Comisión de ventas B2B SaaS: una guía completa

B2B SaaS sales commissions have been evolving over the past few years. More companies are adopting innovative pay models as a way of boosting sales performance with some reporting significant increases in sales productivity. 

En un ecosistema de venta como el B2B SaaS, los ciclos suelen ser largos, los productos complejos y normalmente implican ingresos recurrentes. Esta complejidad requiere un enfoque bastante estructurado para definir las compensaciones de ventas. 

Este blog va a proporcionar una guía definitiva sobre las comisiones de ventas B2B SaaS; los múltiples modelos, las mejores prácticas y las estrategias que ayudarán a las empresas a ser más eficaces a la hora de establecer sus planes de compensación de ventas. 

Entender las comisiones de ventas en B2B SaaS 

Sales commissions in B2B SaaS are performance-based incentives given to sales teams based on criteria like the number of deals closed, contract value, or meeting specific sales targets. These incentives encourage sales representatives to achieve or exceed their goals, aligning their efforts with the company's revenue objectives. The role of the B2B SaaS sales commission extends beyond the close of a sale. It is an intelligent way to: 

• Drive the right behaviors: Compensation, when it is tied to defined metrics, drives sales activity that supports business objectives. 
• Attract and retain top talent: Competitive commission structures help SaaS companies attract and retain the best sales professionals in a dynamic labor market.  
• Impulsar el crecimiento: Los planes de comisiones bien diseñados pueden empujar a los vendedores a salir de su zona de confort e impulsar un rápido crecimiento del negocio. 
• Customer satisfaction: By relating the success of customers to commissions for sales teams, there can be long-term incentives concerning customer relationships. 

¿En qué se diferencian las estructuras de comisiones de B2B SaaS de los modelos tradicionales? 

Los modelos de comisiones tradicionales suelen consistir en pagos porcentuales por cada venta, centrados en los ingresos inmediatos. A menudo carecen de complejidad y recompensan a los representantes de ventas en función de objetivos a corto plazo, sin tener en cuenta la retención de clientes a largo plazo o los ingresos recurrentes. He aquí la diferencia:  

• Focus on recurring revenue: The SaaS model focuses on customer lifetime value rather than the one-time sale, so salespeople need to look beyond the first contract to upsell opportunities, renewals, and expansion. 
• Longer sales cycles: Complex B2B sales can run into months, necessitating different commission timing. Some firms introduce milestone-based commissions to keep reps engaged during lengthier sales processes. 
• Product complexity: SaaS products often require technical knowledge, which drives a different type of commission structure. Companies can include bonuses for product certification in their commission plans to encourage ongoing learning. 
• Métricas de éxito del cliente: Muchas empresas de SaaS vinculan sus comisiones al uso y la retención de su software por parte del cliente. 
• Atribución multitoque: Las empresas B2B suelen implicar un proceso de venta multitoque para un negocio SaaS, desde la obtención del punto de contacto inicial hasta las demostraciones del producto y las conversaciones de seguimiento. Este tipo de proceso requiere una estructura de comisiones que recompense a los distintos miembros del equipo en las distintas fases del ciclo de venta. 

What are the challenges in redesigning the B2B compensation plans? 

Tension between sales and procurement: The current economic climate has intensified the conflict between B2B sales teams and customer procurement departments, as companies strive to maintain margins while customers seek to cut costs and consolidate suppliers. 

1. Inadequate inclusion of pricing metrics 

Despite a strong desire for strategic pricing, fewer than 10% of reviewed Sales Incentive Plans (sips) include price-based metrics. This lack of integration often leads to missed opportunities for aligning sales performance with broader corporate financial goals. 

2. Complexity in design 

Organizations frequently struggle with overly complex compensation structures that hinder the effective implementation of pricing metrics. Concerns about exposing confidential information further complicate the design process. 

3. Setting realistic pricing targets 

Companies face difficulties in establishing achievable pricing targets due to varying market conditions and internal capabilities. This issue is particularly pronounced in competitive markets where price sensitivity is high. 

4. Behavioral misalignment 

Without clear specifications on desired pricing behaviors, salespeople may engage in practices that are beneficial individually but detrimental to the organization as a whole. 

