"At my company I am assigned a key account that does a lot of business with my company. The problem is they put their orders through a business partner so I don't get the commissions but as the internal person assigned to the account, I get all their problems. They are important to the company and very visibly but are now taking 4 to 8 hours a week of my time. Please advise." - Sarah B.
Sarah, good question. Usually, I ask a lot of qualify questions to get a better understanding of your situation before offering my recommendation. For you, I have one simply question, what is your compensation plan? Straight commission; high base / low commission; base plus bonus; if bonus, what is in your bonus (client retention, top line, bottom line, mbo's, etc.); other.
This account is taking 10 to 20 percent of your time each week. The amount of time should be reflected in your compensation plan. If you are straight commission and spending 20% of your time with an account generating zero commissions, you need to have the discipline to let your manager know you aren't getting paid and even though you want to help them you cannot afford to.
If you have a high base and low commission plan, or your bonus plan includes their numbers, client satisfaction, or client retention, this account is covered by your compensation plan, and even though it may seem unfair, part of your job is dealing with their problems.
The reality is most likely somewhere in the middle, where you do have a base salary but this account is taking an inappropriate amount of your time based on your commissions. I recommend you meet with your boss to review the account. Can you get commission on the account? Can you get a bonus based on the accounts revenue? Can you get the business partner who is getting the commissions to get the problems too? At a minimum, make sure you are getting the credit for being a company person.
Years, ago I was in a meeting, where my sales vp rolled up a copy of our commission plan to form a cone and put the cone up and put to his ear and said, "My goal is to talk to you through your comp plan." If your compensation plan covers this account then the company is talking to you through your plan, if it isn't then let your boss know there is a disconnect between your commission plan and expectations.
Good Partnering and account management. Let us know how it goes with your boss and key account. Reader Feedback, please click the comments below to give ‘Sarah’ additional information on her question and I want your feedback on my response. Shaun Priest aka CloserQ.
Sarah, good question. Usually, I ask a lot of qualify questions to get a better understanding of your situation before offering my recommendation. For you, I have one simply question, what is your compensation plan? Straight commission; high base / low commission; base plus bonus; if bonus, what is in your bonus (client retention, top line, bottom line, mbo's, etc.); other.
This account is taking 10 to 20 percent of your time each week. The amount of time should be reflected in your compensation plan. If you are straight commission and spending 20% of your time with an account generating zero commissions, you need to have the discipline to let your manager know you aren't getting paid and even though you want to help them you cannot afford to.
If you have a high base and low commission plan, or your bonus plan includes their numbers, client satisfaction, or client retention, this account is covered by your compensation plan, and even though it may seem unfair, part of your job is dealing with their problems.
The reality is most likely somewhere in the middle, where you do have a base salary but this account is taking an inappropriate amount of your time based on your commissions. I recommend you meet with your boss to review the account. Can you get commission on the account? Can you get a bonus based on the accounts revenue? Can you get the business partner who is getting the commissions to get the problems too? At a minimum, make sure you are getting the credit for being a company person.
Years, ago I was in a meeting, where my sales vp rolled up a copy of our commission plan to form a cone and put the cone up and put to his ear and said, "My goal is to talk to you through your comp plan." If your compensation plan covers this account then the company is talking to you through your plan, if it isn't then let your boss know there is a disconnect between your commission plan and expectations.
Good Partnering and account management. Let us know how it goes with your boss and key account. Reader Feedback, please click the comments below to give ‘Sarah’ additional information on her question and I want your feedback on my response. Shaun Priest aka CloserQ.
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