To build a plan that lasts, you need to balance several different elements. An overly aggressive plan might bleed the company dry of cash flow, while a plan that is too conservative will fail to attract and retain high-performing sales talent. Here are the pillars of a professional MSP sales commission structure.
In the United States, the most common split for an MSP sales representative is 60/40 or 50/50. This means 50% to 60% of their "On-Target Earnings" (OTE) is a guaranteed base salary, and the remainder is earned through commissions. This provides the rep with enough stability to survive the long sales cycles typical of B2B technology, while maintaining a strong "hunger" to close deals.
For senior hunters, a lower base and higher commission upside may be appropriate. For account managers focused on retention and small upsells, a higher base with a lower commission percentage often works best. The key is to ensure the base salary is high enough to attract quality professionals but not so high that they become complacent.
This is where the majority of your commission budget should go. There are two primary ways to reward MRR:
| Method | How it Works | Pros | Cons |
|---|
| Multiple of MRR | Pay 1x to 3x the first month’s recurring revenue. | Simple to understand; rewards high-volume selling. | Doesn't account for variable margins in the service stack. |
| Percentage of GP | Pay 10% to 20% of the first year’s expected Gross Profit. | Protects company margins; encourages efficient service delivery. | Requires transparent and accurate job costing/accounting. |
Scroll the table horizontally to see all columns →
Generally, paying 1x or 1.5x the MRR is the industry standard for new contracts. If the contract is for three years, you might increase that to 2x. This creates a direct incentive for the salesperson to push for longer terms, which increases your client retention and provides better forecasting for your technical team.
Hardware and project work are necessary but often have lower margins. Most MSPs pay between 3% and 10% of the gross profit on these items. It is a mistake to pay on the total revenue of hardware. If you sell a $50,000 server at a 10% margin, your profit is only $5,000. Paying a commission on the $50,000 could easily wipe out your entire profit margin.
Make it clear: hardware is a facilitator for managed services, not the main event. Your sales team should be rewarded for it, but not so much that they spend their time chasing low-margin procurement instead of high-value service agreements.
Once you have the basics down, you can use more advanced mechanisms to drive specific behaviours within your sales team. This is where you can truly differentiate your MSP and accelerate your growth trajectory.
Top performers should be rewarded disproportionately. If a salesperson’s monthly quota is $5,000 in new MRR, you might pay 1x commission on everything up to that $5,000. However, for every dollar over $5,000, you might pay 1.5x or even 2x. This "accelerator" encourages reps to keep pushing even after they’ve hit their target, rather than "sandbagging" deals for the next month.
In the current landscape, security isn't an add-on; it's the foundation. You can use your MSP sales commission to ensure that your team is selling your full security stack rather than letting clients pick and choose. You might offer a flat bonus (e.g., $500) for every new client that signs up for the "Advanced Security" tier, or refuse to pay commission on "Support-Only" contracts that don't meet your minimum security standards.
This aligns with the MSP Agenda philosophy: a client who isn't secure is a risk to themselves and your business. By incentivising the full security stack, you ensure the rep is doing the right thing for the client while maximising the lifetime value of the account.
Churn is the enemy of MSP profitability. A one-year contract is good, but a three-year contract is great. Consider adding a "term kicker." For example:
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1-Year Term: 1x MRR Commission
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2-Year Term: 1.25x MRR Commission
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3-Year Term: 1.5x MRR Commission
This small increase in commission can lead to significantly higher business stability and valuation.
A MSP sales commission plan without a clawback provision is a disaster waiting to happen. A clawback allows the company to recoup commissions paid if a new client cancels their contract within a specific timeframe (usually 6 to 12 months).
Why is this necessary? In the MSP world, the cost of onboarding a new client is high. Between technical audits, setting up RMM tools, and the initial "cleanup" phase, many MSPs don't break even on a new client for 4 to 6 months. If a salesperson closes a "bad fit" client who leaves after 90 days, the MSP has lost money on labour, tools, and the commission paid.
A standard clawback schedule might look like this:
- Client leaves in months 1-3: 100% of commission returned.
- Client leaves in months 4-6: 50% of commission returned.
- Client leaves in months 7-12: 25% of commission returned.
This ensures that the sales team is focused on finding "right-fit" clients who will stay for the long haul, rather than just hitting a monthly number.
One of the most common points of friction in an MSP is the handoff between sales and account management. If your commission plan only rewards "new hunters," your existing clients may feel neglected. Conversely, if account managers are only paid a salary, they may miss opportunities to expand the services your current clients are using.
Account Managers (AMs) should be rewarded for two things: Retention and Expansion. A simple way to do this is to pay a commission on the "net increase" in MRR for their book of business. If an AM starts the quarter with $50,000 in MRR and ends with $55,000 due to upsells, they should be rewarded for that $5,000 growth.
