The thing about salespeople is that you can objectively determine their value over any given time period. That's how they should be paid: a very small base salary that wouldn't cover their mortgage, coupled with a clear and unambiguous bonus structure that gives them a reasonable amount of money when they hit the targets that make the company profitable.
Salespeople "actually do things". The problems come when you make a stupid compensation plan or don't fire the ones who consistently underperform.
Salespeople "actually do things". The problems come when you make a stupid compensation plan or don't fire the ones who consistently underperform.