Piano di Compensazione delle Vendite: Modello, Tipi, Come Crearlo con Esempi

There are a few domains that are as dynamic and challenging as sales. The performance of sales reps can mean the difference between being a market leader in the industry or the bottom feeder with diminishing sales. Being the second-most-in-demand job, there’s an abundance of sales reps in the job market.  

However, finding a top performer is hard, and it’s harder to retain one with the ever-increasing competition for the talented. In any sales environment, the primary driver of motivation and right sales behaviors is compensation. It’s essential that companies implement the right sales compensation plans to drive employee satisfaction and engagement. 

What are sales compensation plans? 

Sales compensation is how much money a sales representative is paid in a year. It includes components such as a base salary, commissions, and incentives to motivate the reps to meet or exceed their sales quotas. 

A sales compensation plan outlines the structure that defines how the sales rep will be compensated based on their performance. The plan includes full details about compensation for sales reps, such as the base salary, bonuses, commissions, and benefits. 

Prima di esaminare i diversi esempi di piani di remunerazione delle vendite, è importante comprendere alcuni dei concetti di base coinvolti nella strutturazione dei piani: 

1. Sales quotas 

Sales quotas are a set number of revenue targets that applies to individual or group of sales reps. Quotas are typically time-bound such as monthly, quarterly or annually.

The quotas are the minimum sales the reps must close before they become eligible for commissions. For example, if the reps have a quota of 50 sales per month, they start earning commissions after the 50sale is reached. 

2. On-target earnings 

Il guadagno on-target (OTE) è la somma dello stipendio base e degli incentivi che i rappresentanti di vendita otterrebbero al raggiungimento delle quote o degli obiettivi. Fornisce una visione realistica della retribuzione totale dei rappresentanti di vendita per l'anno in corso. 

3. Pay mix 

Il pay mix è il rapporto tra lo stipendio di base e la retribuzione variabile o le commissioni che un rappresentante guadagna. Il rapporto fornisce una visione rapida della suddivisione della retribuzione, in modo che i rappresentanti sappiano quanto guadagneranno con ogni piano. Ad esempio, se il pay mix è 60:40, significa che il 60% dell'OTE è rappresentato dallo stipendio base e il 40% dalle commissioni. Il mix retributivo può variare a seconda dell'organizzazione e dei prodotti venduti. 

4. Sales accelerators 

Sales accelerators are an extra boost to incentives once the sales reps cross their OTEs. That means their commission rates go higher when they exceed their quotas or targets.

5. Sales decelerator 

I deceleratori delle vendite hanno lo scopo di penalizzare i rappresentanti con prestazioni insufficienti. Spesso intervengono intorno al 40%-60% della quota del rappresentante. Ad esempio, se la provvigione è del 10% quando il rappresentante raggiunge la sua quota, si può applicare un deceleratore del 5% per ridurre la provvigione se il rappresentante non raggiunge la sua quota. 

6. Clawback 

Clawbacks are frequently used in service-based companies and happen when a customer churns (stops using the product or service). For example, if the subscription target is set at 4 months, the sales rep will lose their commissions if the customer churns within that time. Clawbacks encourage sales reps to follow high-quality leads. 

7. Sales Performance Incentive Funds (SPIFs) and Sales contest 

Also called sales contests, SPIFs are designed to incentivize high performance in the sales teams. Sales contests are held on a monthly basis for a short period with rewards such as a one-time cash prize or non-monetary rewards such as team dinners or outings. 

Why are sales compensation plans important? 

Being a sales representative is an incredibly demanding job. Robust compensation plans are keeping the reps motivated and engaged as the role has one of the highest churn rates in the industry with 61% of the reps feeling under-appreciated. 

A well-designed compensation plan sets fair standards and drives healthy competition among the teams to perform better. The strongest impact a good compensation plan has is to reward the sales reps fairly and make them feel valued. Surveys show that 91% of sales reps take pride in their jobs, and one of the biggest factors that contribute to it is compensation. 

I piani di remunerazione delle vendite presentano anche altri vantaggi, quali: 

• Supporting the recruitment strategy through attractive compensation and incentive programs. 
• Aumenta la soddisfazione dei dipendenti fornendo una retribuzione all'altezza delle competenze. 
• Contribuisce alla pianificazione finanziaria proiettando il budget delle retribuzioni. 
• Stabilisce una base per gli indicatori chiave di prestazione (KPI) per monitorare l'efficacia della compensazione. 

