I needed to review Sales Compensation resources for a recent pricing panel I was on.  I was looking for definitions of compensating for value selling . (Which is most likely determined at the point of persuasion.  This point is sometimes at the commitment stage but could as easily be at the demand creation or order fulfillment stages)  Despite this importance , only Nagle lays out a method to reward value (margin  contribution) selling.   In no particular order:

Compensating the Sales Force. A practical guide to designing winning sales reward programs. David j. Cichelli . 2010 . ISBN 9780071739023.  McGraw Hill puts out really good stuff. Thorough, well researched and put into a easy to read style.  If you want an all in one book this one will do it. Lots of good examples. I especially liked his chapter on plans for the difficult roles, which was quite helpful

Sales Compensation Handbook. Stockton B. Colt (ed) . Towers Perrin. 1998. ISBN 0814404111.  Another good book from Amacom. Good layout, easy to find your way around and put together by a company that knows its stuff.

Compensating the New Sales Roles. How to design rewards that work in today’s selling environment. Jerome A Colletti & Mary S. Fiss. 2001. ISBN 0814471064. Another excellent Amacom resource. It addresses how the use of the Internet has changed how you should set up your sales comp plans.  They also stress that a comp plan supports, not drives, the sales strategy.  Good easy to ready to use format. I liked the sales comp audit they included – very useful.

The Successful Sales managers Guide to Business to Business Telephone Sales. Everything you need to start, reposition and manage a telesales department.  Lee R. Vechten. 1999. ISBN 1881081095.  Still a classic and so useful if you have a telesales department. I found his section on selling the plan to management to be so relevant.  Vechten also points out some of the folks that need rewards the are often forgotten, including customer service reps, and how to do it effectively.

Managing Channels of Distribution. The marketing executives complete guide. Kenneth Rolnicki. 1998. ISBN 0814403352.  Amacom seems to have a lock on really good books in this space.   This is a whole book dedicated on what is often only part of one chapter in other sales management books.  Easy to read, thorough and well researched, the author talks just like he is working in the space . He gives you the full answer to deal with any and all problems you may have in the channel. I know they work as I have used many in my history. But he gives you lots more!  There is even a well done section on ethics.

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How to Create an Unstoppable Marketing & Sales machine. An introduction to Fusion Marketing.  Christopher Ryan. 2010. ISBN 9780982539729.  Sub  head:.  This book promises lots and delivers much more. I have followed Chris Ryan’s blog for quite some time and it always very usable advice. This book is one of the few that addresses the need to align sales and marketing from the get go.  He also like ourselves stresses the need for a framework to get the most out of sales and marketing. As well he tells exactly why,  how to and what to do to “get” marketing , regardless of budget.  His chapter on rescuing a failing marketing org is worth the price of the book alone. The chapter on producing big results with a small budget is jammed full of great ideas.  A must buy for the C-Suite and all sales and marketers out there. He does not miss much in a well written, easy to read and understand instant classic.

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Customer history. Pricing part 5.  If you have not made price raising part of your regular company history, this makes the job a bit harder.   This will be a change for clients and most people resist  change.  If you  have trained your customers to expect discounts, especially at quarter end and year end you are in seriously bad shape . In essence your customers are driving your prices, whether if it is through your training or your own weak negotiation position.  Compounding this is  the  ongoing corporate  reinforcement of weak selling approaches for your sales team.   To improve this  situation requires a group effort of marketing, sales and the C suite. no one of these groups can do it by themselves.

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