[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":102},["ShallowReactive",2],{"lesson-/academy/sdr/how-sales-commission-works":3},{"path":4,"data":5,"html":37,"toc":38,"prev":48,"next":55,"track":60},"/academy/sdr/how-sales-commission-works",{"title":6,"description":7,"primaryQuery":8,"secondaryQueries":9,"module":14,"order":15,"tier":16,"intent":17,"asset":18,"publishedAt":21,"author":22,"reviewedAt":23,"relatedTool":24,"challenge":25,"exercise":34},"How Sales Commission Works: Structures, Rates, and a Worked Example","Sales commission is variable pay earned on attainment — for an account executive it's usually a percentage of closed revenue; for an SDR it's more often a flat fee per qualified meeting. This page explains the two big structures, how commission is actually paid (attainment, timing, caps and accelerators), and runs a worked example so you can read any rate you're quoted.","how does sales commission work",[10,11,12,13],"sales commission structure explained","commission percentage sales","how is sales commission calculated","sdr commission",8,3,"A","informational",{"type":19,"title":20},"reference","Commission structures + a worked example you can recalc","2026-09-10","closers","2026-09-24",null,{"type":26,"id":27,"brief":28,"lines":29},"spot","m8-l3-sdr-commission-spot","How is an SDR's commission most commonly structured, versus an account executive's?",[30,31,32,33],"Both are a percentage of the closed deal's revenue","An SDR: a flat fee per qualified meeting. An AE: a percentage of closed revenue","An SDR: a share of company profit. An AE: a fixed salary with no variable","Neither earns commission — only managers do",{"prompt":35,"successCriteria":36},"Using the worked example below, write what you'd earn in commission if you booked 14 qualified meetings at a $75 fee.","You calculate 14 × $75 = $1,050 and show your work — and you can say whether that's on top of your base, not instead of it.","\u003Cp>Sales commission is the variable part of pay: money you earn on attainment, on top of your base. How it's structured depends entirely on the job. An \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/account-executive/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">account executive\u003C/a> is paid on \u003Cstrong>revenue\u003C/strong> — a percentage of the deals they close. An \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/sdr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SDR\u003C/a> is paid on \u003Cstrong>activity the role controls\u003C/strong> — usually a flat fee per \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/qualified-meeting/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">qualified meeting\u003C/a>, because the SDR doesn't close revenue, it books the meetings that lead to it. This page explains the two structures and runs a worked example, so a quoted "10%" or "a $75 fee" is something you can actually calculate instead of guess at. The \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/commission/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">glossary definition\u003C/a> covers the term; here's how it pays.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"the-two-big-structures-here-is-the-asset\">The two big structures — here is the asset\u003C/h2>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth>Role\u003C/th>\n\u003Cth>What commission is on\u003C/th>\n\u003Cth>Typical shape\u003C/th>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003C/thead>\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>SDR / BDR\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Activity it controls\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Flat fee per \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/qualified-meeting/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">qualified meeting\u003C/a> booked (sometimes per opportunity accepted)\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Account executive\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Closed revenue\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>A percentage of the deals they sign (e.g. 10% of closed revenue)\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003C/tbody>\n\u003C/table>\n\u003Cp>The rule: \u003Cstrong>commission is tied to the output the role can actually drive.\u003C/strong> Don't expect an SDR to be paid a revenue percentage — it doesn't close deals — and don't expect an AE to be paid per meeting. Read the structure against the job and a confusing plan becomes obvious.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"a-worked-example\">A worked example\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Say you're an SDR with a \u003Cstrong>$75 fee per qualified meeting\u003C/strong> that an AE accepts. Book \u003Cstrong>14\u003C/strong> qualified meetings in a month:\u003C/p>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>14 meetings × $75 = \u003Cstrong>$1,050\u003C/strong> in commission, \u003Cstrong>on top of your base\u003C/strong>.\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Cp>Now say you're an AE on \u003Cstrong>10% of closed revenue\u003C/strong>. You close a \u003Cstrong>$40,000\u003C/strong> annual deal:\u003C/p>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>$40,000 × 10% = \u003Cstrong>$4,000\u003C/strong> in commission on that one deal.