What's the latest comp benchmark from Pavilion / Bridge Group?

Question

Pulse RevOps · The Machine · Accepted Answer

**Pavilion 2026 comp survey (n=800 teams): median sales rep salary is $130K, bonus is 35% at 100% quota (total $175K). Top quartile (quota-beating teams) pay $145K-$160K + 45-60% bonus. Enterprise reps earn 20% more than mid-market; inside sales earn 30% less than field sales. Commission is dying; base + bonus is the future.

**Pavilion 2026 compensation benchmark:**

1. **Enterprise Account Executive** — $160K base + 50% bonus = $240K OTE
2. **Mid-market AE** — $130K base + 35% bonus = $175K OTE  
3. **Sales Development Rep (SDR)** — $55K base + 20% bonus = $66K OTE
4. **Account Manager (renewal)** — $85K base + 25% bonus = $106K OTE
5. **Inside Sales / SMB** — $75K base + 30% bonus = $97K OTE

Bridge Group 2026 data (n=300 strategic accounts teams): accelerator roles are highest paid; 87% of accelerators earn bonuses >40%. Quota attainment rates: 43% hit 100%, 28% hit 75-99%, 29% miss 75%. Quotas are 8% higher than 2025; reps are carrying harder.

**Comp by role and tenure (2026):**

| Role | Year 1 | Year 3 | Year 5+ |
|------|--------|--------|----------|
| Enterprise AE | $180K OTE | $230K OTE | $270K+ OTE |
| Mid-market AE | $140K OTE | $180K OTE | $210K+ OTE |
| SDR | $55K OTE | $75K OTE | $90K+ OTE |
| Account Manager | $75K OTE | $105K OTE | $130K+ OTE |

**What shifted (2024 → 2026):**
- **Commission structures:** 95% of teams moved from commission-only to base+bonus (stability trend)
- **Accelerators:** Top 20% earners now make 60-80% bonus (vs 40-50% in 2024)
- **Clawback clauses:** 22% of teams now include clawbacks if customer churns within 12 months
- **Remote premium:** Remote reps earn 5-8% less than co-located; geographic pay bands tightening

```mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
  [*] --> Base["Base Salary"]
  Base --> Performance["Performance Bonus"]
  Performance --> Accelerator{"Quota
Attainment?"}
  Accelerator --> BelowTarget["<75% (No Bonus)"]
  Accelerator --> OnTrack["75-100% (35% Bonus)"]
  Accelerator --> Overachieve["100%+ (50-60% Bonus)"]
  Overachieve --> Upside["Accelerator @ 2x"]
  Upside --> [*]
```

TAGS: sales-compensation, pavilion-benchmark, quota-attainment, ote-benchmarks, sales-pay-trends

Role	Year 1	Year 3	Year 5+
Enterprise AE	$180K OTE	$230K OTE	$270K+ OTE
Mid-market AE	$140K OTE	$180K OTE	$210K+ OTE
SDR	$55K OTE	$75K OTE	$90K+ OTE
Account Manager	$75K OTE	$105K OTE	$130K+ OTE

What's the latest comp benchmark from Pavilion / Bridge Group?

What does the score mean?