Tipos comunes de estructuras de comisiones de ventas 

A continuación se presentan las 6 estructuras de comisiones de ventas más básicas: 

1. Sueldo base más comisión

This compensation plan model follows a fixed base salary with commissions on offer, subject to sales performance. It provides a base salary to sales representatives, meanwhile motivating them to reach higher levels with commissions.

The base and commission rates could be balanced according to requirements set by the company and the conditions prevailing in the market.  It's effective because B2B SaaS companies generally have longer sales cycles.

The salesperson is assured of income even during long-drawn negotiations and, with it, compelled to close deals. Companies can modify the plan by commission rates or adding performance levels to meet goals in such a scheme to encourage the sales team. 

Tiered commission structures:

Tiered structures increase commission rates if representatives achieve higher sales goals. For example, at Zoom Video Communications, the increasing commission rates go from 5% to 15% if reps exceed their quota. Say, for example, the Sales Representative can achieve the following in Zoom: 

• 7% de comisión sobre las ventas inferiores al 100% de la cuota 
• 9% sobre las ventas entre el 100 y el 120% de la cuota 
• 12% on all sales over 120% of quota 
   
  It incentivizes representatives to reach for more than the basic goals for much bigger rewards.

Recurring commissions: 

This system ensures commission as long as a customer account remains active. This works with the SaaS subscription models, helping salespeople retain customers for a long period. Representatives earn a percentage of the money coming in continually. 
 
This keeps them focused on building enduring relations with their clients, not on quick, shaky deals. Harvard Business Review  research supports that recurring commissions are effective for building long-term client relationships. 

Accelerators and incentives:

These are additional incentives to exceed targets. They are designed to motivate sales representatives to strive for performance above quota with the use of additional commission rates or bonuses. This model can lead to a significant increase in sales productivity along with revenue growth. Accelerators generally start at key thresholds, with some type of tiered system giving much to top performers. 

Multiply commission plans: 

Some B2B SaaS companies have commission-rate-modifying plans depending on various factors. These could be plans that adjust the commission rates about certain criteria: product type, customer segment, or even deal profitability. Because these plans are flexible, companies can, therefore, incentivize specific sales types in ways that align with broader business objectives. 

Residual commission model:

Residual models matter a lot for companies that care about customer success. This is a method for tying sales rewards to long-term client value and a way to motivate the salesperson to help the client grow, rather than just "make the sale.". 

5 mejores programas para comisiones de ventas B2B SaaS 

Aquí está la lista de los 5 mejores software de comisiones de ventas SaaS B2B que puede elegir: 

1. Compass 

Compass proporciona visibilidad en tiempo real del rendimiento de las ventas y las comisiones de la organización. Se trata de un completo software de seguimiento de comisiones de ventas para B2B SaaS que mantiene a los equipos motivados y en el buen camino. 

Compass automatiza los complejos cálculos de comisiones, eliminando la necesidad de hojas de cálculo y reduciendo los errores. Esta función es crucial para mantener unos pagos precisos y puntuales. 

La plataforma ofrece potentes herramientas de análisis y elaboración de informes que permiten a las empresas hacer un seguimiento en tiempo real del rendimiento y los pagos. Los usuarios pueden visualizar las tendencias de los datos en diferentes dimensiones, como regiones, equipos y programas, lo que ayuda a tomar decisiones empresariales con conocimiento de causa. 

Compass supports various commission structures suitable for SaaS business models, including recurring commissions for customer retention. This flexibility allows companies to align their compensation strategies with their specific business goals and sales processes. 

A leading automotive solutions provider faced challenges with manual commission calculations and a lack of visibility as they grew. By adopting Compass, they automated commission processes and provided real-time performance tracking for sales reps and business heads. Within 100 days, they saw a 20% increase in incentive adoption, 18% more qualifiers, and a 25% rise in payouts. 

2. CaptivateIQ 

Ofrece a empresas líderes como Carta y Gong la capacidad de cálculo y modelado más completa basada en IA para diseñar y gestionar planes de comisiones complejos. CaptivateIQ automatiza el cálculo de las comisiones de ventas, garantizando la precisión y la puntualidad.  