\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\u003Cp>The two numbers aren't comparable — they reward different jobs. What matters is reading your own rate: \u003Cstrong>the rate × what you can realistically produce = what the plan actually pays you\u003C/strong>, which is the real number to compare against your \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/what-is-ote/\">OTE\u003C/a> and your \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/quota/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quota\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"what-changes-the-payout\">What changes the payout\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Commission almost never pays flat forever; four mechanisms shape it. An \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/accelerator/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">accelerator\u003C/a> raises your rate above plan so overperformance pays more; a \u003Cstrong>cap\u003C/strong> (or the absence of one) limits or frees that upside. A \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/draw/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">draw\u003C/a> advances you money while you \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/ramp/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ramp\u003C/a>, and a \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/clawback/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">clawback\u003C/a> can take commission back if a deal cancels inside the window. For an SDR the fine print is simpler, but you still need to know \u003Cstrong>what counts as a qualified meeting\u003C/strong> (does it have to show up? does an AE have to accept it?) — that definition decides whether your $75 fee is real or theoretical. Read all of it before you sign, in the \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/how-to-read-a-sales-comp-plan/\">comp-plan deep dive\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n",[39,42,45],{"id":40,"text":41},"the-two-big-structures-here-is-the-asset","The two big structures — here is the asset",{"id":43,"text":44},"a-worked-example","A worked example",{"id":46,"text":47},"what-changes-the-payout","What changes the payout",{"path":49,"title":50,"description":51,"module":14,"order":52,"kind":53,"practiceCall":24,"core":54},"/academy/sdr/what-is-ote","What Is OTE? On-Target Earnings Explained (and How to Read a Split)","OTE — on-target earnings — is the income a sales job is designed to pay at 100% of quota: your base salary plus the commission you'd earn at full attainment. It's the headline number recruiters quote and the one you compare across offers, but it is not a guarantee — you only see the commission half if you hit quota. This page explains OTE's anatomy, how to read a split, and the trap of comparing two OTEs without looking at the base and the realistic attainment.",2,"order",true,{"path":56,"title":57,"description":58,"module":14,"order":59,"kind":53,"practiceCall":24,"core":54},"/academy/sdr/how-to-read-a-sales-comp-plan","How to Read a Sales Comp Plan: Base vs Variable + 11 Red Flags","A sales comp plan is the contract for how you get paid — base, variable, what counts toward quota, and the fine print (caps, clawbacks, draws, ramps). Reading one before you sign is how you avoid a 'great OTE' that never pays. This page breaks down base vs variable and gives you an 11-clause red-flag checklist to run against any offer.",4,{"slug":61,"title":62,"shortTitle":63,"crumb":64,"path":65,"positioning":66,"totalLessons":67,"modules":68},"sdr","Certified Sales Development Representative (CSDR)","SDR/BDR Certification","SDR Certification","/academy/sdr","The free certification for getting your first sales job — no degree, no experience, no upsell.",58,[69,74,77,80,84,88,91,95,98],{"id":70,"name":71,"lessonCount":72,"description":73},1,"The Role",6,"What an SDR actually does, whether it’s for you, and the sales career path it opens — 6 core lessons.",{"id":52,"name":75,"lessonCount":15,"description":76},"Getting In With No Experience","Land your first sales job with no experience or degree — a 30-day plan — 3 core lessons.",{"id":15,"name":78,"lessonCount":14,"description":79},"Prospecting and Research","Find the right accounts and contacts to reach — 8 lessons.",{"id":59,"name":81,"lessonCount":82,"description":83},"Cold Calling",11,"Make cold calls without freezing up — 11 core lessons.",{"id":85,"name":86,"lessonCount":14,"description":87},5,"Cold Email and LinkedIn","Write cold emails and LinkedIn messages that get replies — 8 core lessons.",{"id":72,"name":89,"lessonCount":85,"description":90},"Conversations: Discovery and Qualification","Run discovery calls and qualify real buyers — 5 core lessons.",{"id":92,"name":93,"lessonCount":15,"description":94},7,"The Tool Stack","The tools that run an SDR’s daily workflow — 3 core lessons.",{"id":14,"name":96,"lessonCount":72,"description":97},"Money: Comp, Commission and Quota","SDR salary, OTE, commission and quotas — 6 lessons.",{"id":99,"name":100,"lessonCount":14,"description":101},9,"Getting Hired","Resume, interview answers, offer negotiation, and the certification assessment — 8 lessons.",1792888519025]