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The economy is not showing signs of a robust rebound yet. It’s probably not the best time to ask for a salary increase, right? Wrong.

Pay raises may be harder to come by in the current business environment, but those who can prove that they are an integral part of an organization’s ability to survive the downturn and thrive during the next expansion have nothing to lose by asking.

Americans’ salaries are not keeping pace with inflation, which is tantamount to a salary decrease as far as their year-to-year spending power is concerned. Unfortunately, employers are suffering from rising costs as well, and while more are starting to pass along these costs to consumers in the form of higher prices, it has not been enough to offset those increased costs. As a result, wages are frozen.

But, for employees hoping for an above-average raise, simply needing the increase in pay will not cut it. Workers will have to prove their worth, as organizations are reserving the most significant boosts in compensation for their top performers.

The highest-performing employees (14 percent of the workforce) saw a 5.6 percent base pay increase in 2009, according to Mercer. Meanwhile, a separate survey by human resource consultant Hewitt Associates found that one-time performance-based pay grew by 10.8 percent in 2008 and was expected to climb another 10.6 percent in 2009.

It is not surprising that companies are rewarding their top-performing employees with above-average pay raises. Organizations turn to these employees to help them get through this slow economic time and they want to ensure they retain these workers.

With new evidence suggesting that salary increases will remain stagnant, a well-planned raise negotiation may be the most effective plan for workers.

You have to enter the meeting with a well-thought-out justification for an increase in salary. It should be based solely on your performance, whether it is exceeding established goals, creating and implementing money-saving strategies, or bringing in new business. Support your points with numbers and specific examples and be prepared to answer questions or objections.

Even if you present a great case for the salary increase, some companies simply do not have the extra money. You might be able to negotiate some other benefit or at least put yourself in a good position for a salary increase when conditions improve.

Tips To Help Make A Case For A Raise

Seek more responsibility.Volunteer for challenging tasks and exhibit a take-charge attitude. By assuming additional responsibilities, you demonstrate how you can increase value for the corporation.

Meet your boss’s boss. At the next company event, go out of your way to meet those at least two rungs higher on the corporate ladder. They are in position to advance your career.

Join a company committee. Whether it is a committee developing new workplace policies or simply planning the company holiday party, joining or volunteering can help you build relationships with other people in your company whom you might otherwise never meet.

Find and/or become a mentor. Mentoring and being mentored provide perspectives and new ideas about career goals and how to achieve them.

Align individual and company goals. Evaluate your company’s goals and identify the similarities and differences in comparison to your personal career objectives. Look to bridge the gap in differences by attending meetings and company-offered development courses.

Discover ways to save money. Find ways to increase efficiency and performance while decreasing costs. This is especially important in a time when employers are looking for ways to reduce spending.

Become an expert on one facet of your field. It is important to be a generalist, but knowing more than anyone else on a specific issue or topic will help make you the “go-to” person for anyone in the company who has a question on that area. This specialized knowledge makes you extremely valuable and should be covered in your resum茅.

– James Challenger is CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., global outplacement consultants based in Chicago.