How to create a sales compensation plan? 

Your sales staff doesn't really care about technical terms. You know "incentives" and "commissions". They want money. So, it's up to you to sell your managers on sales commission plans that actually motivate top performers.

There are a number of steps involved in building and fine tuning an effective sales compensation plan. So here they are: 

1. Setting payment targets 

The first step to compensation planning is to look at what the market is paying. The payment target needs to stay around the market’s median income to be competitive. Although it may vary by geographic location, it acts as the foundation of the compensation structure, therefore must be chosen carefully.

Researching platforms such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor is a good place to figure out the average pay for the reps in the industry. The pay should also take commissions into account to come up with a base for the compensation plan. 

2. Decide on the regime of the compensation plans 

Whether it is direct pay or base salary with commission, it is important to choose a clear regime for payouts or risk losing the top performers. The compensation plan should fit the roles and the expected results from the sales team.

3. Includere ogni membro 

Per mantenere la motivazione dei venditori e promuovere l'uguaglianza, tutti i venditori devono essere iscritti al sistema di commissioni di vendita. Spiegare come funziona la struttura degli incentivi e quando vengono emesse le provvigioni. Il modello di piano provvigionale può essere determinato in base al grado, agli obiettivi previsti, all'influenza delle vendite e alle tappe raggiunte. 

4. Establish measurement metrics 

I programmi di remunerazione devono essere misurabili per valutarne l'efficacia, poiché ogni piano ha i propri incentivi. Gli indicatori chiave di prestazione (KPI) devono quindi essere basati sulla corrispondenza tra le vendite dei rappresentanti e il pacchetto di premi. Utilizzate KPI come: 

• Tasso di incremento delle vendite 
• Margine di profitto 
• Quote 
• Penetrazione del mercato 
• Vendite chiuse dal rappresentante 
• Tassi di onboarding e chiamate dimostrative 
• Tempo per la prospezione e la conversione dei lead, ecc. 
• Prospetti con potenziale di vendita 
• Contratti acquisiti e contratti persi da potenziali clienti 

5. Assegnare obiettivi e quote 

Just before taking action the expectation for teams and individual reps needs to be set in the form of quotas, targets and benchmarks. The expectation clarifies what each rep needs to do and how they are paid for it.

Once the targets and quotas are established it becomes possible to assign and track each sales rep against the established key objectives. 

Different types of sales compensation plans 

Employees in sales can get paid in different ways, such as hourly wages, salary, commissions, and bonuses. The sales compensation plan effectiveness can be gauged by the sales rep's engagement and their performance in terms of meeting or exceeding their quotas.  

Different companies tailor their commission plans according to their industry and how their business is conducted. The following examples reflect typical sales compensation plans across different industries: 

1. Compensazione solo salariale 

With the salary-only compensations model, sales reps are paid an annual salary without commissions or incentives based on their performance. The all-inclusive compensation will be agreed upon with the rep ahead of time without variables.  

The main benefit for the company with this model is the simpler management of finances. The method also benefits underperforming sales reps as they will be compensated even when sales quotas aren’t met.  

The drawbacks with the model are plenty, as it takes away the drive for competitiveness and incentive, which encourages sales reps to perform at their peak. The star performers feel unenthusiastic about being in the same league as reps who slack once their quota is met. 

La retribuzione solo salariale può essere utilizzata in diversi settori, dall'industria manifatturiera alla vendita al dettaglio. 

2. Stipendio base più bonus 

Per ovviare alla mancanza di entusiasmo dei venditori con il piano di solo stipendio, si può aggiungere un bonus per motivarli. Generalmente concordati in anticipo con i rappresentanti, i bonus vengono guadagnati quando questi raggiungono obiettivi specifici. 

Ad esempio, al rappresentante viene corrisposto uno stipendio base di 50.000 dollari USA e un bonus di 2.000 dollari USA per il superamento di quote, come la vendita di 50 prodotti. 

3. Stipendio base più commissioni 

The base salary plus commission is the most common plan used and constitutes close to 48.8% of the sales model used by companies. The compensation can be divided into a fixed base salary and variable compensation.  

