Published: 6th February 2026
Precision performance: why less is more in SPM 2026
What we learned from 2025’s deployment and management projects and what it means for our current and future SPM clients
TLDR: the insights we’re going to share aren’t about more SPM features or deeper customisation. The headline is, know when to say ‘no’ to complexity!
Throughout our deployment and management work in 2025, we’re convinced that the organisations winning at sales performance management aren’t the ones with the most sophisticated configurations, they’re the ones who focused on aligning the fundamentals first, then evolving their SPM solution in a precise and agile way.
The customisation paradox
Of course, every SPM-using organisation is unique, so there’s an understandable temptation to tailor everything. But 2025 taught us that this thinking backfires. Over-customised systems become brittle, hard to maintain and impossible for teams to operate autonomously.
The winning approach? Build on proven componentry and workflows, then layer in meaningful customisation that serves specific business needs, not flashy or nice-to-have features. It’s a simple truth that cuts implementation cycles dramatically and reduces ongoing support costs. Most importantly, it gets your team using the system faster. When we help clients realistically assess their bespoke solution needs, deployment timelines can compress from months to weeks and user adoption rates jump measurably. Our clients who embraced this are now seeing faster time-to-value and greater self-sufficiency in managing their programmes.
Alignment before technology
We’ve seen projects stall or deliver underwhelming results when organisations skip the groundwork. Before selecting or configuring an SPM tool, you need clarity on three fundamental questions:
- What business outcome are we chasing?
- Who needs to contribute to success (sales, finance, RevOps, customer success)?
- How will we measure it?
These basic conversations determine 80% of project success. Clients who invested time in requirements definition and stakeholder alignment saw dramatically faster time-to-value. When sales leadership, finance and operations teams agree on what success looks like before a single line of configuration is written, the entire deployment accelerates. Misalignment, by contrast, is one of the most common causes of SPM project delays and disappointing outcomes.
The era of agile SPM
Today’s markets move too fast for static annual plans. The best-performing organisations are building compensation plans with scenario modelling built in, so they can adjust territories, quotas or incentives within weeks, not months. This requires SPM tools designed for flexibility, but more importantly, it requires governance processes that enable rapid decision-making without becoming a compliance nightmare.
The companies mastering this approach are focused on speed and precision, applying governance jut as rigorously but far more intelligently. They’re building in quarterly or monthly review windows, with clear decision criteria and approval workflows. This agility has become vital, especially in volatile markets where customer demand or competitive dynamics shift unexpectedly.
Strategic alignment wins the game
SPM is no longer a back-office function: it’s a CEO conversation. The most effective deployments in 2025 connected sales incentive strategy directly to business objectives and key results (OKRs). For example, rewarding deal quality over volume, incentivising customer expansion alongside new logos or emphasising behaviours that support your go-to-market roadmap.
When compensation plans are truly aligned with strategic priorities, adoption accelerates and results follow naturally. Sales teams understand why they’re being measured on specific metrics, leaders can see the direct connection between incentives and business outcomes and finance gains confidence that compensation spend is driving strategic value.
One of our favourite trends is seeing organisations shift from viewing SPM as a compensation tool to recognising it as a core strategic instrument that shapes how the entire commercial organisation behaves. It’s really powerful.
The managed services advantage
Go-live is the beginning, not the finish line. Forward-thinking clients are pairing their SPM deployment with managed services from the outset, combining ongoing strategy support with operational backup. This model lets your team build autonomy whilst having expert support for complex enhancements, process improvements and emerging best practices.
Managed services provide continuity beyond your implementation partner’s handoff, ensure that evolving business needs are met without derailing your in-house team, and give you access to cross-client insights and benchmarking that inform strategic decisions. The organisations getting maximum value from their SPM investments aren’t trying to go it alone: they’re building managed services partnerships that evolve as their needs evolve.
What this means for 2026
SPM success driven by technological complexity or customisation depth. It’s all about precision: clear goals, intelligent customisation, cross-functional alignment and the right support structure.
If your organisation is evaluating SPM solutions or looking to get more value from an existing deployment, these lessons from 2025 can help you navigate the journey more effectively. Because SPM is as much about strategy and change management as it is about technology.
If you’d like to discuss how these insights could apply to your situation, we’d welcome the conversation.
Compincent specialises in deploying, customising and providing ongoing managed services for sales performance management solutions. We work with leading organisations across procurement, IT service delivery and commercial operations to transform how they align compensation with strategy and drive sustainable sales performance.