When several people or teams are involved in a sale, the question arises as to who should actually get the commission. This is precisely where the concept crediting rule coming in. In Danish, it can be called an “attribution rule” or simply the rules governing who is to be credited in connection with a sale.
In a simple sales process, where one seller closes a deal alone, there is no doubt. The commission is accrued to the employee concerned. But in reality, selling is rarely that simple. In many companies, account executives, business development representatives, customer success managers, and even managers work together to get a deal done. When a sale becomes the result of teamwork, it is necessary to establish clear rules for how the commission is distributed.
Crediting rules are therefore a central part of any commission plan. They can be based on roles, on the phases of the process or on percentage distributions. For example, a company may decide that the person who books the meeting gets 20 percent of the commission, while the person who closes the deal gets 80 percent. Other models allocate commission by region, product line or customer segment.
Lack or unclear crediting rules can lead to conflicts in the sales team. If two people believe they have contributed decisively to a sale and the rules are not clear, the company risks both internal turmoil and declining motivation. Clear rules, on the other hand, create fairness and transparency, and they support cooperation rather than create competition for recognition.
In a digital context, crediting rules become even more important. When data flows through CRM systems, marketing automation and commission platforms, it is necessary that the rules are clearly defined so that the software can assign commissions correctly. Automation reduces the risk of errors and ensures that employees can trust the numbers.
In short, crediting rules are a tool for creating fairness, motivating teams and ensuring that commissions are allocated correctly in complex deals. When the rules are transparent and when they are handled automatically, trust is created in the system; and that is the foundation of any successful incentive model.