• The pay mix is typically about 60:40 on an average across most industries 
• Or a less aggressive 70:30 if the product being sold is technical and the reps need to educate the customers. 

Because of its potential to motivate the star sellers of the teams, the base salary plus commission plan is used by many industries. The Brigade Group, for example, calculates an average base salary of USD$79,000 with an OTE of USD$158,000 for SaaS account executives. The compensation plan is also used in industries such as Edtech, financial services, retail outlets and many more small to medium businesses. 

4. Commissione solo come compenso 

Con un piano di sola commissione, i rappresentanti non ricevono uno stipendio di base, ma le loro commissioni si basano sulle vendite che realizzano. I tassi di commissione sono in genere più elevati in questi piani, poiché non c'è uno stipendio di base. 

A fine example for the plan is the real estate industry where the brokers and sales reps make commissions on the total value of the property. As of 2022, the total gross commissions in the real estate industry hovers around 4.94%.  

Commission only compensation is also used in industries such as real estate, fast-growing startups, products with well-defined sales cycles, non-customizable products, etc. 

5. Commissione basata sul margine lordo 

While it’s important to motivate salespeople to score higher targets, it’s also essential that the company reaches its revenue goals. Sometimes sales reps end up focusing on low-value products that are easier to sell to meet their quotas.  

Excessive discounts are also a way taken by sales reps to close higher numbers and earn more. The gross margin or profit-based commission model can then be implemented to curb the issue. Changing the focus from higher quotas to higher profits drives the right sales behaviors and has a positive effect on the company’s bottom line. 

Car dealerships work on gross margin-based commissions and the sales reps typically earn 20%-30% of the profit. The plan can also be used in businesses such as car or hardware dealerships, wholesale distributors for SAAS or software services and B2B partner agencies. 

6. Commissione assoluta 

In un piano di provvigioni assolute, i rappresentanti guadagnano provvigioni a un tasso prestabilito una volta raggiunti gli obiettivi. 

La provvigione assoluta funziona bene nei settori con prodotti e aggiornamenti consolidati, come i dispositivi medici, gli elettrodomestici, gli apparecchi agricoli e altri articoli di ferramenta. Le commissioni percentuali sui prodotti possono variare dall'1 al 10% o più se le vendite sono fuori stagione. 

7. Commissione relativa 

I piani di provvigione relativi prevedono quote predeterminate che determinano le provvigioni che i rappresentanti guadagneranno. Le quote possono essere basate sul fatturato o sul volume delle vendite. Questi piani possono essere utilizzati per incoraggiare i rappresentanti a puntare su prodotti di maggior valore. 

Relative commissions are used by companies with well-established products that can afford higher commissions. Examples include manufacturing, wholesale, technical and scientific products. The commission rate can vary from 7-15%. 

8. Commissione a quote costanti 

Il piano di provvigione lineare è uno dei piani più soddisfacenti per i rappresentanti di vendita di qualsiasi livello. La provvigione si basa sulle prestazioni relative alle quote di vendita. 

I piani di provvigione lineari funzionano bene nelle aziende con cicli di vendita più brevi o quando i rappresentanti hanno la possibilità di ottenere grandi provvigioni. 

9. Pareggio contro commissione 

Un piano di provvigioni ad estrazione è simile a un piano retributivo, in quanto le provvigioni vengono pagate in anticipo. Il rappresentante dovrà quindi recuperare il pagamento anticipato per compensarlo. Esistono due tipi principali di provvigioni di tipo draw-against: 

• Recoverable draws: These payouts are similar to loans that the reps are expected to recover during the period. For example, if the sales rep draws USD$5,000 per month, they are expected to earn a minimum of USD$5,000 a month to make up for the loan. If they are unable to recover fully, the remainder amount rolls over to the next month. 
• Estrazioni non recuperabili: Le estrazioni non recuperabili sono pagamenti che non si prevede di recuperare. Di solito vengono offerti ai rappresentanti di vendita in fase di formazione, poiché all'inizio non ci si aspetta che chiudano molti affari. 

I piani di provvigione a estrazione sono adatti ai rappresentanti e ai team che sono alle prime armi con le vendite. La pressione delle vendite agisce come un buon primer per i nuovi arrivati nei ruoli. I piani sono efficaci anche per i prodotti fuori stagione con periodi di vendita incerti. 

