revenue ownership, analytics depth, stakeholder management, and how well you can tell your impact story.

So I wanted to ask people here:

How common are jumps like 18 LPA to 40 to 50 LPA in Product roles in India?

Do PMs get these jumps mostly by switching to larger tech/product companies, or can startups also offer this kind of growth?

What actually separates a 15 to 25 LPA PM from a 40 to 60 LPA PM?

Is it mostly brand name, years of experience, product sense, analytics, execution, revenue ownership, or something else?

For someone with 3 to 5 years of PM experience, what should they focus on if they want to level up seriously over the next 1 to 2 years?

I’m not looking for motivational answers. I’m trying to understand the real playbook from people who have either made this jump themselves or have seen PMs around them do it.