A salesperson who sells Software as a Service (SaaS) products earns commissions on their sales, which are often paid by the hour or by the sale. There are also additional perks, such as bonuses and car allowances, that help to sweeten the deal and draw top talent into sales positions within SaaS companies. But what does this commission structure look like in practice? And how can you increase your chances of earning higher rates of pay? Here’s a look at what you can expect from your compensation package if you choose to sell SaaS products for a living.
Starting Salary
If you’re going to work for commission only, it’s important to understand what that means: You won’t get paid unless you close a deal. But if you close enough deals and they are large enough sales, your income can be quite high. One key point to remember is that your salary will never increase by more than 20% per year no matter how much revenue you generate.
Commissions and Bonuses
A SaaS sale professional makes money on commission and is eligible for performance-based bonuses (which can be substantial). The average SaaS sales professional makes just under $100,000 annually. But, as with any profession that depends on variable compensation, it can vary depending on skillset and experience. Entry-level techies may make less than that figure while seasoned pros might command six figures or more.
Top Selling Points For SaaS
If you’re trying to sell SaaS, there are three features that really stand out: Flexibility and scalability, data protection and reliability. These features play well with small businesses who want to grow into larger organizations, but want to do so without breaking their budgets or being overwhelmed by technical implementation details.
Company Culture
A lot of companies put less emphasis on compensation and more on culture, perks, work-life balance, and other benefits. If you’re job hunting for one of these environments, it’s important to know what kinds of people work there—and how much they make. PayScale compiles data from employees who anonymously submit answers to questions about their salary and employment details—what you see here are typical (median) pay rates by region for different kinds of jobs.
Benefits, Perks, and Incentives
The first thing to realize about commissioned sales jobs is that you’re not going to get rich working on commission. But don’t let that discourage you. First of all, if you’re prepared to work hard and do some research, there are very few industries out there where average people can earn six figures solely from working on commission. And while they may seem like risky careers at first, with proper training and know-how, your potential earnings are nearly limitless.
Role Descriptions
In software, commission and incentives are often used to motivate sales representatives. A sales representative who will be incentivized via commission or other compensation might typically sell any of several kinds of products or services: software as a service (SaaS), enterprise software, hardware, business consulting, and other high-ticket items.
