Publish Date
Apr 06, 2023
Industry Insights
Did you know the “Sales” page on Wikipedia doesn’t mention anything related to Sales Compensation? Go ahead and CTRL+F for just the word “compensation” (you can try “commission” as well if you want to be thorough), I can wait… You see! Something so fundamental to sales itself, compensation, is completely overlooked and undocumented in one of the world’s leading sources of information.
The sales function is the lifeblood of many organizations, and the success of that function often hinges on having a motivated sales force. This leaves the rest of us asking three questions:
The last question, why, is what will define you as an organization. Compensation is the number one reason we all work; our market-based economy requires it. But why pay differently for sales? Why sell your specific product? Why work for your leaders? Without any way to answer these questions you, your team, your organization, and your customers, are all one competitor price change, feature update or leadership churn away from irrelevance.
I will preface this by saying that every person and organization is wholly unique. Philosophies cannot be taken up overnight. This is something all people and organizations have to come to with experience and knowledge gained through personal soul searching and interacting with diverse groups of individuals throughout the world. That being said, here are a couple of examples we’ve helped organizations develop or bring to the surface to ensure their sales compensation plans are rooted in a strong foundation.
Every company is unique and should tailor their compensation philosophy accordingly, however, it can’t be said enough, compensation is more important than any other reward you can offer a sales professional. When your sales team views compensation favorably their propensity to also feel more favorably toward the key drivers of engagement such as productivity, relationships with executives, and internal career trajectory skyrockets.
Once the Sales Compensation philosophy is established, there is no shortage of options one can take to design a plan. These items will be covered in later articles but there are two best practices that should always be considered:
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Truth is the only foundation solid enough to stand on, and if your compensation philosophy is rooted in half-truths, you are doomed from the start.
If and when you are ready to build upon your current sales compensation philosophy, or need help shaping one, A&M is here to help.
*This article is part of the Sales Compensation focused series within the HCT readership.
https://www.alvarezandmarsal.com/insights/what-do-i-owe-you-sales-compensation-philosophy