Are you a growing ‘start-up’ business looking to increase your sales growth?

Sales commission schemes are a great way to get your employees putting in extra effort towards reaching their sales goals. However, it is difficult to decide on the type of incentive you should offer your staff, especially if you are relatively new to the scene.

1. Design your sales commission scheme appropriately

Explain to your employees that alongside their base salary, the sales commission scheme will grow and develop alongside the business’ success. Therefore, the greater effort put in early on would prove beneficial to all.

This is a useful way to start as it will be based on the real numbers being achieved, as opposed to a number sucked out of thin air.

2. Be careful with stretching goals

Offering audacious goals or targets beyond 100% can be a great way of getting staff already achieving to push themselves even further. However, if someone is struggling to meet targets this may cause further frustration. It is important to be optimistic but also to be realistic. And tailoring these ‘stretched goals’ to the individual will be far more effective in the long run. This is because people don’t work the same or have the same motivation. So essentially you’re helping them help you.

3. Properly incentivise your sales team

There can be a lot to calculate when starting out, and an easy mistake is to offer an incentive that is either too low to adequately motivate, or too high that you end up out of pocket.

Using sales commission management software is a fantastic way to alleviate these time-consuming tasks, therefore giving you more time to build your sales team’s confidence and ability. You can continue to recalculate commission rates with the software as your sales team grow in success and your profits rise.

So it is important to maintain a commission structure that works best for everyone through using real-time performance figures. ANd here at Commissionly, we offer many useful software packages and tools that can make the running of your business much more seamless. Our software is able to calculate complex commission values efficiently and accurately that can be tailored to the needs of your business.

When it comes to sales performance goals, there are many different aspects to consider. One of those is the current trading conditions of the industry. For most industries, there are going to be times when there are slow periods.

During these times, it can be hard to motivate your team. Sales teams that aren’t motivated will often fail to meet sales performance goals. And this can be a problem in the long-term.

If this happens, your business’s performance can be worse than expected. And some staff might think they’ll lose their jobs during one month of bad performance.

The key to this is to keep motivation high when times are tough. So, how do you do this? Here are some of the top solutions.

1. Non-monetary rewards

A great option is to add non-monetary rewards. These can be applied to work such as the time spent on the phone, adding new leads to the database, etc. Such a reward need not be linked to the conversion of sales (that is “rewarded” with sales commission), it is rather rewarding tasks that may be neglected. Keep in mind that such tasks can still be monitored in sales performance software.

Some Good examples might be an extra hour off at lunch or food hampers. Having some non-monetary rewards, allow for the effectiveness of the sales commission to still be maintained.

2. Run team-building exercises

Team building exercises can be a great way for your team to come together and face the slow times as a community. They can build communication skills, learn vital selling skills and even have some fun. All of these build on the effectiveness of the sales team.

It’s also good to arrange team-building exercises during quiet periods. Then you won’t disrupt the successful run of sales and restrict the team’s earning potential. It also means they could exceed sales performance goals and feel better about their skills.

3. Good leadership

The importance of leadership is really vital during slow periods. A good leader will continually communicate with their staff and remind them of their skills and/or value during the good and bad times. You can use comparisons to the past year’s slow period and show any sign of sales improvements since then.

Leaders should always be present. Team members can feel more confident when they see the leadership team taking an interest in their everyday work. When out and about, talk to your team and ask them how they are going. You can offer guidance on how they can improve and meet sales performance goals. And if you are unable to be in the office together, then do the same through conference calls, emails, etc. The team needs the communication, while stuck at home, more than ever to get through bad times.

All businesses have good times and bad times. During the good times, you should push them to maximise results. This ensures that during bad times, you can build on the skills of your sales team and keep spirits high, preparing for the next busy season.

Incentive compensation is a form of pay structure which is based upon how the business and its individual employees perform. Essentially, employees receive a base salary with an extra reward (tallied up using a sales compensation calculator) for meeting specified targets. There are multiple performance metrics that can be used to determine which employees qualify for commission.

Create and track incentive compensation

When developing your incentive compensation plan, your decision-makers will need to work hard to create a system which attracts the best sales talent, motivates and encourages the right business decisions. However, incentive compensation plans can become complicated, particularly when they involve several different performance measurements – or if you have different employee levels, for example. Your sales compensation calculator within Commissionly can help speed up the process.

