Are you on a "Bonus" or "Commission-based" pay plan?

Are you rated and compensated based on quotas?

Before you walk into your boss' office to ask for a raise, or look for another job that pays more are you prepared for the discussion of "why do you deserve more money"?  Know your numbers!

 

Do your sales dollars cover the employer's costs? Employers have many costs involved with each employee - salary, benefits, your computer, internet, lights.... Every employee contributes in some way to helping the company cover the costs of these items - plus the cost of products that are sold. Sales people or people on bonus or commission are usually expected to more than carry their fair share.  For instance, if you sell skin care products - your sales dollars need to cover the cost of paying you, your benefits, the initial purchase of the skin care products from the vendor, and leave extra to cover other company expenses.  

 

More than "Quotas".  While "quotas" are a normal method for determining bonuses or commissions, there are other factors YOU should monitor to measure  your work value.  If your company has a sales or lead management system - learn to use all of its features to see your financial value to the company and how you rate against the other employees.  If there is no formal system, create a tracking system for yourself  to understand factors beyond "quota" that will help you in salary negotiations.  Here are a few things to track your financial impact on the company ...

1.  Gross dollar value. How much money do you specifically bring through the door and does it cover your normal pay - if so, by how much?

2. What is your percentage of potential business captured. If there are 10 potential customers, how many have YOU PERSONALLY contacted and signed up?

3. Customer satisfaction. If there are no complaints, you would be considered in the "neutral zone."  It's a red flag when customers are critical, particularly if there's a pattern of complaints.  If customers are openly complimentary of you, then you're doing something right!   

4.  Watch your Yelp page!  Do you have positive mentions by name?  If not, pay attention to ensure patients know your name and can give you good comments.   

 

Three verifiable measurements of sales success. 

Each of these can be reduced to a ratio.  Ideally, you should achieve high marks in both areas.

Leads to sales percentage. How many prospects did you approach in a given time period? And how many of them eventually turned into sales? 

Leads to dollars. What was the value of each sale?   High-dollar sales are worth more than low-dollar ones, although growing the business over time may require a balance. 

 

How to Improve these numbers...

Increased and better leads.  In some cases the leads that come in are not right for your product/services OR  the product may be poorly priced.  Employees don't usually have impact on the price but you DO have an impact on the type of leads you have.  What have YOU done to improve or increase the quality leads you need to convert to sales?