The end of the year is approaching fast– which means a lot of you are dealing with the usual Q4 anxiety. Whether you’re a sales compensation manager struggling to get commission statements in order, or a sales rep trying desperately to hit your quota, the last month of the year often ends up being the most stressful.
So, we figured it’s a good time to lighten the mood with some of our favorite sales commission memes. Join us as we enter the last month of the year with smiles on our faces– because sometimes, when work is at its most frustrating and stressful, all you can do is laugh.
Our Top 30 Sales Commission Memes
Sales comp managers, finance professionals, and sales reps will all find something to relate to in this batch of sales commission memes. So without further ado, here’s what we’ve been sharing and laughing at throughout the year.
1. Can You Update That Excel Sheet?
Sometimes the life of a sales comp manager boils down to one phrase: “Easier said than done.” If your idea of commission management is using a convoluted commission spreadsheet, what seems like a simple request can turn into a day-ruiner.
2. The Outdated Spreadsheet
Unfortunately, no one let your boss know that commission management technology has evolved quite a bit beyond his decades-old spreadsheet.
3. The Easy Sale
Sales reps learn to navigate roadblocks, handle sales objections, and get comfortable with flat-out rejection. But, when that easy sale comes along? There’s nothing sweeter.
4. Sales Comp Manager Ken
Ken may be unqualified to perform any job except for “beach”– but at least he’s not wasting his many talents because he’s stuck updating spreadsheets every day.
5. They’re Still Using Spreadsheets?
Your old employer still hasn’t moved on to an efficient, easy-to-use commission management system? Too bad for them…
6. Time for Next Steps
You thought that prospect who loves your product actually wanted to make a purchase? How silly of you.
7. Sales Math
Every sales rep knows– struggling with basic math doesn’t prevent you from being an expert in Sales Math.
8. No Escaping the Spreadsheet
When you’ve got nothing but Excel to help you track commission, you come to learn one thing very quickly: there’s no escaping the spreadsheet.
9. The Error-Free Commission Statement
With the right automated commission solution, accurate commission statements are the norm. But if your company still tracks commission manually? An error-free statement ends up feeling like a rare and beautiful surprise.
10. Sales is Not Hard
If you want to hit your Q4 quota, we advise against looking to Stanley here for inspiration.
11. The Sales Comp Manager’s Dilemma
Sure, you want to get proactive and make improvements to your commission plans. But with an endless stream of errors to investigate and resolve, good luck finding the time.
12. No Celebrating Until the Commission Clears
Here’s one for the sales reps who should be excited about closing that big deal– but deep down, they’re just waiting to spot the error in their next commission statement.
13. Wrong Again
So you’ve gone over your calculations five times and you’re sure you’ve got them right…and then the dreaded dispute message hits your inbox. We don’t blame you for struggling to keep it together.
14. Sales Requires Persistence
You’ve got to be persistent if you want to succeed in sales. Just make sure you recognize when it’s probably time to leave them alone.
15. Putting Your Degree to Good Use
You know all that accounting and finance expertise you picked up in your many years of education? We hope you’re able to put your skills to use– because managing commission spreadsheets can make clicking buttons feel like a full-time job.
16. When the Income Tax Hits
We all know the feeling of closing a big deal and waiting for that next big commission check to hit our bank account only to realize it’s a lot smaller than expected. Was it calculated wrong? No. Was there an error with your statement? No. And then it hits you… income tax.
17. The Early Win
You might feel like counting your earnings and taking a nap after closing a deal early in the month– just don’t sleep for too long.
18. Explaining Your Formulas
Building a functioning commission spreadsheet is only half the battle– because we all know the feeling when someone asks us to explain how all that complex logic actually works.
19. Cold Call Preparation
We always preach optimism– but when it comes to cold calling, sometimes it helps to prepare for the worst.
20. When Your Friends Hit Quota
Chin up! You’ll get there too!
21. Your First Day as a Sales Comp Manager
Trust us, you’re not alone– getting caught in the storm of commission disputes is an all-too-familiar feeling for sales comp managers.
22. Too Many Tabs
How many Excel spreadsheets does it take to manage a commission process?
23. When You Don’t Quite Have it in the Bag
Ever gotten to the final hour only to realize that deal you were banking on isn’t actually going to close? That’s cool, we don’t want to talk about it either.
24. The Not So Brief Sales Pitch
Surely the prospect will be interested if you send them a thorough explanation of your product and every one of its many features and benefits, right?
25. Counting Your Chickens Before They Hatch
Yeah, no… I’m definitely going to have my best quarter yet. It’s probably fine.
26. Showing Your Work
That sales rep says they don’t understand their commission statement– but if they just give you a minute, you’d be happy to explain.
27. The Early Morning Pitch
At least let your prospect have their coffee before you loudly explain how badly they need your product.
28. Even the Best Laid Plans…
Welp, there goes that.
29. The Commission Letdown
Sales reps, we feel your pain. We hope next year brings you closer to the pay mix you deserve!
30. Commission Management Made Easy
When you’ve spent years dealing with error-prone spreadsheets, your first flawless commission cycle is indeed cause to celebrate!
Final Thoughts
We hope this list brought you a laugh or two! And, if you’re stressing through Q4 as a result of a frustrating commission process, we hope 2024 is the year you finally reap the rewards of an efficient, automated commission management solution. Then, you’ll be able to look back and laugh at how hard things used to be.
About Spiff
Spiff is a new class of commission software that combines the familiarity and ease-of-use of a spreadsheet with the power of automation at scale- enabling finance and sales operations teams to self-manage complex incentive compensation plans with ease. Spiff is designed to facilitate trust across organizations, motivate sales teams, increase visibility into performance and earnings, and ultimately, drive top line growth. The platform’s intuitive UI, in-depth reporting capabilities, and seamless integrations make it the first choice among high-growth and enterprise organizations.