The benefits of incentive compensation

Incentive compensation is incredibly effective when it comes to encouraging desired behaviour in employees. It allows organisations to promote upselling, incentivise customer interaction and the use of a variety of different sales techniques.

Here’s how a sales compensation calculator within our compensation software could help your company to benefit:

Help align your incentives with your business objectives.
• More likely to meet long-term and short-term targets of the business.
• Focus attention on the behaviours and working culture of the business.
• Encourage your teams to plan ahead and highlight any expectations.
• Attract more sales-driven candidates for vacancies within your business.
• Save money related to salary rises through the allocation of funds for when goals are achieved.

Creating the perfect incentive compensation plan

While incentive compensation is a great concept for improving productivity, it can be difficult to implement without the right commission calculation software.

It’s virtually impossible to manage different commission parameters with manual systems or spreadsheets. This is where a sales compensation calculator comes in. With our commission calculation software, your organisation can ensure that employees are rewarded accurately and on time, to help keep them motivated to continue hitting those all-important sales targets.

For more information on how Commissionly could help you to develop your incentive compensation strategy, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

High employee turnover among your sales team can be toxic to your whole business. And unfortunately, it’s an issue that affects a huge number of organisations. There are a number of factors that can be at the root of this problem and, more often than not, they’re linked to sales performance management.

Here are 3 of the most common causes you may need to address;

1. Over-the-top expectations

Sales, by nature, is a high-pressure area to work in and no one ever applied to a sales job expecting an easy ride. However, when your sales team has over-the-top quotas and expectations hanging over their heads, it should be no surprise that people start jumping ship.

Quotas should always be challenging in a way that gets the most from your team. But they should never be impossible.

As a starting point, analyse your sales targets and compare them against your team’s output. From there, you can set targets that will still get great work from your sales team, without sacrificing (vital) morale.

2. Uncompetitive compensation

Compensation is obviously a major factor in sales performance management. With salary and commission being such a fundamental part of sales work, perfectly competent sales managers can be at risk of missing the forest for the trees in this area.

Obviously, the ever-changing landscape of your industry will mean that simply offering higher basic wages or commission is not always an option. But this is never an excuse for poor compensation that isn’t as good or better than what your sales staff can get elsewhere.

Be sure to assess how you’re compensating your staff regularly, both in terms of salary and commission, and various benefits and frills.

3. Poor training

Your bright new prospects won’t last long if they’re not given adequate training. A hardcore sink-or-swim method of sales performance management can make some salespeople thrive, but they will always be the minority. For the rest of your team, this will only cause stress and more errors, leading to a negative snowball effect.

Be sure to invest in thorough, personalised training to get the best results from your team members. More importantly, remind them that they are an asset; worthy of investment and long-term personal development.

Sales compensation is a tricky thing for some companies, who’re reluctant to give away profit. But sales commissions can benefit your company in a number of ways.

Commission is motivating

The idea that staff should prioritise the company above their own interests is a nice one, but it’s simply not grounded in the facts. Motivation is essential if you want staff to perform at their best. Remember that for a lot of people, more money is a strong motivator.

And, naturally, your sales staff are the team you want to motivate the most. Without them, your business can dry up fast.

Commission means more revenue

Companies that object to a commission-led environment usually see the size of commission payments from their industry and wince. However, they’re not thinking in terms of what those commissions really mean.

Imagine paying out $100,000 a year to your top salesman. Now that’s a LOT of money, for sure. To a small business, it’s a massive payment. Nigh impossible. But now imagine that this salesman has made you $2,000,000 in revenue; then, $100,000 is just his cut of 5%. Would you get rid of that salesman? Of course not!

Don’t think of commission… think of just how much bigger the revenue will be to the company.

Commission gives more certainty

Measuring results gives employees and companies more certainty. It’s motivating for staff to know exactly what they’re contributing to the company. This motivation is intrinsically linked to the company’s success.

Reviewing staff performance for many businesses is too subjective. They grade staff according to how they ‘think’ they’ve performed. This can be awkward for the company, and frustrating for the staff member who’s put in years of extra work but doesn’t get rewarded because ‘subjectively’ the company isn’t sure how their work is paying off.

Commissions require specific tracking, which lets everyone know where they stand.

Commission attracts the best staff

The best salespeople thrive on competition and measured performance. They want to excel, and to be rewarded for excelling.

In a commission environment, you’re giving your staff everything they need to thrive and reap the rewards. The best salespeople will go where the rewards are, so you give yourself a better chance of attracting them. Commissionly is the first step.

