SPIFF — Sales Performance Incentive Fund
Definition: Short-term cash bonus paid to reps for selling a specific product, hitting a narrow goal, or closing within a window. SPIFFs are a scalpel, not a strategy — useful but easy to overuse.
Example
In board meetings, you'll often hear something like: "Let's pull the latest SPIFF numbers before we make a call" — shorthand for sales performance incentive fund.
When you'll hear it
SPIFF shows up most often in board meetings, quarterly business reviews, and strategy off-sites. When someone uses it, they're usually referring to sales performance incentive fund — and they expect the room to already know what that means.
FAQs
What does SPIFF stand for?
SPIFF stands for Sales Performance Incentive Fund.
What does SPIFF mean in business and finance?
Short-term cash bonus paid to reps for selling a specific product, hitting a narrow goal, or closing within a window. SPIFFs are a scalpel, not a strategy — useful but easy to overuse.
Where will I hear SPIFF used at work?
SPIFF comes up most often in board meetings, quarterly business reviews, and strategy off-sites. It's used as shorthand for sales performance incentive fund, so people assume you already know the term.