The Right Structure for Your Situation

The chart is a four-box grid. The bottom edge runs from no pipeline system yet to an established pipeline; the side runs from a hire who closes deals to one who only qualifies them. Each box names the pay plan that fits: salary only, a milestone bonus, the standard base-plus-commission, or a bonus that later shifts to commission. A gold callout points to the bottom-left box, where most first hires actually land and almost no one designs the plan for it. Answer where your pipeline stands and what the hire will really do first, and the right pay structure is already decided before you write the offer.