Set each commission tier at a level your staff can see themselves reaching in an ordinary month: base the first tier on what most of the team already collects, keep the gap to the next tier small enough to chase, and count only money the salon has actually collected. Calculate sales commission and treatment (hands-on) commission separately, so a therapist who mostly serves package customers is not judged by a sales tier. MyBMS Pro’s two-track tiered commission engine does this: sales commission is tiered on the total actually collected, and hands-on commission is counted when a package session or service is redeemed.
Why tiers make some therapists stop trying
A tier is meant to push staff to sell a little more. It only works if people believe they can reach it. When the next tier looks out of reach, the opposite happens.
Take Lina, a therapist at your salon. Halfway through the month she checks her sales and sees she is far from the next tier. She does the maths in her head, decides she will not make it, and stops recommending packages for the rest of the month. Next month she starts again from zero and the same thing happens.
Common signs your thresholds are set wrong:
- Nobody ever reaches the top tier. The top tier becomes a number on paper, not a goal.
- Staff ease off in the second half of the month. They have already decided whether they will make the next tier.
- Sales are held back to next month. If someone knows they cannot reach a tier this month, they may try to push a sale into the next one.
- Everyone reaches the top tier easily. Commission cost goes up, but sales do not.
Many owners cannot clearly explain their own tiered commission, because no system helps them set it up, and staff often do not know which sale was left out. Once the tiers are set clearly in a system, staff can see the commission on every sale, and they work harder for it.
William Tang, Founder, MyBMS Pro
Sales commission vs service commission: tier the right one
Before setting any threshold, separate the two kinds of commission. Sales commission rewards the person who sells a package or service. Service (hands-on) commission rewards the therapist who actually performs each session.
If both are added into one total and then tiered, a therapist who spends her day serving customers who bought packages earlier will rarely reach a tier, even though she is doing the work the salon has already been paid for. Keeping them apart lets you design a sales tier that motivates selling, without punishing the people who serve.
This is the same principle behind one package sold by one staff and redeemed by another: the seller and the therapist are paid on different events.
How to set tier thresholds, step by step
1. Start from what your staff actually collect
Look at what each person has actually collected over several past months, not at what you hope they will sell. Your thresholds should start from that real level. A target built only from the salon’s wish list is the fastest way to make staff give up.
2. Make the first tier reachable for most of the team
The first tier should be within reach for most of your staff in a normal month. Its job is to get people moving early in the month. If only your best seller can reach it, everyone else switches off.
3. Keep the gap to the next tier small enough to chase
When someone is close to the next tier, they should feel that a few more sales could get them there. If the jump between tiers is too big, staff stop trying as soon as they see the distance.
4. Use few tiers that you can explain in one sentence
Every staff member should be able to explain how their commission works. If the scheme needs a spreadsheet to understand, people will not trust it, and every payday becomes a discussion.
5. Count money collected, not money promised
Base the sales tier on money the salon has actually received. A package that has not been paid does not help your cash flow, so it should not push anyone into a higher tier. When a customer pays with Atome, count the amount the salon actually receives after the platform’s fee. Read more in paying commission on what you actually receive with Atome.
6. Decide how the higher rate applies, and write it down
Some salons pay the higher rate only on the amount above the threshold; others apply it to the whole month once the threshold is reached. Either can work, but staff must know which one you use before the month starts. Whichever you choose, check in a demo that the system calculates it exactly the way you wrote it.
7. Show progress during the month, then review
Staff push harder when they can see how close they are. Share progress with the team during the month, not only on payday. Then review the thresholds regularly, for example at the end of each quarter, and adjust them if nobody reaches a tier or everyone does. For ideas on using rankings without customer-grabbing, see salon staff leaderboards and targets.
How MyBMS Pro supports tiered commission
MyBMS Pro is an AI-driven, next-generation SaaS management hub specifically designed for multi-branch beauty salons. For tiered commission, these features work together:
- Two-track tiered commission engine. Sales commission is calculated in tiers on the total amount actually collected. Hands-on commission is counted separately when a package session or service is redeemed.
- Atome and other buy-now-pay-later payments. The system records the amount actually received after the platform’s fee and uses it as the base for sales commission.
- AI business dashboard. Owners and managers can see target achievement alongside daily traffic and sales trends.
- Staff status and ranking. The ranking shows each therapist’s current status, customers served today and the top three performers this month.
MyBMS Pro is a web-based system used in the browser. To plan your scheme on paper first, try the free commission template, read the salon staff commission guide, or see the beauty salon solution.
FAQ
How do I set commission tiers for salon staff?
Start from what your staff have actually collected in past months, make the first tier reachable for most of the team, keep the gap to the next tier small enough to chase, and use only a few tiers that are easy to explain.
Why do therapists give up on commission targets?
Usually because the next tier looks out of reach. Once staff decide they cannot make it this month, they stop pushing until the next month starts.
Should tiered commission be based on sales or on money collected?
On money collected. In MyBMS Pro, sales commission is tiered on the total amount actually collected, and for Atome payments the amount received after the platform’s fee is used.
Should service commission be tiered together with sales commission?
It is clearer to keep them apart. MyBMS Pro calculates sales commission and hands-on commission separately: hands-on commission is counted when a package session or service is redeemed.
Is there a MyBMS Pro mobile app?
No. MyBMS Pro is a web-based system used in the browser.
Set up commission tiers your team will chase
Want to see your commission tiers calculated automatically? Book a free demo of MyBMS Pro and bring your current commission scheme so we can walk through it together.
See how MyBMS Pro runs bookings, POS, memberships and staff commission in one system — built for salons, spas, clinics and car grooming businesses in Malaysia.
Written by
William Tang · Founder & CEO, BMS Solution Sdn. Bhd.
William Tang is the founder of BMS Solution Sdn. Bhd., the Malaysian company behind MyBMS Pro. He works hands-on with salons, spas, clinics and car-grooming businesses across Malaysia, helping them move bookings, POS, memberships and staff management onto one cloud platform.