Sales Commission Plan UK: How to Set Up a Scheme That Motivates

TL;DR: To set up a sales commission scheme, decide on four things: which metric you commission (revenue, margin, or bookings), when commission is earned and paid, what rate structure (flat, tiered, or accelerated), and how you communicate it. Transparent schemes that let reps calculate earnings mentally consistently beat opaque bonus plans — yet most commission schemes fail simply because they are too complex to understand or too opaque to trust. Here's how to build one that works — step by step, with a downloadable template and worked examples for SDR, AE, and CS roles.

Setting up a sales commission scheme comes down to four core decisions. Get these right and the scheme runs itself. Get them wrong and you'll spend hours each month explaining edge cases, resolving disputes, and wondering why reps aren't motivated.

Why most commission schemes fail: The failure is rarely the maths — it's that reps can't understand or trust the plan. A scheme that's too complex to follow, or too opaque to believe, simply doesn't change behaviour, and you pay for it in wasted comp spend and higher turnover.

What works instead: Transparent structures that commission the right metric (gross margin when reps control pricing, recognised revenue otherwise), reward high performance without caps, and resolve disputes fast. Steenburgh and Ahearne make this case in "Motivating Salespeople: What Really Works" (Harvard Business Review, 2012): transparent structures that let reps calculate their earnings mentally beat opaque bonus-based plans, because the direct link between effort and reward is always visible.

This guide walks through how to set up a scheme that motivates — with a starter template you can copy and worked examples for SDR, AE, and CS roles.

This guide covers the fundamentals of commission plan design for UK sales teams. Not theory for its own sake, but practical principles backed by research — the kind you can apply to your next comp cycle.

What Are the Four Core Decisions in a Commission Scheme?

If you're setting up a commission scheme from scratch — or rebuilding one that isn't working — these are the six decisions to make, in order. The rest of this guide explains the reasoning behind each.

1. Decide what you're paying on. Revenue, gross margin, or bookings? Commission on gross margin when reps can discount; recognised revenue works for most UK mid-market teams.
2. Set the rate and structure. Flat, tiered, or accelerated — start simple. See commission structures explained and whether to cap commission.
3. Define when a deal is earned and payable. Invoice date or contract signature, with clawback provisions for deals that don't ultimately pay.
4. Set OTE and quota. Get the base/variable split and a credible quota right before launch — see how to set OTE for UK sales roles.
5. Document the tax and legal terms. PAYE treatment, employer NIC, and written terms under ACAS. Budget employer NIC on commission into the cost from day one.
6. Roll it out and onboard reps. A scheme nobody understands won't change behaviour — see the rollout playbook and how to onboard reps onto the plan.

Running a team of 5–20? The same steps apply, just simpler — see managing commission for small sales teams. Reps in a specialised role like SDRs need a tailored basis — see SDR commission structure.

How Do You Build a Commission Scheme Template?

Copy this and fill in the blanks. It captures every term that causes disputes when it's left vague:

Element	Your decision
Commission basis	e.g. recognised revenue / gross margin
Rate and structure	e.g. flat 5%, or 5% to quota then 8% accelerator above
Earned when	e.g. invoice raised
Payable when	e.g. month after invoice, subject to clawback if cancelled within 90 days
Quota and OTE	e.g. £X quota; £Y base + £Z variable (50/50 split)
Split rules	e.g. 60% AE / 40% solutions engineer on co-sold deals
Clawback terms	e.g. full recovery on cancellation within 90 days
Review cadence	e.g. quarterly review, annual redesign

That's the whole scheme on a single page. If yours won't fit on one page, it's probably too complex — which is the single most common reason schemes fail to motivate.

📄 Download the UK commission scheme template (CSV) — the checklist and table above as a fillable spreadsheet you can open in Excel or Google Sheets.

What Commission Structures Work for Different UK Sales Roles?

Here's how typical UK sales roles structure commission. These are real-world starting points, not prescriptive templates — adjust rates and thresholds to match your economics and competitive benchmarks.

SDR (Sales Development Representative)

Role: Books qualified meetings for AEs; doesn't own the close.

Typical OTE: £35,000 (£28,000 base + £7,000 variable, 80/20 split)

Commission basis: Meetings booked that result in qualified opportunities, or SQL volume.

