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We recently published an interview that explained how sales compensation is one of the biggest levers in go-to-market - you can check out my post about it here. The feedback and demand for more content on this was incredible, so this is a deeper dive into the topic of sales compensation.
Who you’ll learn from
Brian Le (Global Sales Compensation Partner at Notion) breaks down how to build a scalable sales comp operating system.
Brian shares his firsthand experience scaling Notion's sales comp from 80 to over 400 employees and explains why trust is the ultimate currency in revenue operations. If you are a founder, revenue leader, or sales professional, this breakdown covers everything from structuring pay mix to identifying the earliest signs of comp plan degradation. You will even hear what it takes for top AEs to pull in upwards of $1 million in a single quarter.
Episode highlights
1:15 - Brian Le’s journey through Salesforce, Carta, and Notion
4:33 - Why sales comp is the operating system for go-to-market
7:07 - Phase 1: building a scalable comp foundation at Notion
13:50 - Transitioning from seat-based to usage-based pricing models
18:15 - The 3 core pillars of a successful sales commission plan
22:09 - Early warning signs your quota and comp structures are breaking
31:41 - The real cost of losing sales reps over bad commission payouts
39:35 - How to structure compensation for your first early-stage sales hires
42:39 - Will AI agents replace SDRs and sales compensation?
Key takeaways
1. Sales comp is the operating system for go-to-market.
Most teams treat comp as a derivative of HR: the last thing built, the first thing blamed. Brian flips it. Comp is the lever that translates company strategy into rep behavior. Show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome isn’t a quote to nod at, it’s the job.
2. Trust is the currency of comp.
Before redesigning anything at Notion, Brian’s P0 was to stop the bleeding and earn the org’s trust. Comp had been run by hand in spreadsheets across stitched-together data sources. He ran a full RFP, automated commissions on Everstage, and gave reps real visibility before touching plan design. Earn the trust first, then you have a platform to move mountains.
3. Every comp plan lives on three inputs.
OTE and pay mix, quotas and pay curves, and governance. Pay mix isn’t just a split that adds to 100, it signals to reps what they actually have influence over. Quotas need both top-down and bottoms-up, backtested against real conversion rates, not reverse-engineered from a target. Governance is the policies, terms, and crediting rules. When one pillar stops talking to the others, the plan degrades.
4. Read the degradation before it hits payout.
The earliest warning sign is attainment pacing: if deals bunch at the end of the quarter, the cycle is telling you something. Next is attainment distribution. If everyone is blowing out quota, the quota is wrong, not the reps. Diagnose the root cause by segment and region before you swing a blanket quota hike.
5. A broken comp plan is a capacity problem, not a payroll line.
When a rep quits over comp, you don’t just lose the seat. You lose every dollar invested in ramping them, then eat the ramp cost again on the backfill. Brian’s fix is boring and powerful: minimize surprises. Tell reps exactly how they get paid, then follow through.
6. Comp your first reps with your eyes open.
Two schools for the early-stage founder. Put the first AE on a 100% guarantee to make them whole while you gather data on what’s actually closeable, or set a best-estimate quota with downside and upside protection, a payout cap plus a cash-flow floor. Either way, respect the precedent: once you set a threshold, it’s hard to walk back.
Brian Le
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhoangle
Resources Mentioned
Everstage: https://www.everstage.com/
The State of Sales Compensation Report: https://www.everstage.com/resources/state-of-sales-compensation-2025
Sophie Buonassisi (Host)
X (Twitter): https://x.com/sophiebuona
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