Sales Compensation

Getting the most from your sales force

The economic downturn has brought with it far reaching long-term challenges for UK businesses and has resulted in the sales role becoming more complex as well. There are new ways of working with customers, longer sales cycles and a need to shift mindsets from products to solutions, to name a few. In light of these changes, organisations are keen to find new ways of ensuring the millions spent each year on rewarding sales teams are delivering the best returns for the business.

Strategy that impacts results at all levels

We tailor our sales compensation work client-by-client. Our diagnostic tools facilitate an objective determination of what is right for your business. We begin by developing a deep understanding of your business objectives and their impact on the sales process. This is followed by a quick diagnosis of sales force structure to examine key issues such as: market position, sales cycle, channels, product, marketing support, sales compliance processes, autonomy and customer support.

The profile we establish helps us to address the following issues:

• Strategic – competitive position, funding, recognition and performance management
• Tactical – criteria, balance, targets, timing, formulae; and
• Administrative – caps, guarantees, joiners, leavers, transitions.

We believe in keeping things simple. Too often there is a temptation to add more and more features. Incentives should be an aid to management, not a surrogate for it. The time we take to understand what really matters for your business means we understand what you should, and can, measure.

Comprehensive market data

Aon Hewitt’s Sales Incentive Plans Survey delivers a comprehensive source of sales policies and pay practices information for HR specialists working across 33 industries in the UK.

The full report provides:

• A summary of key findings and latest developments in sales compensation
• Trend analyses covering year on year plan changes, workforce demographics and employee turnover
• Clear and simple visual graphs for each of the key areas covered, including: performance measures, pay mix, performance-payout distribution, thresholds and caps, plan effectiveness and a section on changes in light of the current economic climate.

To discuss how Aon Hewitt can help you improve sales compensation practices in your organisation, please call +44(0) 1727 888 404 or email HRconsulting@aonhewitt.com

Aon Hewitt Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.