The Sales Compensation Show Stop fixing comp plans—fix the system: Trustpilot’s approach to durable incentives
Jan 5, 2026
36:48
Sales comp plans are usually the first thing to get blamed when growth stalls because it’s where every upstream issue becomes painfully visible: messy territories, unclear roles, uneven segmentation, and misaligned sales motions. In this episode, Nabeil Alazzam sits down with Kaleb Carter, the Director of Sales Compensation – FP&A at Trustpilot, to unpack a more durable approach. That is — stop tinkering with comp plans and start fixing the connected system that produces comp outcomes in the first place.
Kaleb sees modern sales compensation as behavior architecture—a strategic function that translates GTM strategy into consistent, coachable actions. He shares a repeatable diagnostic method for when stakeholders say “the comp plan is broken,” and why chasing a mathematically perfect plan (especially with AI) is a trap if your org’s foundations don’t hold up.
The episode is full of practical way Kaleb builds trust, stability, and predictability—without relying on rate increases, SPIFFs, or constant plan changes.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why comp is the output of the GTM system (and how that changes how you lead)
- How to diagnose compensation complaints using root-cause thinking (versus defensiveness)
- The AI mistake companies Kaleb sees companies will keep making in incentive design—and how to avoid it
- Why you can’t design “fair” comp without addressing performance variability
- How to earn trusted-advisor influence with executives through clear cause-and-effect narratives
Resources Kaleb mentions:
- Kim Scott — Radical Candor (leadership framework for high-trust, high-clarity conversations)
- Peter Drucker (management thinker influencing Kaleb’s leadership philosophy)
The Sales Compensation Show is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so