I’m in the kitchen and bath business, and one of our subcontractors who handles gutters and flashing has a full-time, commission-only sales rep that we work with. It’s been very successful for them. I’m not in the same exact line of work, but hopefully my experience can still help in some way.
I recently tried hiring a commission-based sales rep myself, and the position stayed open for a long time. I was only able to fill it after I changed the structure to include a base pay along with a competitive commission rate. It was honestly a little scary for me to make that change, but he’s eager to learn and seems to be adapting quickly to our processes. I’ve even received a few compliments from clients after they worked with him.
I do still believe commission-based sales can be a great model because it takes a lot of pressure off the business owner. However, if someone can’t reliably support themselves on commission alone, they may try to juggle multiple jobs or not give your position their full focus. That’s ultimately why I had to adjust the pay structure to attract the right person.
Of course, every situation is different, so take my experience with a grain of salt—but I hope it helps
Howdy Vossreno, out of curiosity what are the salary and commission rates your offering?
For the commission only gutter guy, it’ll obvi have to be higher rate so what’s that % look like to be appealing enough?
thx.
Yea unsure what the gutter guy gets paid, but we did $25/hr plus 5% commission and a company truck to be an experienced and lead technician.
I'm more so thinking in regards to a sales coordinator for my company.
Truth been told I'm running the ship solo yet again!
I'm starting to think it's an IshMe prob vs an IshYou (aka whoever I hire) I think I'm gonna drop this into the main chat as it'll probably be beneficial to get some collaborative advice so keep a look out over there BossReno (lol I'm doing talk to text and when I said your name Vossreno, it came up as boss Reno, it's got a nice ring to it and visually appealing ;0)
The commission-based guy seemed to like it for a while and we had a very good relationship. However, I have noticed a lot of push and pull. It seems that, altogether, people really value job security, and so commission-based sales just isn't a good fit for anyone who actually cares and knows what they're doing. He has since been fired for stealing and using the company van for side work, which is against our, very well-known company policy. I made an employer-based "Work Triangle," and that's what I go by now, even for raises. 1. Low Pay, 2. High Knowledge/Skills, 3. Good Attitude/Customer Service Skills.... You can pick two out of the three, and you get the opposite of whatever you pick. I have noticed that the commission-based pay rate doesn't align with any of these and so I don't think it's gonna last.
Hope this provides some insight!
Thx for the reply.
curious too more so at the commission rate only that the gutter guy is getting if you are able to inquire.
If not, no biggie.
thx again Vossreno
