Commission engine from zero to live in 4 weeks
Riverside Insights needed a commission system fast. PlanFlamingo built a complete incentive platform for 50+ sellers in Pigment in just 4 weeks — proof that Pigment can move just as quickly as spreadsheets, but with a fraction of the maintenance burden.
Rapid growth outpacing commission systems
Riverside Insights was experiencing the kind of growth every company invests for — rapid customer acquisition, expanding sales team, and increasing revenue. But their commission system was not scaling with them. And they knew that without a proper commission infrastructure, that growth would hit a ceiling.
They were managing compensation with spreadsheets and manual processes. As headcount grew from 20 to 50 sellers, managing commissions became exponentially more complex. Calculating payouts took days. Disputes were common. The sales operations team was spending more time on commission math than on selling strategy.
The deeper issue was strategic: Riverside knew they couldn't scale revenue without scaling their compensation infrastructure. They needed to model different commission structures, forecast comp expenses, and give reps visibility into their earnings — all prerequisites for hiring the next wave of sellers. Without a real system, their growth would be limited by their tools, not their market.
Most consulting firms would quote 8-12 weeks for a commission engine. Riverside Insights was looking at a 4-week window from the point discovery and data were complete to having the first calculation live. That timeline seemed impossible — until they talked to PlanFlamingo.
Rapid-cycle Pigment implementation
PlanFlamingo delivered a production-ready commission engine in Pigment in exactly 4 weeks. Here's how:
1. Tight scope definition (Week 1). We worked with Riverside to define a minimal viable commission system: one tier structure, base commission rates by product, and straightforward attainment tracking. No fancy features. No "nice to haves." Just the core logic needed to calculate payouts and stop the spreadsheet bleeding.
2. Clean data model (Week 1-2). Pigment's simple, visual interface meant we could model commission logic in hours rather than days. We built the tier structure, created seller input templates, and connected to their CRM data feed for actuals. The data structure was clean enough that non-technical team members could understand and modify it later.
3. Testing and validation (Week 3). We pulled historical commission data from their spreadsheets and validated that our Pigment model calculated the same results. We ran multiple scenarios to catch edge cases. Riverside's finance and sales ops teams were involved at every step, so there were no surprises at delivery.
4. Light touch training (Week 4). We trained the operations team on the system, documented the logic, and set up month-end routines. Unlike a complex Anaplan build, there wasn't much to train — Pigment's interface is intuitive enough that the team was confident within a day.
Why Pigment worked here: Pigment trades some enterprise flexibility for speed and simplicity. For a company like Riverside that needed to get live fast and didn't require thousands of data dimensions, it was the perfect choice. The system could be built and refined quickly, and the team could maintain it without consultant hand-holding.
Commission velocity without complexity
Riverside hit their close deadline. Commission calculations for their first full month in the system took hours instead of days. Finance could now see comp costs as a percentage of revenue and forecast future expenses. Sales ops team got their time back.
More importantly: the system unlocked the revenue growth Riverside was investing in. With a real commission platform in place, they could confidently hire new sellers, model what different comp structures would cost, and give reps the visibility they needed to stay motivated. Pigment didn't just solve a spreadsheet problem — it removed a bottleneck on revenue growth.
The system was simple enough that Riverside's team feels ownership. When they need to adjust commission rules for a new product line, they can do it themselves. When they want to model a different commission structure, they don't need to call a consultant. That's the opposite of what happens with complex enterprise platforms.
This engagement proved a principle: speed doesn't mean cutting corners. It means choosing the right tool for the job and executing with discipline. Pigment was the right tool. Tight scope was the discipline.
"We needed to be live for Q1 and had four weeks to make it happen. PlanFlamingo delivered a fully functional commission model in Pigment on time. Without it, we wouldn't have been able to scale our sales team the way we planned — the commission system was the unlock."
— Joe Mark, VP of Growth, Riverside Insights*Suggested quote, pending client approval
Need a fast commission system?
If you need to move quickly without building something you can't maintain, let's talk. We've proven we can deliver commission engines in weeks, not months.