Structure: Flat rate per qualified meeting (e.g. £100/meeting) or tiered based on monthly volume (e.g. £80 for meetings 1–10, £120 for meetings 11+). Some teams pay a small bonus (£200–£500) when a booked meeting converts to closed-won revenue to maintain alignment with AE outcomes.

When earned: When the AE marks the meeting as qualified (e.g. BANT criteria met), not simply when the meeting occurs.

Why this works: SDRs control meeting volume, not deal value, so per-meeting commission creates direct line of sight. The small closed-won bonus keeps SDRs focused on quality, not just quantity.

AE (Account Executive) — Mid-Market

Role: Owns the full sales cycle from qualified opportunity to close.

Typical OTE: £70,000 (£45,000 base + £25,000 variable, 64/36 split)

Commission basis: Recognised revenue (invoiced deals) or gross margin if AEs have pricing discretion.

Structure: Flat 5% on all revenue, or 5% to quota (e.g. £500k annual) then 8% accelerator above quota. No cap.

When earned: Invoice date, payable the following month, with 90-day clawback if the customer cancels or doesn't pay.

Why this works: The accelerator rewards reps who exceed quota without punishing those building pipeline in slower quarters. The structure is simple enough that reps can calculate expected earnings on any deal. Gross margin basis prevents heavy discounting to hit volume targets.

Example: A rep closes £600k in annual revenue (120% of quota). First £500k pays 5% = £25,000. Next £100k pays 8% = £8,000. Total variable comp: £33,000 (132% of target variable).

CS (Customer Success) / Account Manager

Role: Owns renewals and expansion within existing accounts.

Typical OTE: £60,000 (£42,000 base + £18,000 variable, 70/30 split)

Commission basis: Net revenue retention (NRR) in assigned book of business, or absolute expansion ARR.

Structure: Flat 8% on expansion ARR (upsells, cross-sells, seat adds) + retention bonus for hitting >95% gross retention (e.g. £3,000 quarterly). Some teams pay a lower rate (2–3%) on renewal revenue to reward retention effort.

When earned: Expansion: invoice date. Retention bonus: quarterly, based on ARR retained vs ARR at start of quarter.

Why this works: CS roles balance two behaviours: keeping customers happy (retention) and growing accounts (expansion). Paying commission on expansion ARR motivates growth; the retention bonus ensures CS doesn't neglect at-risk accounts in pursuit of upsells.

Example: CS manages £1.2M ARR book. Closes £150k in expansion deals (8% = £12,000). Achieves 97% gross retention (£3,000 quarterly bonus × 4 = £12,000). Renewal revenue of £1.1M at 2.5% = £27,500. Total variable: £51,500 (286% of target — high because this book had strong expansion opportunity).

Enterprise AE

Role: Manages long sales cycles (6–12 months), large deal values (£100k–£500k+ ACV), multi-stakeholder buying committees.

Typical OTE: £120,000 (£75,000 base + £45,000 variable, 63/37 split)

Commission basis: Recognised revenue or total contract value (TCV) on multi-year deals.

Structure: Flat 3–4% on TCV, or tiered with accelerators (3% to quota, 5% above 120%). Often includes a discretionary component (10–20% of variable) for strategic wins, customer logos, or multi-product deals.

When earned: Contract signature (for TCV-based comp) or as revenue is recognised annually (for ACV-based comp). Large deals may have milestone-based payouts: 50% on signature, 50% on go-live.

Why this works: Enterprise cycles are long and unpredictable. Milestone-based payouts prevent reps from going months without commission. TCV-based comp rewards the full deal value upfront (motivating large multi-year contracts), but revenue-recognised comp aligns rep earnings with company cash flow. Choose based on your cash flow needs and sales cycle.

Example: Enterprise AE closes a 3-year deal worth £450k TCV (£150k ACV). If paid on TCV at 4%: £18,000 commission on close. If paid annually on ACV at 4%: £6,000/year for three years. The TCV model front-loads comp (better for rep motivation); the ACV model aligns with recognised revenue (better for finance forecasting).

Comparison Table

Role	Typical OTE	Base/Var Split	Commission Basis	Structure	Key Driver
SDR	£35k	80/20	Qualified meetings or SQLs	Flat or tiered per meeting	Meeting volume & quality
AE (Mid-Market)	£70k	64/36	Recognised revenue or gross margin	Flat 5% or 5%/8% accelerator	Quota attainment
CS / AM	£60k	70/30	Expansion ARR + retention	8% expansion + retention bonus	NRR & gross retention
Enterprise AE	£120k	63/37	TCV or recognised ACV	3–4% flat or tiered with accelerators	Deal size & contract length

These are starting points, not prescriptions. Adjust rates, thresholds, and structures based on your deal economics, competitive market, and what behaviour you want to drive. The principle remains the same: the simpler the structure, the more effective it is at changing behaviour.

