The Advanced Selling Podcast

Sales Compensation with Chris Goff

Nov 19, 2025
In this discussion, sales compensation expert Chris Goff, known as 'The Sales Comp Guy', shares insights from his deep background in sales operations and comp plan design. He highlights why trust issues arise around compensation plans, revealing insights into seller psychology. Chris advises on how salespeople can analyze their plans effectively, focusing on metrics like deal size and win rate. He also addresses common pitfalls leaders face when designing comp plans, emphasizing the crucial link between actions and rewards to enhance motivation.
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ANECDOTE

How He Became The Sales Comp Guy

  • Chris Goff described starting in sales ops as a finance/statistics analyst who accidentally took on comp work after his boss left.
  • He learned territory sizing, quotas, and behavioral economics over a decade, which became his sales comp career foundation.
INSIGHT

Seller Distrust Signals High Performance

  • Default seller mindset is distrust: they assume the company will 'screw' them on comp.
  • Chris says that suspicion is also a sign of a high-performing seller who looks for ways to optimize outcomes.
ADVICE

Reverse-Engineer Your Pay

  • Do immediately calculate how to maximize your total payout and ask comp people for the plan's intent if unclear.
  • Do analyze deal size, win rate, cycle length, and territory sizing so you can present data-backed quota concerns.
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