Getting Started With Sales Cookie - Admins
About This Guide
This guide is designed to help you get started as a Sales Cookie administrator. We assume that we've already configured one or more incentive plans for you. Looking for a starter guide for your payees instead? Click here.
This guide does NOT cover the many advanced options or capabilities found within Sales Cookie. However, we will show you how you can easily calculate and manage commissions. Once you learn how Sales Cookie works, it will become second nature to you.
Using Sales Cookie, you should save considerable time managing commissions. You will no longer need to generate or distribute commission spreadsheets. You'll gain new agility in terms of making changes to your incentive program.
New insights about sales performance and commission spend will also become available to your organization. And every rep will be able to access their commission statements from any device, any time.
Configuring Plans
This guide is designed to help you get started as a Sales Cookie administrator. We assume that we've already configured one or more incentive plans for you. Looking for a starter guide for your payees instead? Click here.
This guide does NOT cover the many advanced options or capabilities found within Sales Cookie. However, we will show you how you can easily calculate and manage commissions. Once you learn how Sales Cookie works, it will become second nature to you.
Using Sales Cookie, you should save considerable time managing commissions. You will no longer need to generate or distribute commission spreadsheets. You'll gain new agility in terms of making changes to your incentive program.
New insights about sales performance and commission spend will also become available to your organization. And every rep will be able to access their commission statements from any device, any time.
Configuring Plans
Commission structures can appear simple, but are in reality quite complex. Which sales are eligible for commissions? Do you have quotas? Are tiers cumulative? Who qualifies for which plan? Do you have QTD or YTD attainment?
We configure plans for you, so you don't need to deal with this complexity or need to configure formulas. Reach out for assistance!
Web Interface 101
The Sales Cookie user interface has two main components:
The Sales Cookie user interface has two main components:
- The admin component - to manage incentive plans, run calculations, view reports, etc.
- The rep component - to view commission statements, review credits, review payouts, etc.
This guide focuses on the admin component (shown in blue below). Don't worry, your sales reps will NOT be able to view or access any admin capabilities.
Also, whenever you are looking for information, remember to look for tabs. Sales Cookie is a tab-based application. Sometimes, you'll find that the data you were looking for is displayed in a different tab.
Your Workflow
Your workflow as a commission administrator is simple:
- Import sales transactions
- Run calculations
- Verify results / make adjustments
- Release results to reps
Importing Sales Transactions
To import new (or updated) sales transactions, click on "Transactions" > "Add Transactions" on the left navigation bar, and follow the steps.
Importing new transactions is only required if you use CSV files. If we've configured a sync to a CRM or accounting system (ex: SalesForce, QuickBooks, etc.), you don't need to do anything as we'll keep synchronizing data every hour.
When importing data using CSVs files, keep in mind the following:
When importing data using CSVs files, keep in mind the following:
- One CSV field should contain transaction unique IDs
- This will ensure we never create duplicates
- This will allow you to update previously uploaded records
- Do NOT change CSV field names during import
- Sales Cookie will remember mappings only if the field name is the same as previous imports
- It's normally fine to use different CSV file names, however
Running Calculations
To start a new calculation, click on "Calculations" > "All Calculations" on the left navigation bar.
Next, click on "Start Calculation" on the top right corner.
- Tip: if you already have a calculation and want to re-run it, click on it and then "Re-Run".
Next, select an incentive plan and calculation period, then click on "Calculate".
- Tip: you normally do NOT need to manually enter dates (use the date selector control instead).
- Tip: do NOT check any advanced option checkboxes (ex: simulation) for now.
You will be redirected to the same "All Calculations" page. Your calculation will complete shortly, and the icon will change from a spinning icon to the one shown below.
Auditing Calculations
Click on your calculation to view details. You should see something like this.
Click on your calculation to view details. You should see something like this.
The two concepts you need to understand are:
- Credits - the attribution of various sales transactions to reps (or territories)
- Rewards - granted monetary (ex: bonus) and non-monetary (ex: prize) payouts
Click on the buttons shown above (ex: "Credit Details") to review credits & rewards.
- Tip: you can also click on other tabs to view additional details, generate reports, etc.
- Tip: check the "Alerts" tab as it can inform you of important calculation issues.
Releasing Results
After running a new calculation, you're only in step 1 (out of 3).
At this stage, only you (the admin) can view results from this calculation. Reps cannot see anything on their incentive dashboards. We want to give you a chance to review calculation results before your reps can see them.
Here are the different steps:
Here are the different steps:
- Step 1 - Run Calculation. Results are only visible to you (not to your reps).
- Step 2 - Release Credits. Reps see deals credited to them and pending payouts.
- Step 3 - Release Payouts. Reps see deals credited to them and confirmed payouts.
Let's assume you've reviewed everything, and are now ready to pay reps and publish commission results to rep incentive dashboards. Click on "Release Rewards".
Next, specify a pay date:
- That's it - your reps can now see their credits, payouts, etc. on their incentive dashboards!
Adjusting Commissions
Sometimes you need to adjust commissions. This can be done before or even after you release rewards. There are many ways to make adjustments, but here is a simple one.
- Go back to "Calculations" > "All Calculations"
- Click on a calculation
- Click on the "Rewards" tab
- Click on the reward you want to adjust
- Or click on "Manual Reward" in the top right corner to add a new one
- Or click on "Manual Reward" in the top right corner to add a new one
Don't worry, any change made to commissions is recorded in your dashboard's audit log (and only admins can adjust commissions).
Adding & Inviting Users
It's very easy to add users:
Adding & Inviting Users
It's very easy to add users:
- Go to "Users" > "Add Users"
- Follow the wizard's guidance
- Use "Participant" as the role
Most administrators choose NOT to notify users while adding them as they first want to run some calculations. To later invite your users to login to their incentive dashboard, simply send them an email asking them to:
- Browse to https://salescookie.com
- Click on "Login" on the top right corner
- Click on the "Sign Up" tab
- Register the correct email (the one you used when adding users)
Users will land on their own incentive dashboard. They will not see any admin function (ex: settings, calculations, teams, etc.). You can also share this guide with them.
Rep Incentive Dashboards
Once you've released credits / rewards, your reps will be able to review their incentive plans, commissions, payouts, etc.
First, click on "Incentives" on the left navigation bar.
Next, click on "Manager Overview" to see an overview of payouts.
- Tip: different views, time periods, and grouping options are available.
Click on a tile to see what their own incentive dashboards looks like! We cover the content of incentive dashboards in this article.
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