Compensating Salespeople for Digital Jobs: Is This Still a Problem? Yes

Hudson Printing has three new sales reps on its team of 11, and they've all grasped the digital mantra. Gardner points out that although one incumbent salesperson has been selling digital work at an unprecedented clip, the balance of the group is either flat or down from the previous year.

The printer itself is guilty of its own execution gaffes. Last September, the company announced a new compensation plan that was slated to be rolled out at the first of the year. Unfortunately, Hudson Printing's new plan didn't debut until April 1, which left the sales reps in the dark, wondering how they would be compensated. "We instilled fear, and that was a mistake on our part," he admits.