Why do we pay sales commissions?
...and are less worried about who is going to buy right now...So you implemented a system that makes people less worried about the most important thing to worry about?OP makes many fine arguments about the pros and cons of commissions, but this one little nit trumps them all.There are many reasons for businesses to suffer and eventually die: capitalization, profitability, positioning, etc. but insufficient revenue is the biggest poison of them all.I always thought of revenue as the water level in a creek. Enough covers all the ugly rocks below. Insufficient exposes  all other weaknesses.It sounds like Fogcreek must be doing rather well for this to work and I'm happy for them. But it makes me wonder: if revenue ever starts failing to meet projections, how soon will commissions be re-instituted to stop the bleeding?[EDIT: Some of the replies below imply that I overlooked the words "right now", but that was exactly my point: like oxygen, "who is going to buy right now" is the most important thing to worry about. Enlightened organizations may be able to ascend Maslov's Hierarchy of Needs, but as soon as sales people worry less about Level 1: Revenue Right Now, I begin to worry.]