The most important aspect of a sales job is getting paid.  In the end it is about that paper! I am not talking about the money type of paper; I am talking about the written remuneration or compensation plan.  That is the most important paper out there.  Getting paid is important; as it is one way to keep score, yet it is also the way we eat and keep our families happy.

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The objective of this post is to give those who need to know a basis to understand the basic remuneration systems in an easy, no nonsense way.  What is more important is that you learn your company’s system and “work the hell” out of it.

Remember, it is your right to work the system, yet also, it is good policy on your part to keep your activities in the spirit of the system as well.  Working the system is not cheating, and if you are within the spirit of the system, and you will still get your reward.

An important note for all remuneration/compensation stakeholders is that whenever commissions are involved, care must be taken to realize the volatility that can exist.  Sometimes this uncertainty is beneficial (higher earnings), and sometimes it can be detrimental.  In the end, as I said, it’s about the paper, but also the confidence you have in the company’s products and your own abilities.

7 Major Types of Compensation Methods

Companies have the right to do whatever is legal and makes sales happen.  They can put together a variety of different types of plans that stimulate gross sales, retain sales professionals, promote particular products, develops territories, etc.  There are significant numbers of Black sales professionals in each of these type of arrangements with many prospering.  Your ability to take downside risk will determine how you feel about these.

Having been involved in the design and approval of compensation plans from a company standpoint, much thought goes into them, as once they are out there, they you are stuck with them for the prescribed term.

Here are examples of the most popular and widely used plans:

Salary – You have a simple formula to operate under, yet no incentive to excel other than a performance review.  Salary is safe and secure with no upside.

Straight Commission – No base salary, no upside limit, and the downside can be “$0 dollars”.  The risk is with you, yet if you excel, and you must to work under this system, the “force” is with you.

Draw Against Commission - In this one, you have some subsistence in the form of a ‘draw’ providing an advance of commissions with an agreement to pay it back if you do not ‘earn’ it.  The employer is essentially loaning you money against your commission income.  You get the benefit of some subsistence but still have the risk of an downside and the benefit of an upside.

Salary Plus Bonus – A pay system sought after by many professionals as it provides a solid floor, while providing significant upside earnings paid periodically, often quarterly as a bonus.  Often using the components of a straight commission system to help determine the bonus amount.

Base Plus Commission – Similar to above, this is a popular method, tried and proven.  Fixed base salary with commissions paid on the system quarterly or more often.  Commissions are usually based on percentages of dollars sold.

Variable Commission – These are straight commission schemes that have percentages that vary with product, size of the sale, attainment of goals, etc.  Much depends on what the company is trying to promote.

Residual Commission – Commissions that are paid based on customer longevity once initiated.  Aggregate residual commissions can form a solid ‘base’ which provides a good income, and some stability.

There may be other methods of compensation, but usually it is based on some variation of one of these arrangements.  In almost all cases the compensation plan is in writing, and available to all sales professionals for study.  Don’t forget to study this item and even have discussion with some of the more experienced sales professionals in your sales unit.  You will want to know the nuances of this plan that makes for higher earnings.

How Much Guts Do You Have?

Obviously these different arrangements involve different risks.  Hands down the straight commission set-up involves the most risk and highest instability.  It is sales compensation in its purest sense.  You sell and you get paid! I never worked nor managed in a system like this, and recognize that many of you do.

There are combinations of these elements that make for remuneration systems that need the ability to emphasize particular objectives.

Example 1. A salary + bonus system that wants to reward customer longevity attaches a component which uses residual commissions to strengthen the bonus.

Example 2. A variable commission changes your percentage on sales of a certain product based on reaching a certain level of sales.  Let’s say you receive 8% commission on the first $100,000 of sales of widgets, which increases to 12% for all sales thereafter.  Once you reach the 100,000, you are rewarded with more from your great work.

Yes, It’s About that Paper!

I would make the suggestion that you get your organization’s sales compensation plan in front of you and study it.  Do the brief interview with your sales comrades to determine how to maximize it.

There are times that the organization’s objectives, and the compensation or remuneration plan are not in concert.  Rewarding the sales of products that are not profitable, or are in low supply are examples.

Know the plan and formulate your objectives and you can work efficiently and effectively by maximizing your efforts and your income.

Be effective! Your comments are welcome. You can meet me at michael.parker@blacksalesjournal.com.

