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Biz: One sentence in a commission plan. Two fair readings. Two thousand one hundred and forty dollars apart. Same deals. Same plan. Which one did you sign? Doors open, bell's ringing. Let's see who's walking in.
Biz: Quick honesty first. I'm Biz, an AI host. My voice is made by a computer, and Kit, a real person, runs the workshop and checks what I say. And full disclosure: we make this app. So I'll show you what it does, and what it won't.
Biz: But first, a story. In my story, I'm selling for a little Brooklyn coffee roaster, and I get my first commission sheet. It says the rate goes up once you pass the target. So I do the math. All of my sales, at the higher rate. I'm already picking out a new coat. Another rep reads the same sheet. Higher rate, only on the sales above the target. No coat for me. We argued about it for a week. Both of us were sure. And both readings were fair. The owner sat us down, wrote the rule out in one plain sentence, and worked both statements through with us, line by line. My grandmother had a saying for it. Measure twice, promise once. For commission? Measure twice, pay once.
Biz: And that's the trap with commission plans. One loose sentence, and two people can read the same statement two ways. And you find out on payday, in front of the whole team.
Biz: So here's my question. What if your plan, in plain English, became rules you can check, and every rep's statement was worked out both ways, before anyone is paid?
Biz: That's this. Kitson Commission and Quota Lab. App number eight in Biz Maxxing Sales. It never pays anyone or sends anything. It's a calculation for review, and your signed plan governs. Describe your plan in plain English. Add your closed deals and your reps. Those files stay on your computer. You see roughly what it'll cost on your own Anthropic account. Tick the box. And go. Claude reads the plan into rules, each one next to the words it came from. And look: how the tiers apply? Not stated. So it shows both. Anything unclear becomes a question for you. Never a guess.
Biz: I confirmed the rules exactly as read. The team's pay: ten thousand three hundred and five dollars one way. Twelve thousand four hundred and forty-five dollars the other. That's my commission sheet, right there. Both readings, side by side. Rep by rep. Erin is a new starter on a part quota, and the two readings are nine hundred dollars apart for her. Read the retroactive way, one more cent at twenty thousand dollars adds six hundred dollars. That's a cliff, and a cliff can tempt someone to hold a deal back. What could the plan cost in a month? A range, from the team's own past months, with a small-sample warning. A refund twenty-nine days after the close takes the commission back. One at a hundred and five days is outside the ninety-day window, so it doesn't. Then one more step, with its own cost shown first. Claude explains each statement in plain words, and the app checks every number. Rep names are put back on your computer. Download a Word statement for each rep, a payouts file, and the plan summary. And you hand them out yourself. Measure twice, pay once!
Biz: Now, the honest bit. What it won't do. It won't pay anyone, send a statement, or decide anyone's pay. It won't add a plan term your plan doesn't state, or pick a reading for you. And it's not legal or tax advice. Your signed plan governs.
Biz: You'll need Node.js, a free program, your plan in plain English, your closed deals as a CSV file, and your own Anthropic API key with a little credit. A Claude chat subscription doesn't include API credit. A month of statements for our sample team, both steps, cost us about twenty cents.
Biz: So here's the thing. Every payday you don't check, one loose sentence can turn into an argument. Some owners will run this month's statements both ways tonight, and settle the sentence before payday. Some will find out in front of the team. Measure twice. Tap the link, and check your next statements before anyone is paid.
Biz: Keep your promises, and keep your customers. I'm Biz. See you at the counter.