ASK THE MAM — MARKETING & SALES COMPENSATION
DEAR MAM: How do you determine compensation for a sales and marketing staff? Sincerely yours, TJ, Reading, PA
DEAR TJ: I’ve recently discussed appropriate compensation at a number of firms in the Northeast. I assume your question is in regard to sales and marketing staff at a law firm. For starters, I will divide the answer into “sales” and “marketing”.
In regard to the traditional marketing team, a major factor is geography. For example, without disclosing any confidential client information, the same marketing manager position salary in Philadelphia is significantly higher than the same type of firm in Pittsburgh. I know some relatively inexperienced marketing folks with midlevel jobs that pay close to $100k. In the same market, the exact same CMO job at similarly-situated firms can range from $150-400k, depending on the makeup of the firm and its seriousness and approach to the department. I can tell you that when a headhunter calls me about a CMO gig and says the salary is under 250, I hang up the phone. In other markets, that same 250 would be at the top of the scale.