Distributors get fixed commissions on sales

This structure is ideal for companies where sales rep retention is critical to the success of the sales organization. The company is actively investing in the success of the rep while incentivizing their performance. With this plan, sales reps' income comes directly from the sales they earn. There is no base salary. This structure is ideal for startups with not a lot of capital because the sales rep assumes the risk by giving up the security of a steady salary. High-performance sales reps can thrive in these environments, but be prepared to experience the difficulty of maintaining stability in roles with commission structures like this.

A straight-line commission plan rewards salespeople based on how much or little they sell. For example, if they reach 90% of their quota, they receive 90% of their commission. However, if they exceed quota, their commission increases. This is a great way to incentivize underperformers to meet quota as well as those who consistently meet quota to overperform.

A tiered structure encourages reps to put in extra effort by providing higher commission as they hit substantial sales milestones. Here, reps could be paid increasing commissions as they meet their quota, exceed their quota, and continue to close more deals than they’re expected to.