What Does Research Say About Effective Commission Structures?

Removing artificial ceilings reduces sandbagging. (Source: Chung, Steenburgh, and Sudhir, "Do Bonuses Enhance Sales Productivity?", Harvard Business School Working Paper 12-103.) The study examined what happened when a company removed commission caps and quarterly quotas, switching to a simpler linear structure. Top performers kept selling through the end of the period rather than holding deals for the next quarter.

Commission-based plans tend to outperform bonus-based structures because the link between effort and reward is immediate and transparent. (Source: Steenburgh and Ahearne, "Motivating Salespeople: What Really Works", Harvard Business Review, 2012.) Reps can see exactly how each deal affects their earnings. Bonuses, paid quarterly or annually against aggregate targets, lack that direct connection.

Extrinsic rewards can crowd out intrinsic motivation. (Source: Deci and Ryan, 1985, "Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior", Plenum Press.) When a task becomes associated with payment, people sometimes lose interest in the task itself. This doesn't mean commission is bad — it means commission works best when it amplifies motivation that already exists rather than trying to manufacture it from scratch.

The practical implication: hire people who genuinely want to sell, then design a commission plan that rewards them fairly for doing it. Don't expect a clever incentive structure to transform someone who isn't motivated into a top performer.

Commission should tie to gross margin when reps have pricing discretion. (Source: Farley, 1964, "An Optimal Plan for Salesmen's Compensation", Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 39–43; Weinberg, 1975, "An Optimal Commission Plan for Salesmen's Control over Price", Management Science, Vol. 21, No. 8, pp. 937–943.) If your reps can negotiate on price, commissioning on revenue alone creates misalignment: they're paid the same whether they sell at full price or at a 30% discount.

Commission Structure Comparison

Before diving into detailed design principles, here's how the main commission structures stack up:

Structure Type	How It Works	Complexity	Gaming Risk	Best For	Example
Linear (flat %)	Fixed percentage on all revenue or margin	Low	Low	Simple sales motions, small teams, predictable deal sizes	5% commission on all recognised revenue
Tiered	Different rates at performance thresholds	Medium	Medium	Encouraging reps to push past specific milestones	5% up to £100k, then 7% above
Accelerators	Multipliers above quota achievement	Medium	Low	Rewarding top performers disproportionately	8% at 100% quota, 12% above 120%
Clawbacks	Recovery mechanism for cancelled/non-paying deals	Medium	Low (but creates trust issues if poorly administered)	SaaS with payment risk, subscription models	Full commission recovery if customer cancels within 90 days
Splits	Commission divided among multiple contributors	High	High (disputes over attribution)	Complex sales requiring cross-functional collaboration	60% to AE, 40% to solutions engineer

How Do You Choose the Right Metric to Commission?

Every commission scheme answers the same basic questions. How you answer them determines whether the scheme drives behaviour or just creates administrative overhead.

What Gets Commissioned?

The most fundamental question. Revenue? Gross margin? Bookings? New business only, or renewals too?

The answer should follow from what you actually want reps to focus on. If you commission on revenue, reps will chase revenue — including low-margin deals, discounted contracts, and customers likely to churn. If you commission on gross margin, reps will protect pricing but might walk away from strategic deals that don't meet margin thresholds.

Optimal compensation should tie to gross margin rather than volume when salespeople have pricing discretion, according to research by Farley (1964) and Weinberg (1975) cited earlier. If your reps can negotiate on price, commissioning on revenue alone creates an obvious misalignment: they're paid the same whether they sell at full price or at a 30% discount.

For most UK mid-market sales teams, a pragmatic approach is commissioning on recognised revenue — deals that have closed, invoiced, and (depending on your policy) been paid. This creates clean alignment between sales activity and company cash flow. Learn more about commission automation approaches that track these milestones.

When Should Commission Be Earned and Paid?

This sounds simple until you start listing the edge cases. Is a deal commissionable when it's marked closed in the CRM? When the contract is signed? When the invoice is raised? When payment is received?

