• Why might your boss want to keep you where you are?
• How can you show your boss the greater value you would add in a new role?
• How well will your successor maintain the performance of your unit when you move?
• Can you assure your boss that losing you will not harm the business?
• How much are you depending on one person to promote you?
• Who else in the organization might have an interest in your services?
• How can you open other avenues to reduce your dependence on your boss?
• Who does your boss need to influence in order to promote you?
• Has your boss recently called in other I.O.U.s from this person, hence cannot ask for anything else at the moment?
• How can you help your boss make a case for your move?
• Complaining is not a very constructive solution.
• Think of how you would sell a new service to a customer.
• How far would complaining get you?
• What creative ideas can you offer your superiors that they cannot resist?
• What's in it for them to ''buy'' your services.
• You may not get a promotion simply because you earned or deserve it.
• Your promotion depends on internal customers with buying power seeing value for them in buying what you have to offer.
• The first step is to find out what they need.
• Then prepare your business case for how you can meet that need.

See also the article: An Engaged Employee's Career.