I had a sales rep named Bill. In 2017, he sold $7 million worth of HVAC. He was the best salesperson I had. And he was in my office constantly asking for more leads. He was making $700,000 a year in personal income. The average household income in our market was around $60,000....

People talk about culture initiatives. Morning meetings. Training programs. Motivational speakers. I’ve done all of it. I believed in all of it. And I can tell you from direct experience that none of it moved the needle the way a single pay plan change did at Lee’s...