How Much Do Top Salespeople Make?

On average, a building material distributor's best paid outside salesperson earns $55,900 per year, according to a new North American Building Material Disrribution Association survey.

The Sales Compensation Survey of 104 NBMDA members indicates top performers receive $59,300 in the retail industry, $53,200 in the cabinet industry, and $51,900 in the contractor market. Overall top salaries range from $30,000 to $140,000 annually.

Approximately 3l%o of the distributors pay their outside salespeople a base salary plus commission based on gross profit, whlle 27Vo pay straight commission.

About 4OVo of sales managers are paid on a base salary plus bonus basis, with 52Vo earning $50,000 to $79,900 and 67Vo receiving a company car. When sales managers are not provided with cars,9lVo of companies reimburse them for use ofa personal car.

For salespeople in general, 49Vo use a personal car for work. If they use their own cars, a majority are not reimbursed for gas, oil, maintenance or insurance. Among companies that reimburse for expenses, the majority pay 28Q per mile or $400 a monrh.

Half of outside salespeople provided with company cars are also allowed personal use of the car, but 54Vo are charged for using it on personal time. About 52Vo reimburse employees using company cars for gas, oil and maintenance.

Nearly 53Vo of the companies assign quotas for their outside sales staffs (57Vo in the retail, 3lVo of the contractor, and 56Vo in the cabinet industry), withTlVo adjusting rhem annually. Quotas are based on a combination of factors such as the current year's forecast and/or salesperson/ management agreement.

An average outside salesperson serves 100 to 199 accounts for 38Zo of the firms and 50 to 99 accounts for 26Vo.

Accounts are assigned to 42Vo of inside sales staffs (517o in the retail, 38Vo in the contractor, and 337o in the cabinet business). About 24Vo of inside salespeople handle 50 to 99 accounts. Most in the retail business serve 50 to 99 accounts, 38Zo in the contractor market have 100 to 199 accounts, and in the cabinet industry 39Vo cover 300 or more accounts.

The best paid inside salesperson averages $33,500 per year, including $36,400 in retail, $30,500 in contractor and $31,200 in cabinet markets. The range is $18,000 to $85,000 per year, with more than half of the industry earning $25,000 to $40,000.

More Hardwood Floor Use

Hardwood flooring is regaining stature with today's affluent home buyer, growing from 5Vo of all flooring used in 1986 to l3%o last year.

"Kitchens, in particular, have become a focal point for the use of wood floors," says Claude Taylor, Memphis Hardwood Flooring Co., Memphis, Tn.

Both National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association and McGrawHill report continuing hardwood use growth with new home construction as the principal markel Strip flooring is the most popular style with polyurethane and stain-seal-wax systems widely used as surface finishes. Both offer outstanding wear characteristics, lasting from 20 to 30 years. Since a solid 3/4" oak floor can be resanded and rcfinished 8 to l0 times, a hardwood floor has a life expectancy greater than that of the home it graces, Taylor explains.

Remodeling Online

Do-it-yourselfers can now begin repair and remodeling projects with their home computers insrcad of their tool boxes. HouseNet is the first electronic bulletin board to target home improvemenL

Funded by Owens Corning, HouseNet was started in 199 I by Gene and Katie Hamilton, who have been remodeling houses and writing about it for 25 years. With more than 2,800 files on home rcpair and maintenance and 60 conference areas, the board currently has 5,0(X) usen who subscribe for $35 ayar.

Files include Repair a Broken Window, Replace a Garage Door, Install a New Roof and Install a Ceiling Fan.

To access HouseNet, telnet to housenet.com. Those without aocess to Internet, but having a computer with modem, can access HouseNet at (4r0) 745-2037.