Each choice has implications. Commission on CRM close date and you'll pay on deals that later fall through. Commission on payment received and you'll delay payouts by weeks or months, frustrating reps who've done their job but haven't been paid for it.

The most common approach for UK businesses is to commission on invoice date or contract signature, with clawback provisions for deals that don't ultimately pay. This balances timely reward against commercial prudence. Whatever you choose, document it clearly. Ambiguity here is a guaranteed source of disputes — unclear plan rules are one of the most common causes of commission disputes at UK firms.

What Rate Structure Works Best for Your Team?

A flat percentage is simplest: every pound of revenue earns the same commission. But flat rates don't necessarily drive the behaviour you want.

Tiered structures pay different rates at different performance levels. Hit £100k in sales, earn 5%. Hit £150k, earn 7% on everything above that threshold. The tiers create natural motivation to push beyond each level.

Accelerators increase rates as reps exceed quota. A rep at 100% of quota might earn 8%. At 120%, they might earn 12% on the incremental revenue. Accelerators reward your best performers disproportionately — which is usually what you want, since top performers often deliver disproportionate results.

Decelerators do the opposite: rates decrease above certain thresholds. These are less common and generally less effective. According to the Chung, Steenburgh, and Sudhir (2015) study cited earlier, capping or reducing commissions above quota encourages sandbagging — reps hold deals back for the next period rather than closing them now, which reduces overall revenue.

How Do Splits Work?

When multiple people contribute to a deal, how is commission divided? This matters more than most plans acknowledge.

The overlay model gives full commission to the primary rep and a smaller percentage to supporting roles (solutions engineers, account managers who sourced the lead, etc.). Simple to administer but can create conflict over who "owns" the deal.

The split model divides a single commission pool between contributors. Fairer in principle, but requires clear rules about contribution percentages and often leads to disputes.

The multiplier model pays full commission to multiple parties — acknowledging that collaboration creates more value than it costs. Expensive but effective for businesses that want to encourage teamwork.

Whatever structure you choose, document it before the deal closes. Retroactive arguments about splits are toxic to team dynamics.

UK-Specific Considerations

Commission plan design in the UK differs from US approaches in several important ways.

Tax Treatment

Under HMRC rules, commission is treated as employment income and subject to PAYE. This means commission is taxed at the employee's marginal rate in the pay period it's received, not averaged across the year. A rep who receives a large commission payment in a single month may see a significant portion taxed at 40% or 45%, even if their annual earnings wouldn't normally reach those thresholds.

This creates a timing consideration. Spreading commission payments across multiple periods can reduce the tax impact for reps — though it also delays their access to money they've earned. Some companies offer reps the choice; others standardise on monthly payments for administrative simplicity.

National Insurance contributions also apply. From April 2025, employers pay 15% on earnings above £5,000 (the new Secondary Threshold). For commission-heavy teams, this adds up fast — see our breakdown of employer NIC on commission for April 2026 for the full picture. These costs should factor into your total compensation modelling.

Employment Law

Acas guidance is clear that commission arrangements should be documented in the employment contract or a separate written agreement. Verbal commitments or informal understandings create risk on both sides.

Key elements to document include: the basis for commission calculation, when commission becomes payable, circumstances under which commission can be withheld or clawed back, and what happens to accrued commission when employment ends.

The question of commission on termination is particularly important. If a rep resigns or is made redundant with deals in their pipeline, are they entitled to commission on those deals if they close after departure? UK courts have generally held that reps are entitled to commission on deals substantially completed during their employment, but the specifics depend heavily on contract language.

Team Size Realities

UK mid-market companies typically have smaller sales teams than their US counterparts. A 15-person sales team in the UK is substantial; in the US, it might be considered small.

This has design implications. Complex plans with multiple tiers, accelerators, and role-specific variations become harder to administer with a small team. The overhead of maintaining different structures for AEs, SDRs, and account managers may not be justified when you have three of each.

Simpler plans often work better at this scale. A straightforward percentage of revenue, perhaps with a single accelerator tier for exceeding quota, can be more effective than an elaborate structure that nobody fully understands. For teams managing multiple commission structures, Xero integration can automate the calculation and payout process.

What Are the Most Common Commission Scheme Setup Mistakes?

Certain mistakes appear in commission schemes repeatedly. Avoiding them puts you ahead of most.

