Sales Gamification & Compensation Glossary
Every term a sales manager needs — defined in plain English, with formulas, examples, and links to deeper guides.
Activity Metrics (Leading Indicators)
Activity metrics are the daily sales actions reps control — calls, emails, meetings, demos — that predict future revenue as leading indicators.
Commission Accelerator
A commission accelerator is a higher commission rate that kicks in after a rep passes 100% of quota, rewarding overperformance. Formula and examples.
Commission Clawback
A commission clawback lets a company recover commission already paid when a deal falls through, a customer churns early, or an invoice goes unpaid.
Draw Against Commission
A draw against commission is an advance on future commissions that guarantees a rep minimum income, repaid from later earnings. Types and examples.
Gamification (Sales Gamification)
Gamification applies game mechanics — points, leaderboards, contests, rewards — to non-game work like sales to boost motivation and performance.
Kicker (Bonus Kicker)
A kicker is a one-time bonus paid when a rep crosses a defined milestone, like 100% of quota or a strategic deal type, on top of normal commission.
OTE (On-Target Earnings)
OTE (on-target earnings) is a salesperson's total expected pay at 100% of quota — base salary plus full variable commission. Definition and examples.
President's Club (Sales Achievement Award)
President's Club is an annual award honoring a company's top salespeople, usually the top 5-10% by quota attainment, with a luxury trip and recognition.
Quota Attainment
Quota attainment is the percentage of their sales quota a rep has achieved in a period. Learn the formula, a worked example, and healthy benchmarks.
Ramp Quota (Ramped Quota for New Hires)
A ramp quota is a reduced, graduated sales target for new hires that scales up to full quota over their first months. Schedules, math, and examples.
Sales Contest
A sales contest is a time-boxed competition that rewards reps for hitting sales or activity goals. Learn formats, a worked example, and best practices.
Sales Leaderboard
A sales leaderboard is a ranked, visible display of rep performance on a chosen metric. Learn how leaderboards work, an example, and design best practices.
Sales Quota
A sales quota is the specific sales target a rep must hit in a set period — revenue, units, or activities. Learn quota types, setting methods, and examples.
Sales Velocity
Sales velocity measures how much revenue a team generates per day, using opportunities, deal size, win rate, and cycle length. Formula and worked example.
SPIFF (Sales Performance Incentive Fund)
A SPIFF is a short-term sales incentive that pays reps an immediate bonus for a specific action, like selling a product or booking demos.
Win Rate (Sales Close Rate)
Win rate is the percentage of sales opportunities that end in a closed-won deal. Learn the formula, a worked example, and how to improve your close rate.