Pete Hayes

Picture of Pete Hayes
Co-Author of #1 Amazon Best Seller "The Growth Gears" and Co-Principal of Chief Outsiders since 2010, Pete Hayes possesses an impressive track record of success in global marketing, promotion, brand development and consulting. He has held executive marketing positions with Fortune 100 companies, managing $50 million budgets, and he has also played key executive management roles in helping startups grow from first steps to over $1 billion in revenue. He enjoys speaking to CEO Peer Boards as well as to Business Schools.
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Recent Posts

Outsider Insights | The Comp Plan Is Quietly Telling Your Sales Team Not to Hunt

Outsider Insights | The Comp Plan Is Quietly Telling Your Sales Team Not to Hunt

Fri, Jul 24, 2026 | Posted by Dawn Werry

Executive Takeaways

  • Sales reps focus on what they're paid and measured on, even if that strays from business strategy and goals.
  • Many compensation plans and account structures quietly reward protecting revenue, not creating it.
  • Adding a quota target without changing the underlying structure just adds pressure, not pipeline.
  • Fixing this starts with the comp plan and account map, not a pep talk about hustle.

Outsider Insights

Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this series, we explore the trends and challenges we’re hearing from these discussions – and what you can do if you’re facing the same issues in your business.

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