What commission rate should you pay a closer?

Set the commission too low and good closers won't pick up your offer. Set it too high and you lose money on every sale. The right number depends on your motion, your margin, and how much of the work the closer actually does.

Start from CAC, not from a gut feeling

Whatever you'd otherwise spend to acquire a customer — ads, SDR salary, your own time — is your ceiling. Commission-only just makes that cost variable and outcome-based. If a paid channel costs you 25% of first-year value, a 20% commission that only fires on a closed deal is a better deal, not a worse one.

Rough benchmarks

• High-ticket, one-off: 10–20% of the deal. The closer runs the whole call; they earn it once. Higher end if they also source the lead.
• MRR / subscriptions: 15–30% of the recurring commission base, often for a capped period or for the life of the customer. Recurring economics mean a smaller monthly slice still adds up — and aligns the closer with retention.

Adjust for who does the sourcing

If you hand the closer warm, qualified leads, pay toward the low end. If they run their own digital acquisition and bring the pipeline, pay toward the high end — they're doing marketing and closing.

Make it transparent

Closers compare offers. A clear percentage, a stated deal-size range, and an honest lead volume will out-recruit a vague "generous commission" every time. On Bounty-Flow you set the percentage per offer and it's shown up front — see how offers work.

The best commission rate is the highest one your margin can sustain. A closer who makes great money sells harder for you than one you nickel-and-dimed.