February 10, 2022

How To Calculate Commission Rate: Why Does It Matter To You?

In order to calculate the rate that you are charging, you need to have an idea of what your typical customer will pay for a product or service. This is known as the commission rate. In this article, we'll break down some of the more common commission rates and why they vary.

Contents

Before jumping into the topic of how to calculate commission rate let's learn some basics -

 

What is the Commission Rate?

 

Commission rates are the amount of your profit that you get from each sale. 

Commission rates are calculated by taking into account the cost of the product, selling price and then dividing it by the number of sales. 

If a person sells an item for $100, has a 10% commission rate, they will make $10. With a 20% commission rate, they will make $20. 

Regardless of the commission rate, you will typically receive a certain amount for every single sale.

 

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When calculating your profit figure there are different variables that affect it - product cost and a number of refunds. 

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The type of business you have also affected how much money your company makes on each transaction. 

Your accountant might know exactly what the calculation is but if not, here are some steps to help break down a basic example: 

Step 1:  Calculating profit 

Step 2:  Refunds (if applicable)

Step 3: Cost of Production / Product

 

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How to Calculate Commission Rate for your Business

 

Calculating the commission rate is a complicated process but it still needs to be done! 

It is important for you to know how much each sale is worth so that you can compare your net profit and overall sales. 

That way you can determine if you are getting a fair price for your products and services. 

The purpose isn't to make commission rates the only reason you are selling, but if you don't know what your cost is and therefore how much it's really worth per sale then utilizing commissions as a tool can affect profitability.

 

Types of Commissions

Most businesses use a commission rate to calculate how much money they will make in their business. 

The rate also helps determine what percentage of the profits will be sent back to the people who work for the company.

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Let's say that you have been given a 10% commission rate, which means that if one product sells for $100, your company will make a $10 profit. 

In that same example, if you both did sales of $10 then one person would receive 10%, or $1 to put towards the company. 

Calculation, White Male, 3D Model

 

If there are 5 people working for your company and every employee receives a percentage based on their revenue (such as 25%) it may look like this -

5% commission rate = 0.25 –  $0 in pay for everyone

Despite this, 

1% commission rate = $100 total profits –  $0in pay for everyone 

Again, despite the much smaller sales percentage of only 1%, employees still receive some sort of compensation from their company because they are considered a member. 

They will get paid to work and perform certain tasks that benefit the whole team, rather than being rewarded more money for performing well on a single product sale alone. 

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Differences between Direct and Indirect Sales

 

When you work in a company, you get paid a certain amount of commission based on the revenue generated. 

When direct sales are used, the commission is calculated by taking into consideration the margin that was made on each sale or product sold. 

In indirect sales, the commission is calculated by using volume as an indicator of quality. Typically, when direct sales are used it refers to traditional sales techniques.

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The Pros of Knowing Your Commission Rate for Employees and Customers

 

If you're looking to increase your sales, you need to know the value of each sale. 

One way to calculate your commission rate is by taking the Net Profit margin on all products sold and dividing that by Total Sales. 

This will give you a better idea of what's going on in your company.

 

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The Cons of Not Knowing Your Commission Rate for Your Company

 

A commission rate is the percentage of the sale price that goes to the seller of the product. 

Take, for example, if you are selling a handbag for $1,000 and you have a 10% commission rate, then you would get $100 from that sale. 

If your company has a set commission rate, then you should know what it is. 

However, this is not always the case. 

If your company doesn't have a set commission rate or if their commissions vary, then you should know how to calculate your own commission rate.

 

Conclusion

 

 

If you have a commission rate, you might consider taking the calculated commission rate and multiplying it by the hours worked per day.

I am sure now you know how to calculate commission rate and why do you need to calculate it.

That's all for now! See you later with a different topic! Till that keep the conversation going in the comment section below.

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Shweta Gupta

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