Growth Operator Compensation
how AEs make money selling the stack.
The AE role is commission-driven. The money comes from matching local businesses to the right first package, closing paid projects, stacking monthly retainers, and keeping expectations clean. AEs are paid for closed revenue, not promises, ad spend, software pass-through, or unpaid invoices.
The clean comp plan
Use this as the default compensation framework for part-time account executives unless a signed agreement says otherwise.
Paid on website builds, campaign setup, CRM setup, review setup, lead recovery setup, and other implementation fees after the client payment clears.
Paid on eligible monthly management retainers for up to 12 months while the account stays active and paid.
No commission on ad spend, domains, software subscriptions, printing costs, vendor pass-through, refunds, chargebacks, or unpaid invoices.
AE earnings estimator
This calculator is for planning only. Actual payout depends on collected revenue, signed AE terms, retention, refunds, client cancellations, clawbacks, and whether the deal was self-sourced or company-provided.
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Realistic part-time earning bands
Do not advertise these as guarantees. They are planning ranges based on consistent outreach, clean discovery, real follow-up, and closed paid accounts.
$300–$1,000/month while learning the offer stack, building prospect lists, and closing smaller website, review, GBP, or hosting deals.
$1,500–$3,500/month when closing 2–4 small-to-mid deals monthly and stacking eligible recurring commissions.
$4,000–$8,000/month when selling Lead Engine, Revenue Ops, or higher-ticket retainers with reliable follow-up.
$10,000+/month is possible only with high-ticket retainer volume, referrals, strong conversion discipline, and retained accounts.
Example earning scenarios
These examples help AEs understand why recurring retainers matter more than chasing only one-off website builds.
One Business Site + Growth Command
AE closes a $2,250 Business Site plus a $399/mo Growth Command retainer.
One Lead Engine client
AE closes a $500 campaign setup and $799/mo Lead Engine retainer. Ad spend is not commissionable.
One Revenue Ops client
AE closes a $1,500 setup and $1,500/mo Revenue Ops retainer.
One Embedded Growth Operator
AE closes a $2,500 setup and $3,000/mo Embedded Growth Operator retainer.
Commission rules
These rules keep the program clean, protect margin, and prevent arguments after the sale.
| Rule | How it works |
|---|---|
| Paid after client payment clears | No commission is earned on verbal yeses, unsigned proposals, pending invoices, failed payments, or prospects that never onboard. |
| Recurring lasts up to 12 months | Recurring commission applies only while the client remains active, paid, and inside the eligible service lane. |
| 60-day clawback | If the client refunds, cancels, charges back, or never completes onboarding inside the clawback window, the commission can be reversed or offset. |
| No pass-through commission | Ad spend, domains, software, printing, vendor fulfillment costs, and other pass-through expenses do not count toward commission. |
| Self-sourced pays higher | Self-sourced outbound deals can earn the higher commission tier. Company-provided leads can pay lower rates because acquisition work was already done. |
| No guarantee selling | AEs cannot promise rankings, lead volume, revenue, ad returns, review count, or exact timelines that operations has not approved. |
Role-based payout options
Use these to choose the right plan based on how much sourcing, closing, and account support the AE actually performs.
Starter AE
- 15–20% on one-time build/setup fees.
- 10% recurring on eligible retainers for up to 12 months.
- Best for commission-only part-time sellers sourcing their own prospects.
Company-Provided Lead AE
- 10–15% on one-time build/setup fees.
- 5–8% recurring on eligible retainers for up to 12 months.
- Best when Skyes Over London provides warm leads, audits, or booked calls.
Senior Growth Operator
- 20–25% on one-time build/setup fees.
- 10–12% recurring on eligible retainers for up to 12 months.
- Optional $250–$500 bonus when $1,500+/mo clients survive past 60 days.
Part-time activity targets
The role works only when outreach, follow-up, and logging are consistent. AEs should know the weekly number before they accept the lane.
Targeted calls, DMs, walk-ins, emails, and follow-ups to real local prospects.
Discovery conversations with decision-makers or staff who can route to them.
Simple package recommendations based on observed leaks and intake answers.
Realistic target range for part-time sellers after ramp if prospecting is consistent.
Recruiting script
Use this when explaining the AE opportunity without overselling income.