Commissioning the wrong metric makes schemes ineffective. If you commission on revenue when reps control pricing, they'll discount heavily to hit volume targets. If you commission on gross margin with fixed pricing, you're adding complexity for no benefit.

Delaying communication creates disputes. Reps who don't understand the scheme when they join will dispute every calculation. Document terms in writing before the first deal closes.

Adding complexity to 'fix' edge cases backfires. Every exception, tier, and conditional reduces motivational power. If the scheme won't fit on one page, it's too complex.

Complexity That Obscures

If reps can't calculate their expected commission in their heads — at least approximately — the plan is too complex. Every additional variable, exception, and conditional reduces the plan's motivational power. Reps stop thinking about it because they can't think about it.

The test is simple: can a rep look at a deal they're about to close and know roughly what they'll earn? If the answer requires a spreadsheet, you've lost the motivational link between effort and reward.

Caps That Demotivate

Commission caps seem financially prudent — they limit exposure to unexpectedly large payouts. But research consistently shows they reduce performance. According to the Chung, Steenburgh, and Sudhir (2015) study, removing commission caps increased revenue by 9% because top performers stopped sandbagging deals into the next quarter once they hit the ceiling. Deals get pushed to next quarter. The cap becomes a ceiling that nobody tries to exceed.

If you're worried about windfall payments from unusually large deals, consider adjusting the rate on mega-deals rather than capping overall earnings. A rep who closes a transformative enterprise deal should be rewarded for it, even if the commission feels large. They've just materially changed your company's trajectory.

Quotas That Aren't Credible

Quotas should stretch reps without breaking them. Set them too low and you're paying accelerator rates for mediocre performance. Set them too high and reps disengage — if the target feels impossible, why bother trying?

According to the 2015 Harvard Business School study by Chung, Steenburgh, and Sudhir, quarterly bonuses helped lower-performing reps stay on pace toward annual targets. The more frequent feedback loop kept goals feeling achievable. Consider how your quota structure and pacing interact with rep psychology.

The quota-setting process matters too. Quotas handed down without explanation or discussion feel arbitrary. Quotas built collaboratively from territory analysis and historical performance feel fair, even when they're demanding.

Changes Mid-Period

Changing a commission plan mid-year is almost always a mistake. Reps have made decisions — about pipeline, about effort allocation, about personal finances — based on the plan as it existed. Changing the rules retroactively, or even prospectively mid-period, destroys trust.

If a plan isn't working, diagnose why and fix it for the next period. Take the hit in the current period if necessary. The cost of mid-year changes isn't just the administrative complexity; it's the signal you send about how commitments work at your company.

Putting It Together

A good commission plan has a few key properties. It's simple enough to understand. It's transparent enough to trust. It aligns rep behaviour with business outcomes. And it rewards high performers in a way that feels fair and motivating.

Start with clarity about what you want to achieve. More new business? Better retention? Higher average deal sizes? Expansion within existing accounts? The plan should make achieving those goals the obvious path to earning more money.

Then strip away everything that doesn't serve that purpose. Every tier, exception, and conditional should justify its complexity. Most plans would be better with fewer variables, not more.

Document thoroughly. A commission plan that exists only in spreadsheets and tribal knowledge isn't really a plan — it's a set of precedents waiting to be disputed. Write it down. Review it with each rep. Update it annually.

Finally, administer it well. The best-designed plan fails if reps don't trust the calculations. Real-time visibility, clean audit trails, and fast dispute resolution aren't optional — they're what make the plan actually work.

Commission should feel like partnership, not adversarial negotiation. When the plan is right, reps win when the company wins. That alignment, more than any clever incentive structure, is what drives performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between accelerators and SPIFFs?

Accelerators are permanent rate increases in the commission structure that kick in when a rep exceeds quota (e.g., 8% commission up to 100% of quota, then 12% above). They reward sustained high performance. SPIFFs (Sales Performance Incentive Funds) are temporary bonuses tied to specific short-term goals (e.g., £500 for every deal closed this month that includes Product X). SPIFFs drive focused behaviour for limited periods; accelerators reward long-term excellence.

Should we cap commission?

No. Research shows commission caps reduce revenue by approximately 9% by encouraging sandbagging — reps hold deals for the next period once they hit the ceiling. If you're worried about windfall payments on unusually large deals, adjust the rate on mega-deals rather than capping overall earnings. A rep who closes a transformative enterprise deal should be rewarded for it.

