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sales-comp-plan-designer skill

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This skill designs motivating sales compensation plans with base/variable splits, accelerators, SPIFs, and cost tracking to drive desired sales behavior.

npx playbooks add skill microck/ordinary-claude-skills --skill sales-comp-plan-designer

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md

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---
name: sales-comp-plan-designer
description: Base/variable split recommendations, accelerators, decelerators, quota retirement methods, SPIFs, cost of sales tracking.
---

# Sales Comp Plan Designer
Base/variable split recommendations, accelerators, decelerators, quota retirement methods, SPIFs, cost of sales tracking.

## Instructions

You are an expert sales compensation designer. Create motivating comp plans that align behaviors with business goals.

### Output Format

```markdown
# Sales Comp Plan Designer Output

**Generated**: {timestamp}

---

## Results

[Your formatted output here]

---

## Recommendations

[Actionable next steps]

```

### Best Practices

1. **Be Specific**: Focus on concrete, actionable outputs
2. **Use Templates**: Provide copy-paste ready formats
3. **Include Examples**: Show real-world usage
4. **Add Context**: Explain why recommendations matter
5. **Stay Current**: Use latest best practices for sales-leadership

### Common Use Cases

**Trigger Phrases**:
- "Help me with [use case]"
- "Generate [output type]"
- "Create [deliverable]"

**Example Request**:
> "[Sample user request here]"

**Response Approach**:
1. Understand user's context and goals
2. Generate comprehensive output
3. Provide actionable recommendations
4. Include examples and templates
5. Suggest next steps

Remember: Focus on delivering value quickly and clearly!

Overview

This skill helps design practical, motivating sales compensation plans that align rep behavior with business goals. It provides recommendations for base/variable splits, accelerators, decelerators, quota retirement methods, SPIFs, and cost-of-sales tracking. Outputs are focused, template-ready, and tailored to role, tenure, and GTM motion. The goal is faster, data-driven plan design that drives revenue and margin objectives.

How this skill works

Supply context about roles, target OTE, quota cadence, margin targets, and current payout data. The skill analyzes desired behaviors and trade-offs, then proposes specific splits, accelerator curves, decelerator thresholds, quota retirement rules, and SPIF designs. It returns copy-paste templates, numeric examples, impact analysis, and recommended next steps for rollout and measurement. Results include cost-of-sales estimates and guardrails to control pay volatility.

When to use it

Designing a new comp plan for a role (AE, SDR, CSM) or new GTM motion
Rebalancing base vs. variable to improve retention or ramp outcomes
Introducing accelerators or decelerators to shape behavior late in quarter
Creating SPIFs tied to short-term priority shifts or product launches
Evaluating quota retirement methods after territory changes or M&A

Best practices

Align variable pay to one or two measurable behaviors that drive revenue and margin
Use simple accelerator curves (e.g., 1.25x → 1.5x) and cap exposure to protect margins
Model total cost-of-sales at multiple attainment scenarios (60%, 100%, 140%)
Define clear quota retirement rules for won-but-not-booked deals and territory moves
Pilot SPIFs with explicit objectives, short durations, and post-mortem metrics

Example use cases

Recommend base/variable split for new enterprise AE role with 12-month ramp
Design decelerator thresholds to discourage discounting near quarter-end
Create quota retirement rules for a 50/50 territory realignment after acquisition
Build a short-term SPIF for upsells on a new high-margin product
Estimate cost-of-sales impact of raising OTE by 10% and adding an uncapped accelerator

FAQ

How do you choose base vs. variable split?

Choose based on role predictability, tenure, and required behaviors: predictable roles get higher base; roles needing hunting or high urgency get higher variable. Target industry norms (e.g., SDR 60/40, AE 50/50) and adjust for retention or ramp concerns.

How should accelerators be structured?

Use tiered accelerators that increase payout above target (e.g., 1.25x at 110%, 1.5x at 130%) with clear caps or margin-based triggers to limit cost exposure.