Most sales leaders think their commission plan is broken when reps stop hitting quota. It's usually not the plan — it's the gaps between tiers.

Here's the fix I use with every team I consult for: a 3-tier accelerator.

Tier 1 (0-100% of quota): base commission rate, no bonus multiplier. This funds the floor.

Tier 2 (100-150% of quota): rate jumps 1.5x. This is where reps start feeling the extra effort pay off immediately, not at year-end.

Tier 3 (150%+ of quota): rate jumps again, uncapped. Your top 10% should feel like there's no ceiling.

The mistake most founders make: they set Tier 2 too far from Tier 1 (like a 50% jump in quota with no commission bump until the very top). Reps see an impossible gap and give up mid-quarter instead of pushing.

Small tweak, big behavior change. If your team stalls out around 80-90% of quota every month, check your tier gaps before you touch the comp plan entirely.