None of us want to admit that we have  been out-negotiated!  But it happens often.  We know that you need the sale, but this very important post will discuss an important tactic, and reduce the chances that you get the wrong end of the deal.  You are your company’s negotiator, and your reputation is at stake.  Be prepared!

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Your prospective customer calls you to meet in order to discuss your product and whether your organizations can do business.  She sounds excited and you sense that this might be the precursor to a good sale.

After you arrive, after some warm-up, you get to the gist of the negotiations.  She wants better payment terms and this is a big issue.  You have been instructed that your organization is ‘losing’ on payment terms, obviously not collecting soon enough, and you know your bounds.

The negotiations go like this:

Customer: “This could be a deal breaker.”

You: “We can offer four (6) equal monthly payments with a 25% deposit.”

Customer: “We would like twelve (8) equal monthly payments with a 10% deposit.” She continues, “If we don’t get that, we may have to consider remaining with our current vendor.”

You: “I think we can get some movement here.  I spoke to my people, and we can reduce our deposit to 15%, but our installments will remain at 6 equal.”

Customer: (Twists her face and does not respond)

You: “We are a good fit for you.  I will see if there is any way that we can move to the longer term.”  After a moment on the cell phone, you respond, “We have a deal! 15% deposit and 8 equal payments.”

You shake hands and head off into the sunset.  You should not be smiling, as you were thoroughly out-negotiated!

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One of the roles of a sales professional is that of negotiator.  It is not a role that you occupy all of the time, but one of tasks that must be done is to finalize, which includes pricing and terms.

Negotiating is a good thing as normally if there are negotiations, there is some acceptance of the product and the relationship.  The problem is most often when a customer goes silent, many in sales give up their bargaining range to get them to talk!  That is what happened in this situation.

Silence is Golden – For the Silent One!

We can learn something from this customer that is priceless:

Most sales professionals are uncomfortable with silence!

Those who are anxious to please, and needing a sale, often give up their negotiating room without ever getting a “no”.   They move to the customer’s position, or very close to it based on silence, or in this situation, silence and the customer’s expressions.

Now, as sales professionals like to talk, I stress that we need to pay respect to those who have learned that silence, by itself, crushes many sales negotiation strategies, and you don’t want it to happen to you.

The facial expression is an example of a ‘flinch’.  The flinch with, or without silence causes many sales professionals to begin to surrender their negotiation room.  A flinch can be a facial expression, upper body movement combined with a drastic facial expression, or even reaching for one’s chest or head ‘in amazement’.

Seemingly indicating that one is aghast (shocked and amazed) that the offer is so bad or lacking, has impact.  What it does is to move someone closer to giving up his or her margin.  Don’t be out negotiated.

I know what you are thinking, “It’s not my money!”  Well it is your money!  Closing the deal with the best terms is what you were hired for.  Be ethical and effective in doing it and there will always be a job for you.  Also, think of what happens when you, the sales professional, give up everything that you have to offer, then have to deal with the client next year.  They will be expecting your ‘cave-in’ again, and you may not have any room to ‘cave’.

Silence by Any Other Name…

It goes without saying in this electronic age that silence has many faces:

• Not responding to a voice mail
• Not responding to emails or written correspondence

Here is a real life example:

I once had a position that required that I purchase personal computers for a training operation.  We needed 12 computers and I negotiated for them and was not excited with the price.  It was not that the price was high; it was that the resources were short, so I went to “beg” my funding sources for more resources to get the products.

I indicated that we needed to consummate the deal by Friday, and because of an illness in the family I had not responded by the proceeding Thursday.  On Thursday afternoon, my assistant handed me a message from the rep cutting the price significantly.   About the same time, I received a call indicating that we had the additional funds to make the purchase.

The sales representative reduced the price without me ever saying ‘No’!  I wonder if his boss knows?

A Good Suggestion

I think the best suggestion that I could give you is to take a good negotiation course.  All sales professionals should take a good negotiation course that also focuses on the ethical nature of negotiating.  There are many out there, and they are worth their weight in gold.  No different than the customer, you should be prepared to use silence as one of the tools in your tool box as well.

Your non-work life will benefit as well as there are few tasks that have as much value making sure you get the right deal.

We will cover some more negotiation techniques here in this journal, yet a course is the way to go.  You will thank me for the suggestion, as there is nothing that will make you more effective and efficient after you have done the heavy lifting like cleanly and clearly negotiating the terms.

Be effective and efficient.

Your comments are appreciated. Your comments are appreciated. You can reach me at Michael.Parker@BlackSalesJournal.com.