A clear plan is a plan they'll follow

Make the program simple. Salespeople have enough detail in their daily work to track without having to spend time working out your incentive plan.

I recommend: Draft a quick, professional compensation plan (for a fee) using an online questionnaire at QuickForms. A more erudite explanation of sales incentive planning is in PDF file form at Salary.com. A simple walk-through can be found at the Incentive Marketing Association.

Yes, the 80/20 rule is unbreakable, as usual

Your top people are likely already plenty motivated, yet the second tier is where you'll see the most upside in terms of sales change. Understanding what drives each group can be difficult and distracting if you don't have human resources staff.

I recommend: Many companies work through consultants, including Maritz, Globoforce, Hinda, and Cygnal Group.

Track progress publicly

A horse alone will walk, but put another horse beside it and – voila – they start running. It's important to talk about who is closing deals and where people are in terms of goal. If you don't, each sales person will keep their own, error-prone tally, and then the problems begin.

I recommend: Move the process online, making results and incentives rewards immediately transparent, even to remote offices or outside sales. Take a look at offerings from SalesDriver, Xcelsius, LoyaltyWorks, Corporate Rewards, Perks and Xactly.

Try a little sugar

People need not only to win but to be seen winning. Public recognition in little ways, often, means a lot. Lapel pins and specially labeled business cards ("Chairman's Circle" or "$1 Million Seller") seem hokey, but they aren't to the folks who get these recognitions, nor to customers and suppliers who notice. The ones who don't make the cut will try all the harder.

I recommend: Shop ahead of time at Dinn Brothers, Crown Awards and Recognition Source.