What is a sales SPIFF?

SPIFF (sometimes written spiff) is a short-term sales incentive that sits on top of normal commission: $5 for every bottle of the new lotion sold this week. It is narrower and shorter than a commission plan, and that is the point.

What makes a SPIFF work

• One target. A specific product, service or membership — not "sell more".
• A short window. A week or two. Longer and it becomes part of pay.
• A reward people can work out at the counter. "$5 per bottle" beats "2% extra on qualifying items".
• Paid quickly. On the next paycheque, not at quarter end.
• Visible progress. People should see their count go up during the SPIFF.

Examples

Three ways SPIFFs backfire

1. Every week has one

Run SPIFFs constantly and they stop being a push and become expected pay — and the week without one feels like a pay cut. Keep them occasional and tied to a real reason.

2. It pulls attention from what matters more

A $5 SPIFF on lotion can quietly outcompete a membership sale that is worth far more to the business but pays nothing extra this week. Check what the SPIFF is competing with.

3. Sales that shouldn't happen

A big enough bonus invites pushing products on clients who don't need them, or timing sales into the SPIFF window. Keep amounts modest and watch returns afterwards.

SPIFFs alongside commission

A SPIFF is an add-on, recorded separately from commission so it is clear what was paid and why. In CommissionBoard, one-off bonuses are approved separately and added to each person's total earned, so the board shows them as they happen — see how it works. For the underlying plan, read how to calculate commission or how to run a sales leaderboard.