Salary is always the primary sticking point when moving roles in building products. Not commission. Not the car. Not the territory. Base salary.
And it makes sense. If you're leaving a role you're comfortable in, you want to see an increase that justifies the move. Nobody takes on the risk of a new company, a new team, and a new product range for the same money.
But how you handle the salary conversation matters as much as the number itself. Get it right and you start the role on the right terms. Get it wrong and you either leave money on the table, kill the offer, or start the job with a bad taste already in your mouth.
Not sure where to start? Take the 5-minute readiness check.
When to raise it
In the first conversation. Phone screen. Initial call with the recruiter. Wherever the process starts.
If the recruiter or hiring manager hasn't asked about your salary expectations, raise it yourself. "What's the salary range for this role?" is a perfectly reasonable question at the start of any process.
This isn't being pushy. It's being practical. If the gap between what you need and what they're offering is too wide, neither of you should waste time going through three rounds of interviews to find that out at the end.
State your expectations clearly when asked. Don't hedge. Don't say "I'm flexible" if you're not. If you need $130K base to make the move worthwhile, say $130K.
The biggest mistake candidates make
Giving away too much information about your current package.
If you're underpaid and you tell someone you're underpaid, they might only offer you a small increase on what you're currently earning rather than what you're actually worth. Your current salary becomes the anchor for the negotiation instead of the market rate.
Stick to your expectation. Not your current salary. Not what you earned last year. What you need to make the move.
"I'm looking for a base of $120 to $130K plus a clear commission structure" is a strong position. "I'm currently on $105K so anything above that would be good" is giving the employer permission to offer you $110K when the role might be worth $125K.
If you're working with a specialist recruiter, they should be able to tell you where the market sits for your role, your experience level, and your location. If you suspect you're underpaid, that conversation is worth having before you start interviewing.
Understanding the total package
Base salary is the headline, but the total package is what you actually take home. In building products sales, the package typically includes several components.
Commission. The structures vary. Some companies pay a small percentage on all sales from dollar one. Others set a sales budget and pay commission on everything above it. Some use quarterly or annual bonuses instead of, or alongside, commission.
My strong recommendation: look for roles with uncapped commission. It's simple, transparent, and aligned. You perform, you earn. There's no ceiling on effort. Capped commission tells your best people that their effort has a limit. Uncapped keeps driving them.
Bonuses have their place alongside commission. Team bonuses can build collaboration. Annual bonuses can reward consistency. But commission should be the primary driver. It's the structure that keeps top performers motivated and retained.
Whatever the structure, make sure it's clear. Ask how it's calculated. Ask what the realistic OTE looks like based on what current reps are earning. Ask whether targets have changed in the last two years. If the structure is too confusing to explain in five minutes, that's a warning sign.
Car allowance. Standard in building products sales is around $20K. A good car allowance is $25K. If you're currently getting a car allowance and the new role offers less, that difference needs to be made up somewhere else in the package. It all rolls into the total.
Fuel card and tolls. These are increasingly standard. If the role involves significant driving, and most building products sales roles do, fuel and tolls should be covered. If there's no fuel card, factor that cost into your total package calculation. A $5K fuel card is effectively $5K of pre-tax income.
Phone and laptop. These are tools of the trade. Most companies provide a laptop. For phones, there are two approaches. Some companies provide a phone outright, which means they keep the number and the data when you leave. Others provide a phone allowance and let you keep your personal number. Both have pros and cons. The allowance gives you flexibility. The company phone gives them control.
Other perks. Health insurance, professional development budgets, AI tool subscriptions, CRM access. These are becoming more common in packages. They might not move the needle on their own, but they contribute to the overall picture.
How to evaluate an offer properly
When an offer comes in, don't just look at the base. Calculate the realistic total package.
Base salary plus realistic commission or bonus (not the best-case scenario, the likely scenario based on what current reps earn) plus car allowance plus fuel card value plus any other benefits.
Then compare that to your current total package. Not just your current base.
If you're earning $120K base with $30K commission, a $15K car allowance, and a fuel card, your total package is around $170K. An offer of $130K base with no commission structure confirmed and a $20K car allowance isn't necessarily better, even though the base is higher.
Do the maths. Compare like for like. Then negotiate from a position of clarity.
Negotiating without killing the deal
Most hiring managers in building products expect some negotiation. It's a sales role. If you can't negotiate your own salary, that tells them something.
Keep it professional and clear. "I'm very interested in the role. The package is close to where I need to be, but I was hoping to see $130K on the base given my experience and what I'd be bringing to the territory. Is there room to move?"
That's direct, respectful, and gives them something to work with.
What kills deals: going silent for a week after receiving an offer. Coming back with a counter that's wildly above the range that was discussed throughout the process. Negotiating aggressively on every single component of the package. Threatening to take another offer as leverage without actually having one.
If you've been clear about your expectations from the start, the offer should land in the right range. If it doesn't, that's a process problem, not a negotiation problem.
Commission red flags
A few things to watch for when evaluating commission structures.
Unclear targets. If they can't clearly explain how targets are set, how commission is calculated, and what you'd realistically earn, be cautious.
Recently changed structures. "We just updated the commission plan this year" can mean they're improving things. It can also mean they moved the goalposts on the existing team. Ask current reps what changed and why.
Capped commission. A cap tells you that the company doesn't want to pay you more even when you're delivering more. It removes the incentive to overperform. Why would anyone sprint past the finish line if there's nothing on the other side?
Complicated structures. If the commission plan has multiple tiers, accelerators, decelerators, team multipliers, and product-specific rates, and you can't work out what you'd earn on a good month without a spreadsheet, it's too complicated. The best structures are simple. You sell, you earn. Everyone understands.
If you're between two offers
Be transparent. Tell both parties that you're in another process. This isn't a power play. It's practical.
If you're waiting on two offers at the end of the week, tell the hiring manager or recruiter so they can move at the speed they need to. If one company is significantly further behind, let them know you have a timeline.
Most hiring managers will appreciate the honesty and move faster if they want you. The ones who don't respect your timeline probably won't respect it after you start either.
Quick checklist
- Raise salary expectations in the first conversation. Don't wait for the offer stage.
- State your expectation, not your current salary. Don't anchor the negotiation to what you're earning now.
- Calculate the total package. Base, commission, car, fuel, phone, benefits. Compare like for like.
- Look for uncapped commission. Clear, simple, aligned with performance.
- If the commission structure can't be explained in five minutes, that's a red flag.
- Negotiate professionally. Direct, respectful, clear. Don't go silent or make threats.
- If you're in multiple processes, be transparent about timelines.