30-60-90 day plan for sales operations managers
On this page
- What does a sales operations manager own?
- What does the 30-60-90 day plan look like?
- Which pay rules does sales operations need to get right?
- How should sales operations build the quota model?
- Which numbers should a new sales operations manager baseline?
- What does "on track" look like at day 30, 60 and 90?
- A filled example
- How should the hiring manager use this plan in the final interview?
- What should the hiring manager ask at the check-ins?
- What the hiring manager owes a new sales operations manager
- Common mistakes
- Adapting the plan
- Questions people ask
A 30-60-90 day plan for a new sales operations manager should review how commissions are calculated and paid, how territories are assigned and how clean the pipeline data is in the first 30 days, make the forecast report and commission payouts reliable in days 31-60, and prepare next period's quota, territory and comp plan documents with finance by day 90. Sales operations runs the machinery the sales team works inside, so it also carries pay rules: commission plans that some states require in writing, and overtime rules that usually make inside sales reps and SDRs non-exempt, both summarized below as of October 2026.
This page is for the VP of sales, CRO or head of revenue operations hiring a sales operations manager. If the role covers marketing and customer success systems too, the 30-60-90 day plan for revenue operations managers fits better. The 30-60-90 day plan for VPs of sales shows the forecast, capacity and comp decisions this role supports.
What does a sales operations manager own?
| Area | What sales operations does | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Territories and accounts | Maps coverage, assigns accounts, settles disputes by the written rules | VP of sales |
| Quotas | Builds the capacity and quota model from the company's own history | VP of sales with the CFO |
| Commissions | Calculates, reconciles and explains payouts; keeps signed plan documents | Plan design by the VP of sales, finance and HR |
| Forecast | Runs the CRM report and categories every manager uses | VP of sales calls the number |
| CRM for sales | Stage definitions, required fields, hygiene, tools for reps | VP of sales, with revenue operations if it exists |
What does the 30-60-90 day plan look like?
30-60-90 day plan — [Name], Sales Operations Manager, [company]
Reports to: [VP of sales / CRO / RevOps lead] Start date: [date]
Sales team: [N] managers, [N] AEs, [N] SDRs Segments: [list]
CRM: [name] Comp plan period: [dates] Commission tool: [name]
DAYS 1-30 — Learn how the team sells and gets paid
Goals:
- One-to-one with the VP of sales, each sales manager, a sample
of reps and SDRs, finance and payroll
- Sit in the weekly forecast call and two pipeline reviews
- Read the comp plan documents, signed acknowledgments, and the
last two quarters of commission statements and disputes
- Map territories and account assignments; list orphan accounts
- Baseline CRM hygiene on open pipeline
- Confirm with HR how each sales role is classified for overtime
Deliverables by day 30:
- Commission administration review: errors, disputes, timing,
missing documents
- Territory and coverage map; CRM hygiene baseline
DAYS 31-60 — Make the forecast and the payouts reliable
Goals:
- Standardize forecast categories and stage exit criteria in the
CRM with the VP of sales
- Build one forecast report every manager uses
- Fix the top cause of commission disputes: data, timing or rules
- Write the process for territory changes and account disputes
- Support the deal desk: discount approvals, quote checks
Deliverables by day 60:
- One forecast report in the weekly call
- Written commission calculation and dispute process
DAYS 61-90 — Prepare the next period
Goals:
- Build the capacity and quota model for next period with finance
- Draft territory changes with the VP of sales
- Prepare next period's comp plan documents and acknowledgments
Deliverables by day 90:
- Quota and territory proposal reviewed by the VP of sales and CFO
- Plan documents ready for HR and counsel review
Check-ins: weekly with [manager]; day 30, 60 and 90 reviews.Which pay rules does sales operations need to get right?
Commission errors are pay errors. Sales operations does not set legal policy, but it runs the calculations and keeps the documents, so it should know the rules below. Checked against official sources as of October 2026; confirm with HR and counsel. This is not legal advice.
| Item | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Written commission plans (California) | Commission agreements for work in California must be in writing, set out how commissions are computed and paid, and be given to the employee signed, with a signed receipt | Labor Code section 2751 |
| Written commission plans (New York) | Agreed terms for commission salespersons must be in writing, signed by the employer and the salesperson, and kept on file for at least three years | Labor Law section 191; VP of sales plan |
| Who counts as outside sales | An outside sales employee's primary duty is making sales and is customarily and regularly performed away from the employer's place of business; no salary test applies | 29 CFR 541.500 |
| Inside sales is not outside sales | Sales made by mail, telephone or the internet do not count unless only an adjunct to personal calls; a home or office used for phone selling is the employer's place of business | 29 CFR 541.502 |
| Commissions and overtime | For non-exempt employees, commissions are payments for hours worked and must be included in the regular rate used for overtime | 29 CFR 778.117 |
| Commissions paid later | When a commission is paid after the pay period, the extra overtime due must be calculated by spreading it back over the weeks it was earned and paid when the commission is paid | 29 CFR 778.119 |
The practical consequence: if SDRs or inside reps are non-exempt and work overtime, every commission or bonus run needs an overtime true-up. Ask payroll in month one whether that happens. State wage laws can add timing and final-pay rules on top.
How should sales operations build the quota model?
