Published Articles
9 Steps to a Shiny New Comp Plan
Sales compensation plan design basics are covered in this article published in WorldatWork’s Sales Compensation Focus magazine.
Sales compensation tips for the electrical distribution industry
Carol Katarsky recently wrote an article summarizing sales comp basics for tED Magazine, a leading trade journal for the electrical distribution industry. In the article, she breaks down best practices into three big chunks: Clarify the business goals Design for the...
Sales Models: Transitioning From Sales Stars to a Sales Machine
Joe Clarkson interviewed Mark Flavin and Donya Rose on the fascinating topic of picking a selling model, choosing between "Sales Stars" or a "Sales Machine." As the tag line says, it's a choice between autonomous sales superstars vs. team-oriented process-driven...
Alan Benson’s Research suggests managers keep poor performers to maximize their own comp
Recently published research led by Alan Benson applies a rigorous academic lens to this question. And Alan’s answer is…
Selling Your Sales Compensation Plan to Management
WorkSpan Magazine, February, 2011 – Selling Your Sales Compensation Plan to Management Learn how to prevent last-minute derailment of your sales compensation design effort, and make sure your plan designs reflect the top priorities of your most influential stakeholders.
Looking Ahead: Should We Make a Change?
Sales Compensation Focus, July 2010 – The economy appears to have taken a positive turn and many companies are starting to think about growth: hiring more sales reps, launching a new product, or breaking into a new market segment. One of the first questions that is raised when a company returns to growth mode, especially if there has been significant retrenching, is, “What should we do with our sales compensation plans?”
Rewarding Behaviors vs. Rewarding Results — Results!
WorldatWork Sales Compensation Focus, March 2010 — “You get what you pay for.” If you pay for behaviors, you’re very likely to get them; if you pay for results, you will improve the chances of getting the needed results significantly.
Is Cash Always King? Key Questions When Developing Non-Cash Reward Programs
WorkSpan Magazine, July 8, 2009 — “What part of ‘the deal’ with your company really drives your focus and keeps you working hard?” Do you know how your sales people would answer this question? If your sales compensation plan is working, it is likely to be at the top of the list, but you might also find that sales people value…
Compensation Specialists: Your big moment is now!
HR Group Newsletter, April 2009 — If you are responsible for compensation policy and planning for your company, the current economic situation may present you with an unprecedented opportunity to contribute to your company’s success.
Pay Planning (from RV Trade Digest)
RV Trade Digest, July 8, 2009 — There are few topics in any small business that cause as much angst as employee compensation. While employees try to extract as much money as possible from an employer, every business owner seeks to pay employees a fair, competitive wage that also offers a motivating incentive.