Description

Which Comp Plan Is Better: 100% Commission or Salary Plus Bonus?

One of the biggest debates in the trades is how salespeople should get paid.

Should they eat what they kill? Or should there be more stability?

In today’s Question of the Day, I break down one of the most emotionally charged topics in sales leadership and explain why there’s no such thing as a perfect compensation plan.

Because every comp plan creates behavior.

And the real question is:
 “What behaviors are you trying to create?”

In this episode, we cover:

100% Commission

•  Why it creates urgency, hunger, and accountability 
•  The types of personalities it tends to attract 
•  The upside of performance-driven cultures 
•  The risks of pressure selling, short-term thinking, and emotional swings 

Salary + Bonus

•  Why it often creates more stability and collaboration 
•  How it can improve consistency, retention, and customer experience 
•  The danger of comfort, complacency, and reduced urgency if incentives are weak 

This episode isn’t about declaring one system “right” and the other “wrong.” It’s about understanding how compensation shapes culture, performance, and behavior—and making intentional decisions based on the kind of team you want to build.

Have a Question? - Submit your questions to chrish@nexstarnetwork.com