Most organizations adjust their sales compensation plans every year, yet those changes are often made with limited insight into how different design choices will affect commission expense or seller behavior. Small adjustments to a pay curve or threshold can have significant financial consequences, while other commonly debated changes may have far less impact than expected.

This session presents original simulation research examining how five common commission plan levers influence total commission expense and plan outcomes. Using a modeled sales organization across multiple simulated performance years, the analysis compares the relative impact of adjustments such as leverage factors, thresholds, and quota sensitivity, revealing that some plan changes produce effects many times greater than others.

Participants will explore how compensation leaders can use modeling to test potential plan changes before implementation, prioritize the levers that matter most, and align plan adjustments with broader business goals such as growth, margin management, or talent retention. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for evaluating and sequencing plan changes using data rather than intuition.