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DownloadFAQ — Accelerator ROI
How is accelerator ROI calculated?
Accelerator ROI compares the net revenue contribution generated by above-quota performance against the incremental kicker spend (extra commission paid above the base rate inside accelerator tiers). Formally: ROI = (above-quota revenue × gross margin) ÷ kicker spend. An ROI of £5 means £5 of net contribution for every £1 of kicker spend. Anything above ~£3 is generally healthy; below £1 means accelerators are destroying margin.
What’s a good accelerator multiplier?
Industry benchmark is 1.5× to 2× as a single-tier accelerator above 100% quota. Multi-tier shapes commonly use 1.5× from 100–150% and 2× above 150%. Anything above 3× is high-risk: it can incentivise sandbagging and erodes margin if gross margin is below ~50%.
What’s the difference between an accelerator and a kicker?
The terms are often used interchangeably. Technically, an accelerator is a rate-based uplift (e.g., 1.5× the base commission rate above 100%), while a kicker can describe a fixed bonus for hitting a strategic milestone (e.g., £5,000 for closing a new logo). This calculator models rate-based accelerators — the most common above-quota incentive.
Why do I need gross margin to compute accelerator ROI?
Without gross margin, you’d be comparing kicker cost (a real cash outflow) against above-quota revenue — which isn’t profit. A £100k revenue uplift at 30% gross margin is only £30k of contribution; if the kicker spend to drive it was £40k, you’ve destroyed margin. Gross margin gives the net contribution number Finance will need to approve the plan.
How should I distribute my team across attainment buckets?
Use your last 2–4 quarters of actual rep performance as a starting point. A common SaaS curve is: 15–20% below 60% (laggards/ramps), 30–40% at 60–100% (core), 25–30% at 100–130% (achievers), and 10–15% above 130% (overperformers). The accelerator ROI is most sensitive to the size of your overperformer bucket — that’s where the kicker spend lives.
How accurate is this calculator versus running it in Excel?
The math is identical to a marginal-tier accelerator model built in Excel — the calculator applies (multiplier − 1) × base rate × revenue-in-tier to compute kicker spend, and gross-margin × above-quota revenue to compute contribution. Where the calculator wins: interactive, lets you stress-test scenarios in seconds, and removes the formula bugs that creep into hand-built spreadsheets. Where it loses: your real plan probably has nuances (per-deal-type rates, SPIFFs, mid-period quota changes) that a single-formula tool can’t model.
Will my data be stored anywhere?
No. Your inputs stay in your browser's localStorage only; nothing is sent to a server. Use 'Copy shareable link' to encode your scenario into a URL that you can share or bookmark.
Does this tool handle decelerators or multi-product plans?
No, this calculator focuses on a single quota, single product, accelerator-only plan to keep the ROI signal clean. For decelerators, multi-product weighting, SPIFFs, draws, or clawbacks, you’ve outgrown a calculator. Qobra’s commission management platform automates all of these, book a live demo.
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