For the sales reps on the forum

Over my many years, there have certainly been things that have sent me on my way or tempted me to leave. I left one company because they forced me into a totally different geographic territory. I'm not talking about slight boundary changes but clear across the city kind of change... All my records and connections to be passed on and I was to start over. I figured that any company that would do that would not be a part of my long term future.

Radically new pay plans are always a stressful experience and should be launched with extreme caution.

I would also suggest that there should almost never be commission disputes. If management and sales do not always agree on the compensation of every deal, there must be a problem with the plan. Everything needs to be black and white with no grey or the rep will always have the perception that they are being cheated. Any rep that feels cheated will most likely cheat you and feel totally justified in doing so. There are some deals that fall outside the confines of the comp plan but in those instances, compensation needs to be established in advance. Most management will just figure it out once they get the deal but by then, the rep has already established in his mind what his compensation should be and usually, it is not reasonable.

Pay me well, cut me some slack if I have a bad month, and give me the freedom and respect to work how I want without being micro-managed.

I have this now and wouldn't dream of leaving.

People who stay in this industry aren't 100% motivated by money because we could make twice as much selling medical devices or industrial products. I love this industry because it's relaxed and I truly treat it like my own business.

I told a newbie last night at our office Christmas event that it's a great business to be in, especially if you're just starting a family, or have children.  Because of the fact that if you are a consistent performer, you can get "lost" to attend those family events.  The key is to be the consistent performer.

Like Czech stated, I know what I'm doing, I know how to do it, just leave me alone and let me do my thing.   As I'm older now, money is not the key motivating factor for me, nor the trips, not the plaques.  It used to be.

Jason, above all, you need to be the "coach" and you need to lead.  If there's a bad play from a rep you need to talk about it, and then give some positive reinforcement about something you like from that rep.  It will go a long way in establishing a longer lasting relationship.

1. Pay your people well & fairly.  Don't mess with a salesperson's money, or they will leave.  Quota increases should be accompanied by increases in base pay or commission structure.  When dealers increase rep quotas but do not adjust the pay scale upward, the only impact is that it makes it more difficult for the rep to attain bonuses.  Along these same lines, don't put a bunch of "gotchas" in the comp plan that require a, b & c to come together in order for them to make a decent commission.  This looks like you are trying to keep from paying them. If you're trying to transition from a transactional business to being services-focused, consider paying reps monthly residuals on every dollar of recurring monthly revenue.  I don't care if it's MFP service, MpS, Managed IT, SaaS, Cloud, etc....it's all recurring revenue regardless of how you categorize it. Paying reps on this allows them to see the growth in their business & becomes golden handcuffs at a certain point. 
2. Don't be afraid to manage different people differently. Different personality types respond to different types of coaching.  More importantly, your experienced, successful, self-sufficient sales people don't need the same attention as your rookies.  If you force field rides, track every activity they do, micromanage their calendar, they'll want to leave.  Giving them the feeling you're always looking over their shoulder does not make them want to stick around.
3. Don't stop growing them. Regardless of how long you've been around or how much you make, your top people always want to grow & will consider changing careers if they feel stagnant.  Unfortunately, in this industry (especially at small-mid independent dealers) there isn't much available up the ladder unless you want to manage other reps, & that isn't for everyone. Even if there is no promotion track available, invest in improving their business acumen, technical competency or whatever it is that interests them & can increase their ability to perform at a high level or succeed beyond our little niche.
4. Do what you say.  If you promise them you are going to do something, do it. When a sales manager continuously over promises & under delivers, it makes them difficult to trust. 

All great information. Thank you all for sharing! 

txeagle24 posted:

1. I don't care if it's MFP service, MpS, Managed IT, SaaS, Cloud, etc....it's all recurring revenue regardless of how you categorize it. Paying reps on this allows them to see the growth in their business & becomes golden handcuffs at a certain point. 

Bam. I wish more dealers did this. They would keep reps around forever!