How often should we review the commission scheme?

Review quarterly to check whether the scheme is driving the right behaviour. Redesign annually if needed, but never mid-year — changing the rules retroactively destroys trust. Take the hit in the current period if a scheme isn't working; fix it for the next annual cycle.

How do I set up a commission scheme?

Setting up a commission scheme comes down to six decisions: what you commission (revenue or gross margin), the rate and structure (start simple — flat or a single accelerator), when commission is earned and paid, OTE and quota, the UK tax and legal terms (PAYE, employer NIC, and written terms under ACAS), and how you roll it out and onboard reps. Document all six on a single page — if the scheme won't fit on one page, it's too complex to motivate. Use the starter template above as your structure.

What should I commission on — revenue or gross margin?

Commission on gross margin when reps have pricing discretion, to prevent them discounting heavily to hit volume targets. Commission on revenue when pricing is fixed or tightly controlled. For most UK mid-market teams, recognised revenue (invoiced, contract-signed deals) works best because it aligns sales activity with company cash flow.

How do I prevent reps from gaming the system?

Remove artificial caps and thresholds that encourage sandbagging. According to the 2015 Harvard Business School study by Chung, Steenburgh, and Sudhir, removing commission caps increased revenue by 9% by eliminating the incentive to hold deals for the next period. Use linear or accelerating commission rates rather than tiered structures with sharp cliff edges. Make the plan simple enough that reps can calculate earnings in their heads — complexity creates opportunities for gaming. Document when deals become commissionable and apply clawback provisions for deals that don't ultimately pay.

Should I use tiered commission or a flat rate?

Flat rates are simplest and work well for small teams or straightforward sales motions. Tiered structures with accelerators reward top performers disproportionately, which is effective if you want to drive competitive behaviour. Avoid decelerators or caps — research shows they reduce performance by creating artificial ceilings.

When should accelerators be used?

Use accelerators when you want to reward reps who exceed quota and create strong motivation to push past 100%. Accelerators work best in environments where top performers can genuinely sell more (uncapped territory, high-velocity deals) rather than fixed contract cycles. Set the threshold at a credible stretch — typically 110-120% of quota.

What happens to commission when a rep leaves?

Under UK employment law, reps are generally entitled to commission on deals substantially completed during their employment, even if the deal closes after departure. Your contract should specify: whether pipeline deals are commissionable post-exit, how 'substantially completed' is defined, and the timeline for final payment. ACAS guidance requires commission terms to be documented in writing.

How Do You Prevent Commission Disputes?

Disputes arise when commission terms are unclear, calculations are opaque, or payouts are delayed. Unclear scheme rules are one of the most common causes of commission disputes at UK firms. The fix:

• Document everything in writing before the first deal closes. ACAS guidance requires commission terms to be in the employment contract or a separate written agreement.
• Give reps real-time visibility into earnings. If reps can't see how deals translate to commission, they won't trust the calculations.
• Resolve disputes within 5 business days. The longer a dispute drags on, the more it damages trust and morale.
• Use clear definitions for earn and payout timing. Ambiguity over when a deal is 'commissionable' causes most disputes.

For teams managing multiple commission structures, Xero integration can automate calculation and provide audit trails that prevent disputes before they start.

References

Chung, D. J., Steenburgh, T., & Sudhir, K. (2015). Do Bonuses Enhance Sales Productivity? A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Bonus-Based Compensation Plans. Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 12-103. Available at: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=47732

Steenburgh, T. J., & Ahearne, M. (2012). Motivating Salespeople: What Really Works. Harvard Business Review, 90(7–8), 70–75. https://hbr.org/2012/07/motivating-salespeople-what-really-works

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. Perspectives in Social Psychology series. New York: Plenum Press.

Farley, J. U. (1964). An Optimal Plan for Salesmen's Compensation. Journal of Marketing Research, 1(2), 39–43. https://doi.org/10.2307/3149793

Weinberg, C. B. (1975). An Optimal Commission Plan for Salesmen's Control over Price. Management Science, 21(8), 937–943. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.21.8.937

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Written by the Commit Team — the people building UK sales commission software at Commit.

Commit automates sales commission management for UK B2B SaaS and professional services firms. Our platform integrates with Xero and supports complex tiered, accelerator, and clawback scenarios — helping finance teams eliminate spreadsheet errors and give reps real-time visibility into earnings. Learn more about how Commit works.