Sales Performance Management Archives

October 18, 2017 In Incentive Compensation, Sales Performance Management By Ray Wells

Sales Performance Management 101 for Sales Reps: Getting the Sales Numbers You Need with the Right Technology

In this six-part blog series OpenSymmetry and IBM outline the impact of Sales Performance Management (SPM) Technology on each area of the business including Sales, HR, Finance and Executive Management. In this first post we focus on the seller. Effective SPM can be a game-changer...

March 23, 2017 In Sales Performance Management By Shannon Smith

Ten Tips to Take the Dread out of Commission Accruals

For better or worse, accrual processing is a lot like the movie Groundhog Day. In the film, Bill Murray plays the part of Phil, a weatherman who is stuck living the same day over and over. At first, he dreaded the day and felt stuck...

March 9, 2017 In Sales Performance Management By Shannon Smith

We forgot to pay $200k in commissions (and how to make sure it doesn’t happen to you)

The VP of Sales never got paid her commissions. This was a six-figure mistake and no one noticed for a full calendar year - including the VP of Sales herself. It's a strange story (how much does this person make to not notice such a...

February 9, 2017 In Sales Performance Management By Chris Bucholtz

What’s In It for Everybody? Managing Buy-in for an SPM System from Influencers Outside of Sales

Investing in a sales performance management (SPM) solution is not something a business does casually. Depending on what definition of SPM that's in use, this decision involves an assortment of applications: compensation management, on-boarding and coaching, analytics, sales enablement, or any mixture of these (and...

December 6, 2016 In Sales Performance Management By Chris Bucholtz

Guest Blog: The Secret World of Shadow Accounting and How to Eliminate It

When you offer people variable pay – like commissions – you’re engaging in a trust exercise. Since the amount a person is getting is not fixed within each pay period, the numbers in the “amount” box on their checks can vary dramatically. Sometimes, it’ll vary...

October 28, 2016 In Sales Performance Management By David Blume

Is Your Compensation Plan Driving Sales to the Wrong Finish Line?

“Moving the needle” in terms of overall sales force performance is no mean feat. Sales Enablement – yes, big S, big E – is becoming an increasingly important function of many sales organizations, charged with increasing productivity, typically through the effective application of investments in...

October 24, 2016 In Sales Performance Management By Jon Clark

Capturing the Yeti: Calculating and Optimizing the ROI of Your Sales Incentive Plan

Much like the elusive yeti, the identification of Return On Investment (ROI) for a sales incentive plan is believed to exist by enthusiasts from the sales compensation design team, but met with much skepticism by others, namely the Finance department. So how do you prove...

October 21, 2016 In Financial Services, Sales Performance Management By Mike Noto

Fearless in the Face of the Fiduciary Rule

Will the new U.S. Department of Labor fiduciary ruling disrupt the retirement investment planning marketplace? Firms such as Merrill Lynch are already starting to make changes to their processes by adopting fee-based IRA accounts, and further changes to the industry are anticipated. While it seems perfectly...

October 14, 2016 In Financial Services, Sales Performance Management By Greg Erp

Wells Fargo: The True Cost of “Unchecked Incentives”

Wells Fargo has recently been making considerable waves in national news over the creation of 2 million fake accounts attributed to Wells Fargo customers. According to NPR, consequences stemming from the bank’s actions have included the payment of $185 million in penalties as well as...

August 19, 2016 In Sales Performance Management By Danielle LeBaron

Rio Olympic Games – The Road to Gold

How the right mix of personality, behavior, and compensation drives success It’s hard to believe that the 2016 Rio Olympic Games are coming to an end. So far, we’ve seen spectacular gymnasts, thrilling rugby players, and even some weirdly green swimming pools. With this one in...