Sales Performance Management (SPM) has become a strategic necessity, not just a back-office tool. Companies that embrace modern SPM solutions report up to 20% higher quota attainment and a 90%+ reduction in compensation errors, according to Gartner.
Yet despite the clear value, many organizations struggle to choose the right SPM software. With dozens of platforms promising automation, insight, and control, how do you cut through the noise?
The answer lies in selecting a solution that unifies sales strategy, financial planning, and operational execution, which is exactly what InfinitySPM, built on the OneStream platform, delivers. This guide will help you determine what to look for in an SPM solution and how to make the right choice for your business.
Define Your Sales and Financial Goals First
Before evaluating any SPM solution, it’s essential to align your organization’s goals across finance, sales, and sales operations. Too often, these teams work in silos, leading to disconnected planning, inaccurate forecasts, and poor incentive alignment.
Start by conducting a collaborative internal audit to identify:
- Sales compensation models (e.g., commission-based, quota-based, SPIFs)
- Revenue targets and financial planning cycles
- Territory and quota planning complexity
- Integration needs (CRM, ERP, HRIS, financial planning systems)
- Governance, compliance, and audit requirements
The goal? Unify your go-to-market and financial strategies in a way that supports growth while maintaining control. An effective SPM platform becomes a shared system of record, where sales operations executes, finance governs, and sales teams stay motivated.
InfinitySPM, built on OneStream, is purpose-built to bridge these needs, enabling dynamic planning, accurate compensation, and real-time visibility for every stakeholder.
Think Long-Term: Can Your SPM Solution Scale?
Your sales org isn’t static. Mergers, new markets, product launches, and go-to-market changes are inevitable. Your SPM solution must evolve with you.
Choosing an extensible platform like OneStream means you’re not just solving for commissions, you’re building a foundation for enterprise-wide performance management. With InfinitySPM, you get purpose-built SPM capabilities that plug directly into your financial planning and reporting environment. That means no redundant data models, no fragmented tooling, and no disconnected strategies.
Whether you’re a mid-market business scaling up or a global enterprise managing thousands of sellers, your platform should flex with your business, not force you to rip and replace every few years.
Budgeting for SPM: Understand the Total Cost of Ownership
While SPM software is an investment, the return is measurable. Companies that automate incentive processes and align sales goals to financial plans often see:
- Increased sales productivity
- Improved forecast accuracy
- Lower operating costs
- Reduced risk and error
Key cost components to evaluate:
- Licensing (monthly or annual)
- Implementation & integration
- Training and enablement
- Support and scalability over time
When you unify incentive design, sales planning, and performance tracking in one platform, you reduce complexity and create leverage. With InfinitySPM on OneStream, you’re not just buying SPM software, you’re eliminating technical debt across multiple tools.
What Features Matter Most in a Modern SPM Solution?
Here’s what to prioritize when evaluating SPM vendors:
- Incentive Compensation Management – Automate commissions, clawbacks, approvals, and exceptions
- Territory and Quota Planning – Model and adjust plans in real time, with visibility into performance gaps
- Sales Forecasting and Analytics – Access real-time dashboards, leaderboards, and reporting
- Finance & CRM Integration – Connect seamlessly with Salesforce, Workday, NetSuite, SAP, and more
- User Experience – Provide intuitive tools for reps, managers, and finance with customizable dashboards
- Audit and Governance – Track every transaction, change, and approval in a single, secure platform
With InfinitySPM, every feature is designed to operate within OneStream’s extensible architecture, enabling real-time data sharing, version control, and plan alignment across functions.
Validate with a Pilot or Proof-of-Concept
Before full-scale rollout, validate the solution with a controlled trial. This ensures the platform performs as expected and aligns with the workflows of your key stakeholders.
During this phase:
- Model a real incentive plan with live or historical data
- Include key stakeholders from sales, finance, and HR
- Test critical workflows like commission approvals, territory changes, and plan adjustments
- Capture feedback on usability, performance, and visibility
This is your opportunity to confirm that the system delivers not only the required features, but also the cross-functional visibility and control that modern revenue teams demand.
Final Thoughts: SPM Is a Strategy, Not Just a System
Sales Performance Management isn’t about automation alone, it’s about unlocking growth through alignment. The most successful organizations don’t just track sales, they connect financial goals with seller behavior, in real time, on a unified platform.
That’s the promise of InfinitySPM + OneStream: a modern, extensible solution that gives you everything you need to plan, execute, and optimize sales performance across your business.
The result? Motivated reps. Aligned teams. Predictable revenue.