The sales function is probably the most competitive function in any business. But, by using the right sales commission software, you can achieve so much more. Sales is the process that drives all other business disciplines – production, procurement, inventory, accounts, and many others too. They are all driven to some extent by the success of the sales operation.

Generally speaking, most companies have to compete for their slice of the pie. Which is why it’s not surprising that the pressure is always on the sales team to land orders.

When faced with all of that pressure, it leads many sales operations to work at a frantic pace. Sales personnel throw more time and effort in, in order to maintain a high order intake, but there is only so much they can do. There comes a point when the return on all that effort begins to diminish. Growth slows and salespeople become over-exhausted, and that helps no one. It’s time to work smarter.

More than just a sales commission software tool

Most businesses operate some sort of sales commission or sales compensation process. There are various software programs (some Cloud-based) to help with calculating and keeping track of commissions owed.

But the latest cutting-edge programs now include a lot more than just tracking software. They include CMR software and innovative apps that allow their programs to be linked to other departments and disciplines. So, what is often branded as sales commission software can be so much more. If properly leveraged, they can help your sales staff to work smarter.

Making CMR work for you

It’s all down to the CMR module. This module can be used to store all sorts of key data about existing and potential clients. Things like who are the main points of contacts, contact details (phone numbers, email addresses, etc.), size of spend, consumers’ profiles, etc.

New sales commission software programs are also great news for managers too. They make keeping tabs on the levels of commission per head a breeze. They also handle all of the calculations – no matter how complex they are.

These new programs also empower managers to set commission rates as they see fit. It means they can steer the sales focus very efficiently. In addition, the new breed of sales compensation software can be used for setting targets and creating sales forecasts.

One of the most intuitive, Cloud-based sales commission programs around right now is available through Commissionly. If you want to work smarter and achieve more in doing so, contact Commissionly today.

Yes, sales commission software is a great aid for calculating and tracking how much is owed to your staff. And if you choose the right program, you enable your salespeople to track their own progress in real-time.

However, the software now available can do so much more than just track and provide live updates on sales compensation figures. It can also offer team leaders and financial management information that will facilitate sales forecasting. This same data can also be used for planning strategies.

Increase sales efficiency

Leveraging the Cloud for software programs is the way to go. Programs can easily integrate with other applications. This provides you with a powerful tool that can improve the efficiency of any sales operation. Enabling frontline staff to keep tabs on their commission, creates incentives that drive sales staff to greater heights.

Linking accounts into the loop makes the commission payment process much more manageable. It also provides managers with important information relating to running costs and the impact on profits and losses.

Access the benefits of built-in CRM

If you choose a commission software program that incorporates CRM, it can really revolutionise the sales process. When your sales team uses the dashboard to update their sales compensation progress, they can also access all sorts of other data. This data includes; who orders what, how frequently they order, who the main contact points are, what the accumulative spend is, etc.

This is all insightful information that your salespeople can have at their fingertips. Managers and team leaders can share the same information. Using this, they can create strategies and assemble sales targets.

If accounts are tied into the data too, they can use it to drive their cash flow predictions. The more integration that takes place, the bigger the potential efficiencies and benefits.

Software for all industries

Commissionly sales commission software has been expressly designed to create benefits and efficiencies in industries across the board. By including the Zapier App, you can integrate seamlessly with as many as 2,000 apps and programs, including the likes of Hubspot, Insightly, Quickbooks, Sage, Salesforce, and Xero.

If you are not yet using Commissionly sales commission software, it’s about time you started. For more information, contact us and set up a free trial today.

Are you thinking about installing sales commission software? If so, the one thing you don’t want to have to do is to reinvent the wheel. You want a program that you can tailor to your exact needs. It will make life so much easier.

Here are three things to look for:

1. Software that runs the way you want it to

Each business has its own way of doing things. The end goal is always the same, but the way it needs to be achieved is always very specific depending on the business. This is a universal problem, which is why sales commission software is flexible to suit your needs. When you choose the right package you will be able to enjoy the advantages already built-in. And experience far less hassle maintaining the system.

Take manager overrides for example. Many companies grant their sales managers small override commissions on the sales their teams make. This is something that can be easily set up in some of the leading sales commission software programs.

2. Out with the old and in with the new

A lot of businesses still use spreadsheets to calculate sales commissions. There is nothing wrong with spreadsheets per se. However, they do take time to set up and maintain. In addition to which they are not easily shareable and are error-prone in terms of inputting data.