10. Commissione per il volume del territorio 

I piani di compensazione del volume del territorio sono utilizzati quando si lavora con team di rappresentanti di vendita impegnati in un territorio definito. Il compenso viene concordato su base mensile o trimestrale e, una volta completato il periodo, la commissione totale viene suddivisa tra i rappresentanti del team di vendita. 

Le commissioni sul volume del territorio sono utili per le aziende che cercano di scalare in nuove località geografiche, come i servizi Internet via cavo, la disinfestazione e i servizi di copertura solare. Qualsiasi azienda orientata al lavoro di squadra può ottenere buoni risultati con questo piano. 

4 sales compensation plan examples to get you started 

Creating an effective sales compensation plan model requires careful consideration of each sales role within your organization. Every member of your sales team should have a compensation plan tailored to their responsibilities, experience level, typical sales cycle length, and the type of deals they handle. 

As you develop your sales compensation model, you’ll come across different structures, each designed to align incentives with your company’s goals. Below are four comp plan examples to help you get started: 

1. Sales development representative (SDR) compensation plan 

What it is: A combination of a lower base salary with commission or bonuses tied to lead generation activities. 

When to use it: Best suited for roles focused on generating and qualifying leads rather than closing sales. 

Why it works: Encourages SDRs to prioritize high-quality lead generation and meet prospecting targets. 

How to calculate: Typically includes a base salary with a bonus for each qualified lead or scheduled meeting. For example, an SDR might earn a $50 bonus for every lead that meets predefined qualification criteria. 

2. Sales representative commission-based compensation plan 

What it is: A mix of base salary and commission, directly tied to closed sales. 

When to use it: Ideal for sales reps responsible for closing deals with clients. 

Why it works: Balances income stability with motivation to drive revenue through successful deals. 

How to calculate: A sales rep might receive a steady base salary plus a commission—such as 5% of each closed deal’s value—ensuring a direct link between performance and earnings. 

3. Sales manager compensation plan 

What it is: A combination of base salary, performance-based bonuses, and sometimes a percentage of the team’s total sales. 

When to use it: Designed for sales management roles where the focus is on leading and developing a sales team. 

Why it works: Provides a stable income while offering incentives for maximizing team performance. 

How to calculate: A sales manager may receive a fixed base salary plus bonuses based on team key performance indicators (KPIs). For example, they could earn a 5% bonus on their team’s total sales revenue or additional bonuses for meeting team-wide sales targets. 

4. VP of Sales compensation plan 

What it is: A high base salary combined with performance bonuses, profit-sharing, or stock options. 

When to use it: Best suited for senior leadership roles responsible for the company’s overall sales performance. 

Why it works: Reflects the strategic importance of the role while incentivizing long-term revenue growth. 

How to calculate: Compensation typically includes a substantial base salary with bonuses linked to company-wide sales success. For instance, a VP of Sales might earn a 10% bonus based on the increase in total revenue under their leadership. 

Strategize your sales compensation plan with Compass 

Compass simplifies sales compensation plan models, helping businesses design, launch, and optimize commission plans 10x faster with no-code automation. Whether structuring channel sales compensation plans or sales compensation accelerators, Compass ensures efficiency, accuracy, and motivation. 

• Fast plan creation & automation – Build and deploy commission plans in minutes without coding with Compass. 
• Advanced compensation features – Implement spiffs, bonuses, multipliers, ramps, clawbacks, and more. 
• Transparent & compliant payouts – Automate calculations, track changes, and ensure global compliance. 
• Motivate & engage sales teams – Show real-time earnings, ai-powered nudges, and dispute resolution. 
• Data-driven optimization – Gain insights through predictive analytics, quota tracking, and payout trends to refine plans confidently. 

Riflessioni conclusive 

Compensation is the primary motivator of the right sales behaviors in sales reps. To keep them engaged, it is vital to apply the appropriate sales compensation strategy to reward the reps fairly. To increase the sales compensation plan effectiveness, it is essential to introduce gamification to build a positive attitude towards work that can boost performance. 

With tools like Compass, businesses can automate plan creation, streamline payouts, and optimize compensation strategies using data-driven insights. By eliminating manual work and enhancing transparency, companies can retain top sales talent, boost revenue, and scale their compensation strategies with confidence. 

Domande frequenti