Quotas set from the top-down target alone tend to fail in the first quarter. Build them from the company's own productivity and ramp history and show the gap. All figures below are invented to show the arithmetic.
| Line (example only) | Value (example only) |
|---|---|
| Median annual bookings per fully ramped AE, last two years | $700,000 |
| Ramped AEs at the start of the period | 12 |
| New AEs during their ramp, at an assumed 40% of ramped productivity | 4 |
| Bottom-up capacity | $8.4 million + $1.1 million = $9.5 million |
| Company bookings target | $10.5 million |
| Gap to explain: hiring, productivity, pricing or target | $1.0 million |
Check the attainment spread before proposing quotas: if most reps miss and a few far exceed, the issue may be territory balance rather than effort.
Which numbers should a new sales operations manager baseline?
| Measure (examples only) | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Commission disputes per period and time to resolve | Whether reps trust their pay |
| Commission payment errors found after payout | Whether calculations and data are reliable |
| Open opportunities with past close dates or no next step | Whether the forecast rests on clean data |
| Forecast against actual, last four quarters | Whether the forecast process works |
| Attainment distribution by rep and territory | Whether quotas and territories are balanced |
What does "on track" look like at day 30, 60 and 90?
| Checkpoint | On track | Worth a direct conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Day 30 | Commission review names real errors and missing documents; territories mapped; classification confirmed with HR | Has rebuilt dashboards but not read the comp plan |
| Day 60 | Every manager uses one forecast report; written dispute process; top dispute cause fixed | Disputes still settled by whoever escalates loudest |
| Day 90 | Quota model built from history and reviewed with the CFO; plan documents drafted for review | Quotas copied from the target divided by headcount |
A filled example
Sales operations manager: Kenji Watanabe (invented), joining a software company with 30 account executives and 12 SDRs across two segments, reporting to the VP of sales.
Day 30: Most commission disputes came from deals split between two reps with no written rule. Several California reps had no signed acknowledgment for the current plan. Payroll confirmed SDRs were non-exempt, but monthly SDR bonuses were not included in overtime calculations.
Day 60: A written split-deal rule cut new disputes. HR collected signed acknowledgments, and payroll, with counsel, set up an overtime true-up for SDR bonuses. Managers moved to one forecast report with shared categories.
Day 90: The quota model showed the target needed four more ramped reps than the hiring plan delivered; the VP of sales and CFO adjusted both. Next year's plan documents went to HR and counsel a month before the period began.
How should the hiring manager use this plan in the final interview?
Give finalists the same brief: team size, segments, a sample commission statement, an attainment table and one known problem. Score the plan with the rubric in how to evaluate a 30-60-90 day plan in an interview; the interview guide for sales roles covers the rest of the loop. Questions that test the plan:
- "A rep says their commission is wrong. Walk me through how you check it."
- "Most reps missed quota and three doubled it. What do you look at?"
- "Our SDRs earn monthly bonuses. What would you ask payroll?"
- "How would you set next year's quotas if the target is fixed?"
What should the hiring manager ask at the check-ins?
- Day 30: Where do commission disputes come from? Which documents are missing?
- Day 60: Is every manager forecasting the same way? What changed in payouts?
- Day 90: What does the quota model say about the target? Are next period's documents ready?
What the hiring manager owes a new sales operations manager
- CRM admin rights and access to the commission tool, payroll exports and signed plan documents.
- A clear rule on who approves territory changes and dispute decisions.
- Finance time for the quota model, and HR and counsel time for plan documents.
- Backing when a written rule says no to a senior rep.
Common mistakes
- Fixing dashboards before payouts. Reps forgive a messy report; they do not forgive a wrong paycheck.
- Settling disputes case by case. Without written rules, every split deal becomes a negotiation.
- Treating SDRs as exempt by default. Phone and internet selling is not outside sales under the federal rule.
- Changing territories mid-period. It breaks trust and complicates commission documents.
Adapting the plan
- Field sales teams: confirm which reps genuinely sell away from the office; outside sales classification depends on that, not on the title.
- Large SDR team: the 30-60-90 day plan for sales development reps shows the ramp the capacity model should assume.
- Small team with one ops person: combine this plan with the revenue operations plan and cut the deliverables to the forecast report, commission accuracy and the quota model.
The 30-60-90 day plan for sales managers shows what each first-line manager is working on, and the general 30-60-90 day plan template for new hires covers the structure for any role.
Questions people ask
What should a sales operations manager do in the first 30 days?
Meet the VP of sales, every sales manager, a sample of reps and SDRs, finance and payroll; sit in the forecast call and pipeline reviews; read the comp plan documents and the last two quarters of commission statements and disputes; map territories and account assignments; and baseline CRM hygiene on open pipeline. The first deliverable is a review of how commissions are calculated and paid.
Are inside sales reps and SDRs exempt from overtime?
Usually not under the outside sales exemption. As of October 2026, 29 CFR 541.502 says outside sales does not include sales made by mail, telephone or the internet unless that contact is only an adjunct to personal calls, and a home or office used for phone selling counts as the employer's place of business. Inside sales roles that do not meet another exemption are non-exempt, and their commissions must be included in the regular rate for overtime under 29 CFR 778.117. This is not legal advice.
How is a sales operations 30-60-90 day plan different from revenue operations?
Sales operations supports the sales team: territories, quotas, commission administration, the forecast report and CRM hygiene for sales. Revenue operations owns the shared data model and systems across marketing, sales and customer success. In smaller companies one person does both, and the plan should include both sets of goals.
When should sales operations change territories or quotas?
For the next plan period, not in the middle of one, unless a change is unavoidable and handled with HR and counsel. Use days 1-60 to understand coverage, attainment and disputes, and present quota and territory proposals with finance by day 90 so plan documents can be prepared and acknowledged before the new period starts.