What Should I Pay My Salespeople? (rebuilt Sept 8, 2026)

The sample builds three plans with the same $90,000 OTE: Balanced, Secure (big base), Hunter (small base, big rate). At quota they pay identically. Everywhere else they're different businesses — at half-quota the Secure plan costs you $1,500 a month more than Hunter; at 150% the Hunter rep out-earns everyone and is still cheap per dollar you keep. The plan is a job description written in arithmetic: Secure hires farmers, Hunter hires hunters.

How it works

• The Three Plans — your quota, your margin, each plan's base and rate → pay at quota, OTE, base share, and cost of sale as a share of gross margin
• The Quota Ladder — every plan at 50–150% of quota, showing the rep's check AND what you keep. Show it in the interview; it sets expectations better than any pep talk
• Rules & The Draw — pay on margin when reps hold the discount pen; the non-recoverable 90-day draw that keeps rookies from overselling; commission earned when the customer pays; clawbacks from commissions, never base; and why capping upside tells your best rep which month to stop selling

Built for

Any owner hiring their first rep or fixing a plan that breeds arguments: home services · agencies and SaaS · retail · distribution.

What you get

One .xlsx file, four tabs, instant download. Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice. No macros, no subscription. Not legal or tax advice — check your state's wage rules.