First sales hire compensation: pay, commission, ramp

Short answer: The first salesperson at a small Nordic company should usually be a generalist who can find, close and look after customers, on a pay mix with a higher fixed share than in a mature sales team, for example 70/30. In our example, OTE is DKK 720,000 a year: a base salary of DKK 42,000 a month plus 7.5% commission on new sales up to quota. Put the plan in writing, give the rep a ramp period, and judge the first 90 days on pipeline and activity, not just closed deals.

This guide is for founders and CEOs hiring their first sales rep. It covers the profile to look for, how to structure pay, what the written agreement must include if you hire in Denmark, and how to tell whether the hire is working. The example is in Danish kroner; the principles apply across the Nordics.

Hunter or generalist?

A hunter goes after new customers and hands everything else to others. A generalist owns the whole journey: finds leads, runs meetings, closes and looks after the first customers. Each profile fits a different situation:

	Generalist	Hunter
What the rep does	The full sales process, from first contact to customer follow-up	New business only. Others handle leads, onboarding and account care
Fits when	The sales process is not written down yet and nobody else is in sales	A working process, a lead flow and a colleague who looks after customers already exist
Typical background	Has sold at a small company or started a sales function before	Has topped the leaderboard in an established team with a known brand
Risk	Spends time on existing customers instead of new business	Misses leads, collateral and process and is slow to get going

For most first hires, the generalist is the safer choice. The rep does not just sell, but finds out how your product is sold by someone other than the founder. That takes someone who can work without finished processes and write down what works. Keep selling yourself until the rep closes deals without your help. Otherwise you will not know whether it is the rep or you who is closing.

Base salary and commission: which pay mix?

Pay mix is the split between fixed and variable pay at 100% of target. For account executives, Bridge Group measured a median pay mix of 53/47, mainly at US software companies (Bridge Group, 2024). For salary levels, see our sales salary guide for Denmark, the account executive salary guide and our comparison of sales salaries in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

For the first rep, we recommend a higher fixed share, typically 70/30 or 75/25. The reasons:

Quota is a guess. You have no data yet on win rate, deal size or sales cycle. If a large share of pay is variable, the rep's income becomes a lottery.
The rep does more than close. A generalist builds process, collateral and the CRM setup. That work needs paying too.
You need to attract an experienced rep. A good seller rarely swaps a secure job for pay that depends on a product with no sales track record.

The variable part should still be large enough to matter. We would recommend at least 20-25% of OTE. To compare different splits, use our OTE and pay mix template. For pay during an early go-to-market phase, see our guide to GTM sales compensation.

Example: a first commission plan

The example is illustrative, not a benchmark. Figures are before pension:

Element	Example
OTE	DKK 720,000 a year (DKK 60,000 a month)
Pay mix	70/30
Base salary	DKK 42,000 a month (DKK 504,000 a year)
Variable pay at 100%	DKK 216,000 a year (DKK 54,000 a quarter)
Quota	DKK 720,000 in new sales a quarter (DKK 2,880,000 a year, 4 times OTE)
Rate	7.5% of new sales up to quota (54,000 ÷ 720,000) and 10% above quota
Ramp	Guaranteed commission of DKK 18,000 a month in months 1-3 and DKK 9,000 in months 4-6. The rep gets the higher of commission and guarantee
Earning and payment	Earned on invoice. Paid with salary the month after the quarter
Clawback	Commission is offset in the next payment if the customer has not paid within 90 days

A full quarter after the ramp looks like this:

Attainment	70%	100%	130%
New sales in the quarter	DKK 504,000	DKK 720,000	DKK 936,000
Commission	DKK 37,800	DKK 54,000	DKK 75,600
Base salary for the quarter	DKK 126,000	DKK 126,000	DKK 126,000
Pay for the quarter	DKK 163,800	DKK 180,000	DKK 201,600
Average per month	DKK 54,600	DKK 60,000	DKK 67,200

At 130%, the rep earns 7.5% on the first DKK 720,000 (DKK 54,000) and 10% on the last DKK 216,000 (DKK 21,600). If the rep sells nothing during the ramp, the guarantee costs at most 3 × 18,000 + 3 × 9,000 = DKK 81,000. Put that amount in the budget for the hire.

For comparison, Statistics Denmark put average pay for B2B sales representatives at DKK 58,892 a month in 2025. That figure includes pension and bonus, so it is not directly comparable with the example. A quota of 4 times OTE is a starting point. Check it against your own gross margin, as we show in our guide to how much revenue a salesperson should bring in. More ready-made plans are in commission plans by role.

