Phase 2 · Strategy & Planning · From Idea to Executable Plan
Sales Compensation Design
Show me how you pay your sales team and I will show you exactly what behaviour you will get — whether you intended it or not.
Sales compensation design is the architecture of the incentive structures — base salary, commission, bonus, accelerators, and SPIFs — that drive the commercial behaviour your business needs. We design plans that motivate the right activity, reward the right outcomes, align individual incentives with company strategy, and attract and retain the calibre of seller the business needs to grow.
The Pain We Solve
You may recognise yourself in one of these.
Three audience scenarios · because the same service produces a different transformation depending on where you are in the business journey.
Scenario 1
The sales team gaming the commission plan rather than growing the business
Smart salespeople will always optimise for what they are paid — not what you intended. If the plan incentivises volume over quality, or short-term wins over long-term value, that is exactly what you will get.
Scenario 2
The business struggling to attract and retain strong commercial talent
The compensation plan is not competitive but the business cannot work out how to improve it without blowing the cost base. The best candidates take other offers. The best existing reps are being approached by competitors.
Scenario 3
The founder who designed the compensation plan quickly and has never revisited it
The original plan made sense for the business at year one. The business is now at year three with different products, different deal sizes, and different strategic priorities — and the plan has not kept pace.
The Impact It Creates
The Moment You Will Feel the Difference.
Sales behaviour aligned with company strategy rather than individual optimisation
Competitive compensation that attracts and retains the calibre of talent needed
Cost of sales managed within planned ratios as revenue grows
Sales team motivated and clear on exactly what they need to do to earn
What You Receive
The Specific Deliverables.
Tangible outputs · documented, dated, and yours to keep.
- Compensation plan audit — current structure, cost, and behavioural outcomes
- Market benchmarking by role, seniority, and geography
- Compensation plan redesign — base, OTE, commission structure, and accelerators
- Quota-setting methodology
- Plan documentation and communication guide
- Implementation timeline and transition plan
The Outcome
Where You Will Be on the Other Side.
The sales team is paid in a way that makes them want to do exactly what the business needs them to do — and the best people want to join because the plan is competitive, transparent, and rewarding when they perform.
Primary Focus
Designing sales compensation structures that drive the right commercial behaviour and attract and retain top sales talent.
KPI Measurement
- Cost of sales as % of revenue
- Quota attainment rate
- Rep retention rate
- Time to hire for open sales roles
- Revenue per sales FTE
Investment & ROI
Pricing Engineered Around the Value You Create.
Every engagement is sized against the value we believe we can create with you · the fee is always a fraction of the outcome. Four tiers · so the investment matches your stage of business.
Tier 1
Foundations
£5,000 – £15,000
Right for
Pre-startup, startup, and micro-business founders ready to build on evidence rather than instinct.
Typical Value Created
£100K+ in sharper resource allocation and avoided strategic missteps
Engagement
4 – 8 weeks
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 2
Acceleration
£15,000 – £50,000
Right for
Growing SMEs and established small businesses ready to scale a working model into the next revenue band.
Typical Value Created
£500K – £3M in faster execution and pipeline acceleration
Engagement
8 – 16 weeks
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 3
Transformation
£50,000 – £250,000
Right for
Medium enterprises and scale-stage businesses ready to commit to a multi-quarter, organisation-wide shift.
Typical Value Created
£2M – £20M in strategic value through repositioning, model redesign, and growth-system installation
Engagement
3 – 9 months
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 4
Enterprise
£250,000 – £2M+
Right for
Large enterprises, global operators, and complex organisations ready for a multi-year strategic partnership.
Typical Value Created
£10M+ in major strategic initiatives, capital deployment efficiency, and competitive repositioning
Engagement
12 months and onward
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Why We Price This Way
Every engagement is sized around the value we believe we can create with you. The fee is always a fraction of the outcome · typically 10 – 20% of the expected first-year return.
This is how we make sure pricing aligns with results. The conversation is never “what does this cost?” · it is always “what is this worth to your business?” We answer that together in the first call, transparently, and decide the right tier from there.
If we cannot articulate a credible 5–10× return for your specific situation, we will tell you in the first call. That honesty is part of why our clients trust us with the work that matters most.
Why This Conversation Matters
“A great compensation plan is invisible when it is working — the team is just performing, motivated, and growing. We design the plan that makes that the natural state.”
A 90-minute structured strategy session · produces a usable roadmap whether you engage further or not.
More in Phase 2