Page 84 - The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million - PDFDrive.com

Involve the Sales Team in Compensation Plan
Design

One factor in the success of our evolving compensation plan was my decision to
involve the sales team in the design process. I usually held what we called a
“town meeting” to initiate involvement of the sales team. The town meeting was
a forum for me to share why we were changing the plan and communicate the
goals of the newest structure. The meeting was optional, although I can assure
you it was well attended. After communicating the plan goals, I opened up the
floor to structural ideas from the team. The brainstorming began. As the meeting
progressed, I shared some of the structures that were being considered. I opened
the floor to their feedback.

As a follow-up to the town meeting, I often initiated a page on the company
wiki, reiterating the reasons for changing the plan, stating the goals of the new
plan, and showing some of the structures that were being considered. The
conversation continued online with ideas and reactions. I responded to most
comments. This digital format allowed salespeople to catch up on and participate
in the conversation when they had time.

Of course, throughout both the town meeting and the wiki posting, I was very
explicit that the commission plan design was not a democratic process. For
example, the plan would not be put to a vote. It was critical for the sales team to
not confuse transparency and involvement with an invitation to selfishly design
the plan around their individual needs. I had to protect the interests of HubSpot
as an organization, not just help salespeople maximize their commission checks.

All in all, this process of involving the sales team was quite effective. By
informing the team up front of the reasons for and goals of the new plan, I
prepared them psychologically for the change that was coming. Most of them
greatly appreciated the transparency, even when changes were not favorable to
their individual situations. During the process, the sales team contributed some
great ideas. Every commission plan change we made included at least one
structural element that had originated from one of our salespeople during these
discussions. Each idea that was incorporated was legitimately helpful—we
weren't simply trying to appease the team by accepting their input regardless of
quality. The discussions also helped me further understand the perspectives of
the salespeople, isolate the main concerns they had with the discussion format,
and familiarize myself with the components about which they felt most strongly.
When the new commission plan was finally rolled out, our involved approach