Learning CenterGuide 19 · Building Your TeamRole sheet 2 of 8
Growth & People · When to hire
Adding a Sales Rep / Estimator
This sheet helps you decide when to add a sales rep or estimator: the signs to watch for, what the role owns, whether the math works and how to hire it right.
When the owner is the only one who can sell, growth stops at the owner.
Owns sold margin · see Who Owns WhatIs it time?
Tick what's true for your company todaySigns it's time · check what's true today
Does the math work?
Example pay · 20% burden · 60.3% gross marginThe example (per year)
- Base salary (example)$65,000
- + Labor burden & benefits (20%)$13,000
- + Vehicle, CRM & phone$10,000
- = Loaded cost per year$88,000
- ÷ Gross margin60.3%
- = Added revenue to cover the role$145,937
Payback: At 60.3% GM, a rep who sells $750K of new work brings in about $452K of gross profit, roughly 5× the cost of the role.
Does the math work for you?
Put in the pay you would offer and your own gross margin.
Making the hire
Hire it right
Common mistake
Paying commission on revenue. It rewards discounting. Pay on gross profit, or on margin above target, so the rep sells the work you want.
How to pay it
Base salary plus commission on gross profit, paid after the job is closed and collected.
The first 90 days
Day 30: bids alongside the owner. Day 60: bids alone with owner review. Day 90: owns the pipeline and the monthly sales number.
Ranges reflect common green-industry practice, not rules; your margins, service mix and the owner's strengths decide the timing. Salaries are examples only; use local market pay. Revenue needed uses the example company's 60.3% gross margin.