Compensation Advisory Studio

Sales Compensation

Plan-by-plan diagnostics — OTE, base/variable mix, quota, attainment, and design flags.

What this analysis does

Review every sales role's plan against market practice — segment archetype, OTE, base/variable mix, quota, attainment distribution, and rule integrity (ramp, crediting, accelerators).

Required data

Plan documents, last 4 quarters of attainment data, quota-setting methodology, crediting policy, ramp/SPIF history.

Key outputs

Per-plan diagnostic with attainment band, mix appropriateness, quota credibility, and explicit design flags.

Data caveats

Attainment shown is the P50 — distribution shape (long-tail vs bimodal) matters as much as median. Pull histograms for any flagged plan.

Advisor takeaway

SDR plan and Enterprise AE plan are the priority redesigns. SDRs at 48% attainment signals an over-quota problem; Enterprise AE at 56% with 12-18mo cycles needs deferred crediting or multi-year quota relief.

Next recommended action

Pair with Cost Modeling 'sti-redesign' scenario ($920K annualized) and stage the redesign for next fiscal year.

Plans reviewed

Avg OTE

$241K

Plans w/ flags

Headcount

across all plans

Role	Segment	OTE	Mix	Quota	Attainment P50	Flags
Account Executive — New Logo	Hunter	$290K	55/45	$1.2M	62%	Healthy attainment band; quota credible.
Account Manager — Renewal	Farmer	$230K	70/30	$4.4M	78%	Strong attainment; consider tighter accelerator above 110% to manage cost.
Customer Success Manager	Customer Success	$195K	80/20	—	n/a	CSM compensated on NRR + adoption, not quota. Plan is well-structured.
SDR — Outbound	Hunter	$105K	65/35	$900K	48%	Attainment < 50% — quota likely too high or pipeline coverage too low. Investigate ramp treatment for new SDRs.
Overlay — Solutions Specialist	Overlay	$270K	60/40	$1.8M	71%	Crediting rules need review — risk of double credit with primary AE.
Channel Account Manager	Channel	$215K	65/35	$2.1M	58%	Channel plan should differentiate partner-sourced vs. partner-influenced deals.
Enterprise AE — Strategic	Hybrid	$380K	50/50	$2.5M	56%	Long sales cycle (12-18 mo) — consider deferred commission or multi-year quota relief.

Advisor takeaway

High

What we found

Two structural issues: SDR plan attainment is 48% (well below the healthy 55-65% band), and Enterprise AE plan attainment of 56% paired with a 12-18mo sales cycle suggests credit timing is misaligned.

Why it matters

Sub-50% attainment in SDRs creates churn and undermines the pipeline funnel that every downstream AE plan depends on. Enterprise AE timing misalignment causes reps to either chase short cycles (wrong segment) or burn out before payback.

Recommended action

Recalibrate SDR quota to a 60% attainment target; add multi-year quota relief or deferred crediting for Enterprise AE plan to align crediting with sales cycle.

Risks

Quota recalibration mid-year breaks trust. Stage to FY start, communicate methodology transparently, and re-baseline ramp.

Questions to ask the client

Has the sales leader signed off on a 55-65% target attainment band? Some VPs target 70%+ which changes plan calibration.
Is the Enterprise AE deferred-crediting concept compatible with your revenue recognition policy?
Do overlay roles currently have explicit double-credit rules in the plan document, or is it informal?

Data caveats

Attainment P50 reflects last-4-quarter rolling average. Recent quarters may skew if quota was recently reset.

Suggested next module

Open Cost Modeling 'sti-redesign' scenario to see the $920K annualized cost envelope.