Paying and Keeping Salespeople

Here are some facts and figures from a Sibson Consulting survey of 65 major North American companies.

At 90 percent of companies, a top sales rep can earn more than the rep's managers do. At 48 percent of companies, a top sales exec can earn more than the top sales executive does. And at 19 percent of companies, a top sales executive can earn more than the CEO does.

During the past two years, companies have experienced 12 percent annual sales force turnover.

Only 9.7 percent of companies (but 23 percent of high-tech companies) view stock or stock options as an advantage in attracting and retaining salespeople.

When salespeople quit, the majority of the time it’s because there’s a better opportunity to improve their career at another company. The second-most-common reason is higher base pay, followed by higher incentive pay, followed by more attainable quotas.

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