Permite a las empresas crear planes de comisiones flexibles que se ajusten a sus estrategias de ventas específicas. El software se integra perfectamente con los sistemas financieros y de ventas existentes, proporcionando informes y análisis en tiempo real para ayudar a los equipos de ventas a realizar un seguimiento de su rendimiento y sus ganancias. 

3. Spiff 

 With its intuitive, drag-and-drop visual plan builder and real-time commission statements, fast-growing SaaS companies like Intercom and Clear bit have used Spiff effectively. 

Spiff se centra en la automatización del cálculo de comisiones para reducir los errores manuales y ahorrar tiempo. Su plataforma ofrece estructuras de comisiones personalizables, lo que permite a las empresas adaptar sus planes de compensación según sus necesidades. 

Spiff también ofrece funciones transparentes de elaboración de informes, que permiten a los representantes de ventas ver claramente sus ingresos y métricas de rendimiento. 

4. Xactly Incent 

 Aprovechando los análisis avanzados y la IA, Xactly Incent es la estrategia de compensación de ventas que marca la diferencia para empresas como Salesforce y HP. Xactly Incent está diseñado para la gestión de la compensación de incentivos, especialmente en entornos de ventas complejos. 

Admite varias estructuras de comisiones, incluidas comisiones escalonadas y residuales, que recompensan tanto la captación como la retención de clientes. El software ofrece sólidas herramientas de análisis para medir la eficacia de los planes de compensación y alinearlos con los objetivos empresariales. 

5. Performio 

 Esto es lo mejor para las grandes empresas de SaaS, ya que tiene soporte multidivisa y seguimiento del cumplimiento a través de equipos de ventas grandes y a veces geográficamente dispersos. 

Performio ofrece una solución completa para gestionar las comisiones de ventas con un fuerte énfasis en la flexibilidad. Permite a las organizaciones diseñar intrincados planes de comisiones adaptados a sus necesidades. 

La plataforma cuenta con sincronización de datos en tiempo real con otros sistemas empresariales, lo que garantiza que los cálculos de comisiones se basen en información precisa y actualizada. 

How to redesign the B2B compensation plan? 

To effectively incorporate price-based metrics into SIPs, organizations must consider several key steps: 

1. Aligning on desired behaviors: Companies should clearly define the pricing behaviors they wish to incentivize, focusing on four primary behaviors that enhance pricing discipline and overall sales performance. 
2. Designing effective metrics: The choice between price-realization metrics and margin-based metrics is critical. Price-realization metrics are easier to implement but may create internal tensions, while margin-based metrics align more closely with company goals but can lead to a narrow focus on specific products. 

3. Performance assessment methods: Organizations need to adopt performance assessment methods that reflect both final pricing positions and improvements over time, potentially using a hybrid approach that balances these factors. 
4. Weighting metrics appropriately: To influence behavior effectively, price-based metrics should constitute at least 20% of the variable compensation target within the SIP. Adjustments may be necessary to ensure alignment with overall company success metrics without disproportionately rewarding easily achieved outcomes. 
5. Implementing support systems: Successful integration of pricing metrics requires robust systems and inputs that facilitate tracking and managing these new compensation elements effectively. 

By addressing these challenges and strategically redesigning compensation plans, B2B organizations can enhance their sales teams' pricing strategies, leading to improved margins and sustainable growth aligned with corporate objectives. 

Conclusión 

An effective B2B SaaS sales commission structure is always at the core of any growth-oriented and sales team-motivating process.

Companies can build efficient incentive systems aligned with their business goals and market dynamics by understanding the unique aspects of SaaS sales, putting in place best practices, and using advanced commission management software like Compass. 

As the B2B SaaS landscape continues to change, so too must commission structures. Ultimately, the effectiveness of the B2B SaaS companies that can view their sales commission structures as not just an element of static compensation but as a dynamic tool driving business strategy and fostering high-performance sales cultures will set them apart from the rest.

Schedule a call with Compass and see how it can transform your sales compensation plan into doing wonders. 

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