Additionally, AMs can be incentivised through project revenue. When an AM identifies a need for a server refresh or a major cloud migration during a Security Review, they should receive a percentage of the project profit. This encourages them to act as a "Virtual CIO" for the client, looking for ways to improve the client’s environment while driving revenue for the MSP.
If a new business rep (Hunter) brings in a lead but an account manager (Farmer) handles the upsell six months later, who gets paid? A clear policy is required. Typically, the Hunter gets the initial commission, and any further upsells after a 90-day "grace period" belong to the Account Manager. This prevents "territory wars" and ensures everyone is focused on their specific role in the client lifecycle.
Having seen the inner workings of dozens of MSPs, we’ve identified several recurring mistakes that kill morale and profitability. Avoiding these will put you ahead of 80% of your competitors.
Never cap your sales commissions. If a salesperson is bringing in high-margin, "right-fit" business, you should want to pay them as much as possible. Capping commissions tells your best performers to stop working once they hit their limit. If your margins are protected by your commission structure, an "uncapped" plan is a win for the company.
If a rep needs a Ph.D. in mathematics to understand their payout, the plan will fail. Complexity breeds distrust. A salesperson should be able to calculate their expected commission the moment they get a signed contract. Stick to simple percentages of GP or multiples of MRR.
Ideally, commissions should be paid once the client has paid their first invoice. This prevents the sales team from signing up "deadbeat" clients who never intended to pay. It also helps with the MSP’s cash flow, ensuring you aren't paying out cash before you've received it.
Sometimes a salesperson will close a deal that is technically a nightmare. If the client has ancient hardware and refuses to upgrade, your technical team will spend double the hours supporting them, effectively wiping out your margin. Your commission plan should allow for a "Technical Approval" step where the service manager can vet the deal before the commission is finalized.
When Luis Navarro was building Totality Services, the focus was always on commercial clarity. The sales team wasn't just told to "go sell." They were given specific targets based on the services that provided the most value to the client and the highest margin to the business. By focusing the MSP sales commission on managed security and long-term contracts, the business was able to scale profitably.
This experience is baked into MSP Agenda. We believe that a recommendation a client doesn't understand is unlikely to become a project. Similarly, a commission plan a salesperson doesn't understand is unlikely to drive the right behaviour. By standardising how you present value to the client through tools like Security Reviews, you make the salesperson's job easier, which in turn makes your commission payouts more consistent and predictable.
In the United States, sales commission plans are often considered legal contracts. You must have a written "Sales Commission Agreement" signed by the employee. This document should clearly outline:
- The definition of a "Closed-Won" deal.
- The exact timing of commission payments (e.g., the 15th of the month following the payment).
- How disputes are handled.
- What happens to "pending" commissions if the salesperson leaves the company.
- Detailed clawback provisions.
Consult with an employment attorney in your state to ensure your plan complies with local labour laws, particularly regarding how commissions are treated upon termination. Some states have very strict rules about "earned" commissions that must be paid even if the employee is fired.
Is your MSP sales commission plan working? To find out, you need to track specific metrics. A salesperson who earns $100,000 in total compensation should, at a minimum, be bringing in 3x to 5x that amount in new Gross Profit annually. If the ratio is lower, either your commission plan is too generous, or your sales reps are underperforming.
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): The total cost (salary + commission + marketing) to acquire one new client.
- Time to Break Even: How many months of service it takes to cover the CAC.
- Lifetime Value (LTV): The total profit expected from a client over their entire relationship with you.
- LTV to CAC Ratio: A healthy MSP should aim for an LTV that is at least 3x the CAC.
Manual tracking of commissions in Excel is a recipe for errors and frustration. As you scale, you should look for ways to automate this through your PSA (Professional Services Automation) tool or dedicated commission software. However, technology should follow strategy, not lead it.
At MSP Agenda, we help MSPs run consistent reviews and communicate risk clearly. This directly impacts sales because it creates a standardised way for account managers and sales reps to identify opportunities. When you have a clear, documented process for showing a client why they need a specific security upgrade, the sale becomes more consultative and less transactional. This leads to higher close rates and, ultimately, more commission for your team and more profit for your business.
A well-structured MSP sales commission plan is more than just a payroll line item; it is a declaration of your company’s values. It tells your team that you value long-term relationships over quick wins, profitability over volume, and security over convenience.
By following the principles of transparency, margin protection, and strategic alignment, you can build a sales engine that drives your MSP toward a high-value exit. Remember, you aren't just selling "IT support"; you are selling business continuity and peace of mind. Your commission plan should reward those who can communicate that value effectively.
