Creating a successful sales compensation plan isn’t just about pushing numbers and hoping for the best. It’s about visibility, control, simplicity—and yes, a lot of adjustments. Because here’s the truth: no plan survives the quarter without changes. The real key is to build it so those changes are visible, auditable, and controllable.
In the recent RevGenius webinar, “How to Fix Your Broken Comp Plan,” guest speakers Erik Charles, GTM and sales strategy expert, and Peter Shelton, CRO at Fullcast, discussed the promising progress and potential pitfalls that come with commission planning, as well as the relationship between sales leaders and reps. Â
The takeaway from this discussion is seven hard-won strategies for making your compensation plan a motivator, rather than a mess.Â
1. Make It Visible, Auditable, and Adjustable
According to Peter, these three words should be carved into every comp plan: visible, auditable, and adjustable. Visibility ensures reps know what’s expected and how they’re tracking. Auditability means changes (which will happen) are transparent, justified, and traceable.Â
Adjustability? Non-negotiable. Plans will evolve. Just make sure your system can too.
Transparency earns trust. As early as 2020, 86% of employees reported feeling satisfied with their jobs when their employer was transparent about their role in the company.Â
Read more: Peter Shelton: The Future of Commission Planning
When employees felt that information was being withheld, three in ten of them resigned. The lesson here is that if a rep questions a payout, you should be able to walk them through the data trail in minutes.
2. Aim for Accuracy. Seriously
This should go without saying, but here we are. Research dating back to the early days of Sales Performance Management (SPM) reveals a 3–5% error rate in commission payouts. This means revenue is being either overpaid or underpaid. Let’s be honest. A rep might ignore an overpayment, but a short check? That’s when the pitchforks come out.
Read more: 4 Common Compensation-Crushing Mistakes That Cost You BigÂ
3. Keep It Simple Enough for Breakfast Conversation
If you can’t explain your comp plan to a rep over a cup of coffee without needing a calculator or a whiteboard, it’s too complicated.
Read more: Erik Charles: 3 Ways to Build a Killer Sales Comp Plan
“It’s got to be the line of sight for the rep. Think about this: Could you explain the comp plan to a rep over a breakfast table? Or do you have to get out a calculator to walk them through it? How quickly could you say, ‘If you get Y until this date,’ and how quickly could the conversation be upward?” said Erik. “Does the rep have control over what you’re measuring them on? You want to simplify what is under the representative’s control. Can they understand the number? Can they see the number? Can they get to the number?” Representatives shouldn’t need to decode math formulas or master Excel to understand what they’re being paid for.
4. Focus on What Reps Can Control
Nothing kills motivation faster than tying compensation to outcomes that reps can’t influence. Take consumption-based metrics: if a rep can’t drive or influence consumption, don’t tie their pay to it.
The number one reason sales reps leave their roles is unrealistic sales targets, according to a groundbreaking State of Sales report by Salesforce. Like they say, control equates to accountability and success. When reps feel they have no control over strategies that address unique buyer and sales climate challenges, it results in confusion or worse, apathy. Â
The Fullcast platform overcomes these obstacles by empowering sales representatives with transparent and accurate data. “It’s really motivating for a rep to log in and be able to see the deals they close, how they’re getting paid. There’s ROI there,” Peter said. “But, it must be a continuous, data-driven conversation.”
This principle also applies to marketing teams. When teams are rewarded for real pipeline contribution (not vanity metrics), they stay aligned with sales. Clear dashboards and attribution help both sides track and collaborate on SQOs.
5. Align Goals Across Teams
Misaligned or vague goals are a fast track to finger-pointing. When marketing and sales aren’t on the same page, everyone loses. One effective strategy? Tie marketing incentives to sales-qualified opportunities, not just leads. It encourages real collaboration.Â
“I have no problem with marketing being on a variable plan, based on pipeline created, sales qualified opportunities,” Erik said. “This means marketing has to be friends with sales. They [Marketing] really only get recognized when sales created an opportunity out of their efforts.”
6. Limit Plan Components to Three: Max
Science says your brain taps out after three focus points. With RevOps teams, Erik and Peter emphasized that these points should be simple, sharp, and focused. Any more, and performance drops. That’s not opinion—that’s proven through cognitive load research.
“Do your reps understand what you’re telling them to do?” Erik said. “Do they have control over that? Do they have line of sight into that?”
Alignment starts with clarity. If teams (including marketing) can’t see or influence the outcome, they’ll default to their own KPIs, which can diverge from overall business goals.
7. Test for Behavior Change, Not Just Payouts
Running a spiff or bonus? Great. But here’s the litmus test: Did it change behavior? If the only reps who earned the bonus were already performing, you didn’t incentivize change—you gave away margin. “Check at the end of the month to see if changes in the commissions and incentives model changed behavior, not if it paid, but did it change behavior?” Erik said. “Tracking actual commission payments is an amazing feedback loop to see what people are focused on.” Â
The best comp plans are not just smart. They are trusted, understood, and actionable. Get that right, and you don’t just drive performance. You build loyalty, clarity, and a culture of accountability.
If your current plan isn’t hitting the mark, ask yourself:
- Can reps see it?
- Can they control it?
- Can you measure it?
- And most importantly, can you explain it without breaking out a spreadsheet?
If not, it’s time to rethink your strategy. We can help! Fullcast is an AI-enabled, no-code platform built to help sales teams thrive. By unifying sales performance management from Plan to Pay, Fullcast empowers revenue teams with transparent, real-time insights that drive smarter decisions and better results.
With Fullcast Plan, reps gain visibility into territories, quotas, and capacity planning—so they always know what’s expected and where to focus. Fullcast Perform ensures fair, intelligent lead routing and clear policies, helping reps spend more time selling and less time guessing. With Fullcast Pay, commissions are accurate, timely, and tied to actions that reps can control—building trust and motivation.
Fullcast keeps planning and execution connected, enabling GTM, sales, finance, and customer success teams to make strategic adjustments on the fly. The result? A more agile, aligned, and productive sales organization—where reps are equipped and supported to succeed every step of the way.
