[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":102},["ShallowReactive",2],{"lesson-/academy/sdr/what-is-ote":3},{"path":4,"data":5,"html":37,"toc":38,"prev":48,"next":55,"track":60},"/academy/sdr/what-is-ote",{"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},"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.","what is ote",[10,11,12,13],"ote meaning salary","on target earnings explained","what does ote stand for in sales","ote vs base salary",8,2,"A","informational",{"type":19,"title":20},"reference","OTE anatomy — base + commission at quota, and how to read a split","2026-09-10","closers","2026-09-24",null,{"type":26,"id":27,"brief":28,"lines":29},"spot","m8-l2-ote-math-spot","A plan offers a $55,000 base and $25,000 of commission at 100% of quota. What is the OTE?",[30,31,32,33],"$55,000 — the base is the only guaranteed part","$80,000 — base plus commission at full attainment","$25,000 — the commission is the real earnings","It can't be calculated without knowing the quota number",{"prompt":35,"successCriteria":36},"Write the one question you'd ask to turn an OTE number into a realistic number (what you'd actually earn in an average month).","You ask about realistic attainment — what share of reps hit quota — or the average payout, not just restating the OTE. That's the question that makes an OTE honest.","\u003Cp>OTE — on-target earnings — is the income a sales job is \u003Cstrong>designed to pay at 100% of \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/quota/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quota\u003C/a>\u003C/strong>: your base salary plus the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/commission/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">commission\u003C/a> you'd earn at full attainment. It's the headline number a recruiter quotes and the one you compare across offers — and the one most new reps misunderstand. The essential fact is that OTE is a \u003Cstrong>target, not a promise\u003C/strong>. You only collect the commission half if you actually hit quota, so the real question about any OTE is never just the number — it's the split and the realistic attainment behind it. The glossary has the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/ote/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">working definition\u003C/a>; this lesson is how to read one.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"ote-anatomy-here-is-the-asset\">OTE anatomy — here is the asset\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Every OTE is two pieces added together:\u003C/p>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth>Piece\u003C/th>\n\u003Cth>What it is\u003C/th>\n\u003Cth>Guaranteed?\u003C/th>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003C/thead>\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Base salary\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>The fixed pay you get regardless of performance\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Yes — it's your floor\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Commission at 100% quota\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>The variable you earn if you hit plan\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>No — only at attainment\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003C/tbody>\n\u003C/table>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>OTE = base + commission at 100% quota.\u003C/strong> A $55,000 base with $25,000 in commission at full attainment is an $80,000 OTE. The split is where the risk lives: an SDR or \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/bdr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BDR\u003C/a> plan is usually base-heavy, while an \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/account-executive/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">account executive\u003C/a> plan leans commission — so the same OTE can mean a safe job or a swingy one depending entirely on the split.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"how-to-read-a-split-the-trap\">How to read a split (the trap)\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Two offers with the identical OTE are not the same job. Offer A: \u003Cstrong>$70k base + $30k OTE-style commission = a high base\u003C/strong> (your floor covers you while you ramp). Offer B: \u003Cstrong>$40k base + $60k OTE-style commission = a high variable\u003C/strong> (great if you crush it, painful if you don't). For a first sales job the base-heavy offer is usually the safer pick, because you're still learning to hit quota and your rent shouldn't ride on it.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>The second thing to read is \u003Cstrong>realistic attainment\u003C/strong>: what share of reps actually land at quota, and what does the commission half really average out to? An OTE is only as honest as the plan's attainability — a fat OTE almost nobody reaches is worth less than a modest one most reps hit. That's why the number to chase isn't the headline OTE, it's "what does the average rep in this seat actually take home in a quarter?" If a plan adds a \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/draw/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">draw\u003C/a>, read whether it's recoupable before you count on it.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"ote-across-the-career\">OTE across the career\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Your OTE changes shape as you climb. As an SDR it's base-heavy — you're paid for consistent activity while you \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/ramp/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ramp\u003C/a>. As you move up toward an \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/account-executive/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">account executive\u003C/a> role — the B2B closer — the \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/how-sales-commission-works/\">commission structure\u003C/a> becomes most of your income and your OTE leans variable. Reading that shift early — and learning to read a \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/how-to-read-a-sales-comp-plan/\">comp plan's fine print\u003C/a> — is what lets you compare the \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/how-much-do-sdrs-make/\">real pay\u003C/a> of two roles instead of the number in the job post.\u003C/p>\n",[39,42,45],{"id":40,"text":41},"ote-anatomy-here-is-the-asset","OTE anatomy — here is the asset",{"id":43,"text":44},"how-to-read-a-split-the-trap","How to read a split (the trap)",{"id":46,"text":47},"ote-across-the-career","OTE across the career",{"path":49,"title":50,"description":51,"module":14,"order":52,"kind":53,"practiceCall":24,"core":54},"/academy/sdr/how-much-do-sdrs-make","How Much Do SDRs Make? (~$50k Base / ~$90k OTE in the US, 2026)","An entry-level SDR in the US is paid roughly a $50,000 base with about a $90,000 on-target (OTE) in 2026 — a base-heavy split where the variable, earned at 100% of quota, is the smaller slice. The exact number shifts by metro, industry, and company size. This page explains the structure, how to read a split, and where to pull your market's current figure.",1,"order",true,{"path":56,"title":57,"description":58,"module":14,"order":59,"kind":53,"practiceCall":24,"core":54},"/academy/sdr/how-sales-commission-works","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.",3,{"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,[69,73,76,79,84,88,91,95,98],{"id":52,"name":70,"lessonCount":71,"description":72},"The Role",6,"What an SDR actually does, whether it’s for you, and the sales career path it opens — 6 core lessons.",{"id":15,"name":74,"lessonCount":59,"description":75},"Getting In With No Experience","Land your first sales job with no experience or degree — a 30-day plan — 3 core lessons.",{"id":59,"name":77,"lessonCount":14,"description":78},"Prospecting and Research","Find the right accounts and contacts to reach — 8 lessons.",{"id":80,"name":81,"lessonCount":82,"description":83},4,"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":71,"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":59,"description":94},7,"The Tool Stack","The tools that run an SDR’s daily workflow — 3 core lessons.",{"id":14,"name":96,"lessonCount":71,"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.",1792888520710]