The Machine: A Radical Approach to the Design of the Sales Function

by Justin Roff-Marsh

salespeople don’t have the opportunity to earn a commission, why would they sell? I wish I had a dollar for every time that I’ve been asked this question by an incredulous executive. You would think the onus should be on the defender of performance pay to present an argument. After all, receptionists answer the phone when it rings, in spite of the fact that they receive no incremental pay. Your financial controller does a good job of paying bills on time, in spite of the fact that they receive no rebate on each check signed. And even senior executives perform important tasks, absent special incentives (I’m assuming that no one is paying you to read this book!). Why should salespeople differ from almost every other worker on the planet? The answer is simple: They shouldn’t.