Most reps can quote their commission percentage and still can't tell you what a deal pays. The percentage is the least important number on your pay plan — the pack decides whether there is anything left to take a percentage of.
Put your real numbers in. Then look at the bottom of the results panel: it tells you whether your plan pays you more for another unit or for holding $250 more gross. That answer is the one skill worth practicing this month.
Per deal, before the pack comes off.
Most front-end plans land between 20% and 30%.
What the store takes off gross before paying you. Usually $500–$1,200.
The floor a deal pays when there is no gross left. Usually $100–$250.
How many you deliver in an average month.
Units you have to hit for the bonus.
What that tier pays.
Projected monthly
$3,500
$42,000 a year at this pace
Which is worth more to you?
Holding gross pays you more than grinding an extra deal. That means negotiation and objection handling are the highest-paid skills on your plan.
3 minutes, no signup.
Front-end gross is the difference between what the customer paid and what the store has in the car. Pack is an amount the dealership removes from that gross before paying you — typically $500 to $1,200 — to cover reconditioning and overhead. You are paid a percentage of what is left, usually 20% to 30%.
When there is nothing left after the pack, the deal pays a mini: a flat floor, usually $100 to $250. A month of minis is a month where your unit count is the only lever you have.
Volume bonuses pay at unit thresholds and are cliff-shaped — one unit short pays nothing. That is why the last week of the month feels the way it does.
Want the long version? Car sales pay plans, explained walks through every line on a real plan.
You’ll face this objection this week. The reps who handle it cleanly aren’t the ones who read about it — they’re the ones who’ve already said the words a dozen times. Practice it against an AI customer: free, 3 minutes, no signup.