Put the agreement in writing

If you hire in Denmark, most employed salespeople are salaried employees under the Danish Salaried Employees Act (funktionærloven) when they work in buying or selling more than 8 hours a week (section 1). That brings some rules you should build in from the start. Brief and general, not legal advice:

Pay must be in writing. Pay, allowances, other pay components and payment intervals must be stated in writing (section 3(2)(10) of the Danish Employment Contracts Act, ansættelsesbevisloven). Changes must be notified in writing no later than the day they take effect (section 5). Use our commission agreement template as an annex to the contract.
A probation period is not a ramp period. If the rep is employed on probation and the employment does not last beyond 3 months, the employer can give notice of at least 14 days (section 2(5) of the Salaried Employees Act). The ramp period is about quota and pay and should stand on its own in the agreement.
Advances can only be offset against pay. If you pay an advance on commission, it can only be covered by what the rep is owed in salary and commission (section 9(2)). A guarantee that does not have to be paid back is often the simplest option for a first hire.
Commission during absence and holiday. Pay during sickness must include the commission the rep would presumably have earned (section 9(3)), and on paid holiday the rep is entitled to compensation for lost commission (section 17 of the Danish Holiday Act).
Changes need notice. A material change that leaves the rep worse off must be notified with the rep's individual notice period. State from the start that quota is set for one year at a time.

Hiring in Sweden, Norway or Finland? The principles of a written plan and a clear ramp are the same, but the employment rules differ, so check them locally. In any country, check your collective agreement and ask your lawyer or employers' organisation if in doubt. For commission when a rep leaves, see commission upon termination.

The ramp period

A new rep has to learn the product, the market and your customers and build pipeline before the first deals close. The ramp period should therefore be at least as long as your sales cycle plus the time it takes to build pipeline. Bridge Group reports an average ramp time of 6.2 months for account executives, mainly at US B2B companies (Bridge Group, 2026). A first rep who also has to build the process may need longer.

In the example above, commission is guaranteed for six months and steps down halfway. We walk through ramped quotas, guaranteed commission and recoverable draws with worked examples in our guide to ramp plans for new sales reps. See also ramp period in the glossary.

What to measure in the first 90 days

In the first three months, a first rep rarely closes enough for sales alone to tell you much. Measure what comes before the sale, and agree the targets in writing at the start:

Period	What to measure	Why
Days 1-30	Product knowledge, first customer meetings, CRM set up and used	Shows whether the rep is getting started and working in a structured way
Days 31-60	Meetings and demos held, pipeline created in kroner, conversion from meeting to proposal	Shows whether enough is coming into the top of the funnel
Days 61-90	First won deals, deal size, sales cycle, reasons for lost deals	Gives you the first data for a realistic quota

Hold a short weekly meeting to go through the numbers together. After 90 days you have enough data to adjust quota for next year and to judge whether the hire is working. To test a new quota, use the sales quota calculator.

Common mistakes with the first sales hire

Hiring from a large sales team. A rep used to a known brand, a lead flow and a finished process may struggle to start from zero.
A base salary that is too low. With a low fixed share and a guessed quota, you risk losing the rep before the product is proven.
No written plan. Verbal commission agreements turn into disputes as soon as the first big deal closes.
A quota without data. Use the first 90 days to gather data, and set the real quota afterwards.
No ramp period. Full quota from day one leaves the rep without commission for months.
The founder stops selling too early. You lose the knowledge that needs to be passed on.
Changing the plan all the time. In Denmark, every change that leaves the rep worse off needs notice, and every change costs trust. Build a plan that can last a year.

Prowi and your first sales rep

Even with one rep, commission has to be calculated correctly every month. Prowi calculates commission live from your CRM, the rep sees their earnings in the app, and when the period closes you approve the statement and the amount goes on to payroll. If you already have a plan, test it with our free commission plan health check. Book a demo if you want to see your first plan set up.

Frequently asked questions

How much should you pay your first salesperson?

It depends on industry, experience and product. In Denmark, B2B sales representatives earned DKK 58,892 a month on average in 2025 according to Statistics Denmark, including pension and bonus. In our example, OTE is DKK 720,000 a year before pension with a 70/30 pay mix.

Should the first sales hire be on commission?

Yes, usually, but with a smaller variable share than in a mature team. A variable share of 25-30% of OTE gives an incentive without turning pay into a lottery while quota is still a guess.

How long should the ramp period be?

At least as long as your sales cycle plus the time to build pipeline. Bridge Group reports 6.2 months on average for account executives, and a first rep often needs more because the process is not built yet.

Does the commission agreement have to be in writing?

In Denmark, yes in practice. Pay, allowances and other pay components must be stated in writing under the Employment Contracts Act, and a written agreement is the best protection against disputes. Use the commission agreement as an annex to the employment contract.

When do you know whether the first rep is working?

After about 90 days you should see whether the rep is creating meetings and pipeline. The first won deals and a real sales cycle usually come later and depend on your product and market.

Sources

This article is general information, not legal advice. The worked examples are illustrative. Check your collective agreement and employment contract.