Every sales leader wants their AEs to generate more of their own pipeline.
But hereโs the hard truth:
๐ณ You donโt grow a tree by yelling at it.
๐ง You feed the roots.
Telling reps to โdo more outboundโ rarely works.
But incentivizing them to own their number? That gets results. ๐ฅ
1. ๐ธ Higher Commission for Self-Sourced Deals
Example structure:
-
Self-Sourced Deals โ 12โ15% commission
-
Inbound/SDR-Sourced Deals โ 7โ10% commission
Give them a reason to prioritize their own pipeline.
2. ๐ฏ Pipeline Sourcing Bonuses
Example:
-
๐ฐ $5K bonus for generating $500K in pipeline
-
๐ $10K bonus for generating $1M
Reward the input, not just the closed-won.
3. โ Qualification Incentives
Example:
-
AE earns 1% of pipeline value when a self-sourced opp reaches Stage 2 or 3
Early pipeline progress should still pay. ๐
4. ๐ Minimum Prospecting Quota
Example:
-
Self-Sourced โฅ 40% of Pipeline โ Commission accelerator ๐
-
Self-Sourced < 40% โ Lose accelerators or reduce OTE โ
Set the expectationโand back it up.
5. ๐ Tiered Quota Adjustments
Example:
-
AE-Sourced โฅ 50% โ Quota = $1.2M
-
AE-Sourced < 20% โ Quota = $1.5M
More ownership = more control of their number.
6. ๐ค Team-Based Incentives
Example:
-
AE sources and SDR books the meeting โ Shared SPIFF ($500โ$1K)
Collaboration should be a win-win.
7. ๐ SPIFFs for First Meetings Booked
Example:
-
$250 per AE-booked first meeting (up to 5/month)
-
10+ meetings in a month โ Bonus $1K ๐
Gamify pipeline creation from the ground up.
8. ๐ Outbound Multiplier on Large Deals
Example:
-
$150K inbound deal = 10% = $15K
-
$150K AE-sourced deal = 20% = $30K
Twice the reward for twice the effort. ๐ฅ
๐จ Final Take
Pipeline ownership shouldnโt be optional.
And behavior? It follows incentives. ๐ผ
Want more outbound?
Donโt push harder. Pay smarter. ๐ก
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