WorldatWork Introduces Certification in Sales Compensation

March 10, 2010 — Washington, D.C. — What role does human resources play in the development of a sales incentive plan? Is HR an equal partner with sales and finance or merely asked to deal with the administrative details after the “strategic” decisions are made? To meet the growing need of HR professionals to increase their relevance to the sales function, WorldatWork has introduced a new certification to achieve the designation of Certified Sales Compensation Professional™ (CSCP). The new certification is designed for HR and compensation professionals (as well as sales managers and operations managers) responsible for designing sales compensation plans.

“The role of HR professionals in designing sales compensation plans continues to grow in many organizations, and the value of credentials has never been more important,” said Jim Stoeckmann, CCP, compensation practice leader for WorldatWork. “Being certified in sales compensation helps assert HR’s equal partnership with the sales team in the design process.”

Since the pilot was launched, 16 professionals have achieved the CSCP designation. One of the new certified professionals is Donya Rose, Managing Principal, The Cygnal Group. Rose said, “Having some mastery of these tools is really an important thing to do in order to responsibly put together the kinds of plans that are going to be right for the salespeople, the company, the business, and the customers.”

To become certified, professionals need to pass a 140-question competency-based exam that tests mastery of the following areas:

• Strategic management of sales compensation
• Sales compensation plan design
• Sales compensation plan administration
• Evaluation of sales compensation plan effectiveness

The WorldatWork sales compensation certification was developed after extensive analysis of the sales compensation-related tasks performed and competencies necessary for success among compensation practitioners, HR managers, sales managers, operations managers, and related roles.

WorldatWork certifications are administered through the WorldatWork Society, a certifying body which administers the exams required for attaining the prestigious Certified Compensation Professional (CCP®), Certified Benefits Professional® (CBP), Global Remuneration Professional (GRP®), Work-Life Certified Professional (WLCP®) and Certified Sales Compensation Professional™ (CSCP). Nearly 20,000 certifications have been granted to 17,000 practitioners since certification was introduced in 1976.

The sales compensation certification exam is offered as a Computer-Based Test (CBT) and is administered by Pearson VUE, which has more than 4,000 testing centers worldwide.

About WorldatWork®:
The Total Rewards Association

WorldatWork (www.worldatwork.org) is a global human resources association focused on compensation, benefits, work-life and integrated total rewards to attract, motivate and retain a talented workforce. Founded in 1955, WorldatWork provides a network of nearly 30,000 members in more than 100 countries with training, certification, research, conferences and community. It has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Washington, D.C.

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