By switching across to a specifically designed program for capturing and calculating outstanding sales commissions, you can make life a whole lot easier. Easier for both management and employee too.

Calculations will be error-free. With each member of staff being able to get real-time updates. As a result, everyone can measure their performances against their targets.

3. Integrate and share data

There is something else that is very attractive about the latest sales commission software. It integrates with most other existing systems, and it’s easy to install. Leading state-of-the-art software will also integrate with other disciplines. It can be linked to customer relationship management and accounting software. Sharing data in this way obviously has many benefits.

If you would like to discover more about how you can tailor the latest sales commission software to your business needs, contact us or peruse our website for more information.

For anyone just venturing into the world of business or just starting a new company, the term ‘commission tracking software’ may just seem like confusing jargon. However, for any sales-based enterprise, investing in effective commission tracking software could make a world of difference.

What is commission tracking software?

Put simply, commission tracking software enables you to track all of the crucial parts of the commission cycle. From tracking and calculating commissions to ensuring that they’re carried out to the clients’ requirements, commission tracking software can aid in the process at every step.

Why invest in commission tracking software?

1. It minimises human error

Although you can, in theory, track commissions via spreadsheets yourself, this leaves the door open for errors. This is because there are things that may slip past even the most meticulous person. In contrast, commission tracking software works through algorithms and trends, so the potential for error is minimised.

2. It frees up team time

Usually, when you start out, you will have just a small team of employees. These employees could be at the top of their field, and yet they still will not have enough time in the day to get everything done. Handling their own figures and working out how much commission is owed can be a time-consuming process. So investing in commission tracking software that will get the job done for you can only benefit your team, right? It allows your employees to spend their time focusing on the important jobs – like locking in sales.

3. It enhances your sales commission model

Unless you’re a seasoned commission expert, there might be a chance that you’re unsure how to actually structure your business model. What should you prioritise? What sales goals should you set? These are just two of the many questions that may arise when thinking about this. Luckily, commission tracking software is intuitive and versatile and can help devise solutions to a plethora of questions that you may have. This means your business model will be optimised and functioning at its best!

Choose Commissionly!

Commissionly is the sales commission tracking platform that beats all others. It offers a wide host of tools and features, such as sales splits, multi-currency support, recurring commission management, and more. Explore the full range of features today, or else get in touch with a friendly member of our team.

Employing the right people for your sales team is important. You need to have someone who can offer the revenue to justify their compensation. And when someone doesn’t meet their agreed-upon sales performance goals, there will come a time when that staff member should be let go.

But how long do you retain that member of staff for? You can’t just keep on setting sales goals for them (that they don’t match) or spend months having the team carry that person. This won’t help your team’s morale.

Terminating contracts sooner

The Harvard Business School did a survey, comparing the best performing sales teams against the worst performing sales teams. They found that the best-performing companies would often terminate a staff member’s contract sooner if they failed to meet sales performance goals.

According to the survey, 18% of the sales organisations that were considered to be high-performers terminated the employment of sales people if they underperformed in one quarter. This is compared to just 5% of the sales organisations that were underperforming.

The survey found that 73% of best performing sales teams, terminated the contracts of underperforming employees within one year. In comparison, underperforming sales teams terminated just 52% of their underperforming employee’s contracts.

Interestingly, it also found that for some underperforming companies (12%) it took more than two years for poor performing staff to have their contracts terminated.

What the Harvard Business Review survey demonstrates, is that poor performers shouldn’t be working in your organisation for too long.

Terminating the correct contract

However, to ensure that you’re not removing the wrong people, you need to consider how you monitor sales performance.

For this, your organisation needs to have software to help set sales goals and monitor performance. Without this, team leaders and managers are in the dark on the actual performance of the salespeople in their employment. Measurement software was critical to two-thirds of the best performing sales teams in the survey.

You should also set sales goals that are realistic but are be too ‘soft’ on your sales teams. The above survey found that 75% of the best performing sales teams would raise annual goals by more than 10%.

Use sales-monitoring software

So what this all means is that you need to ensure that your sales people are performing to a standard that is good for all. By monitoring their sales performance, you can be sure that you’re employing a team that is contributing to the business. If they don’t perform over a protracted length of time, they should leave the organisation or move to another non-sales team.

This process can be supported by monitoring software that can tell you when salespeople are meeting their set sales performance goals. Commissionly can help you, so get in contact with us.