If you run sales, CS, or RevOps, you know incentives drive behavior—but most “custom rules” in commission tools feel like a headache waiting to happen. This guide is for folks who want to actually pay people fairly (and motivate the right stuff) using Qobra, without getting buried in endless logic trees or accidental loopholes.
Let’s walk through how to create custom incentive rules that work for your real-world go-to-market teams, not just someone's idealized spreadsheet. I’ll call out what’s worth your time, what’s mostly noise, and where it’s easy to trip up.
1. Get Your Comp Plan Straight—Before You Touch Qobra
You can’t automate what you haven’t defined. Seriously—don’t log in yet.
Sanity Check Your Plan: - Write out, in plain English, exactly what you want to reward. (“AE gets 5% of closed-won deals over $10K, but only if they close in Q2.”) - List exceptions, caps, floors, or clawbacks. (If you ignore these, so will your system.) - Decide who’s eligible. Is it just sales? Does it include CS upsells? SDRs for meetings?
Pro Tip:
If you can’t explain your plan to a new rep in under a minute, it’s probably too complex for any tool (including Qobra) to handle cleanly.
2. Map Your Data Sources (Don’t Skip This)
Qobra’s rules are only as smart as the data you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out.
Checklist: - What’s your “source of truth”? Usually it’s Salesforce, HubSpot, or another CRM. - Are all your deal fields, owners, and statuses up-to-date and clean? (If not, fix that first.) - Identify any data gaps. For example: Are lost deals marked consistently? Are custom fields (like “Upsell Type”) filled in 100% of the time? - Figure out how often new data should sync—real-time, daily, or weekly?
What Doesn’t Work:
Trying to patch over messy data with fancy rules. You’ll just automate confusion.
3. Set Up Basic Rules in Qobra
Now you’re ready to get your hands dirty. Qobra’s rule builder is flexible—sometimes too flexible. Here’s how to lay a solid foundation:
Step-by-Step:
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Log in and Head to Plan Designer:
Inside Qobra, find (or create) the comp plan you want to add rules to. -
Choose the Right Rule Type:
- Quota-based: For targets (“Get 120% of quota, get a kicker.”)
- Flat commission: Simple percentages or amounts per sale.
- Tiered rules: Different rates as reps hit higher thresholds.
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Custom logic: For “if this, then that” scenarios.
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Set Your Triggers and Filters:
- Trigger = What event kicks off the rule? (Deal closed, renewal, meeting booked, etc.)
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Filters = What qualifies? (Deal size, product type, region, etc.)
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Define Payouts:
- Set the rate, flat amount, or formula.
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Add caps (maximums), floors (minimums), and clawbacks if needed.
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Test with Sample Data:
- Qobra lets you preview payouts with test deals. Don’t skip this—it’s the only way to catch weird edge cases before reps do.
Watch Out For:
- Overlapping rules that could double-pay (or underpay) someone.
- Forgetting to exclude non-eligible deals (ex: internal transfers, test accounts).
4. Handling Edge Cases and Exceptions
Every team has its quirks. Maybe you want to exclude discounts over 30%, or pay a different rate for renewals versus new business. Qobra can handle these, but it’s easy to get lost in the weeds.
How To: - Use conditional logic in Qobra’s rule builder. (“If ‘Deal Type’ = Renewal, pay 2%; else, pay 5%.”) - Build exception lists: Upload or tag accounts that should never trigger payouts (house accounts, churned customers returning, etc.). - For split deals or teams: Assign percentages to each owner directly in the rule, or use Qobra’s team credit features.
Don’t Over-Engineer:
If you’re writing rules that look like programming code, step back. The more exceptions, the harder it is to explain, audit, and debug when someone’s paycheck looks wrong.
5. Communicate and Test With Real Users
Even the slickest comp plan will blow up if you spring it on reps without explaining. Here’s what works:
- Share the rules in plain language first. Bonus points for showing examples with fake deals.
- Set up a “shadow period.” Run the rules in Qobra for a month without paying out, so people can see how it shakes out and ask questions.
- Collect feedback. Expect to find things you missed—like deals that fall through the cracks, or incentives that push reps to game the system.
What to Ignore:
Don’t get caught up in endless “what if” scenarios before testing. Most edge cases are only obvious once you see real data flow through.
6. Review, Simplify, and Iterate
The biggest mistake: Setting it and forgetting it. Incentive rules need regular checkups.
- Every quarter, review the payouts. Are reps motivated in the way you intended? Is anyone getting surprise windfalls (or shafted)?
- Ask reps and managers what’s confusing. If you hear the same questions more than once, your rules are probably too complex.
- Trim deadweight rules. If a rule hasn’t paid out in months, or is always overridden, drop it.
Honest Take:
Most teams overcomplicate. You’re better off with a handful of clear, meaningful rules than a labyrinth where everyone needs a calculator and a lawyer.
Quick Reference: Qobra Rule-Building Do’s and Don’ts
Do: - Start with the plan, not the tool. - Use the simplest rules that get the job done. - Test everything with real (or realistic) data. - Communicate clearly and transparently.
Don’t: - Try to fix messy CRM data with rules. - Build for every possible edge case up front. - Let exceptions multiply without review. - Assume reps will “just get it” if the rules are fuzzy.
At the end of the day, custom incentive rules should make your team’s lives easier, not harder. Start simple, keep your logic visible, and don’t be afraid to tweak things as you learn what actually works. If you’re not sure, ask yourself: Does this rule help reps stay focused and motivated, or just add noise? Iterate until it feels right.