The €400,000 Problem: What to Do When a Big Commission Lands
I keep hearing the same thing lately. People tell me the golden era in sales is over. Targets too high, territories too small. People told me the same thing when I started at Salesforce 13 years ago, when the Dutch team could fit in one room.
Then there is the other side. In the last week alone, I have seen four commission cheques over €100,000. One was close to €300,000. Two were over €400,000. That is not a salary. That is a single payment.
And here is the part nobody talks about. It is terrifying.
Think about a rare day off. Your partner and the kids are away, the whole house is yours, and you planned to be productive. Then you spend six hours on Netflix and feel like a failure. Landing €100,000 in a month feels exactly like that. It sounds incredible until it happens. Then the panic sets in. You do not want to waste it. You do not want to watch it disappear into a higher tax bracket or a slightly nicer car.
I have spoken to dozens of account executives who are genuinely scared of disappointing themselves with their own wealth. They worked so hard to earn it. The last thing they want is to look back and realise they have nothing to show for it.
Here is the reframe: that panic is not a problem. It is a signal. It means you care. It means you have not just accepted lifestyle creep as inevitable. Most people feel nothing when a big cheque lands because they have already mentally spent it before it arrives. The panic means you still have a choice. Use it.
You do not need a wealth manager. You do not need a complex strategy. You need three decisions, made in the right order before the next cheque lands. One, decide how much you invest. Two, decide how much you save. Three, spend the rest guilt-free.
The guilt-free part matters. Most people skip the first two steps and then feel terrible spending anything. Or they spend everything first and feel terrible about that instead. Do it in order, decide in advance, and the panic has nowhere to live.
So here is a question. If a €100,000 cheque landed in your account tomorrow morning, would you know exactly what to do with it before lunch? Write down your three numbers this week. Not next month, not when things settle down. This week. What percentage goes to investments? What goes to savings? What is yours to spend without guilt?
One thing people get wrong about me: they think I am against spending money. I am not. I am against spending money on things that do not make you happy. If you have figured out your guilt-free number, I hope you spend it on something outrageous that you will remember forever.
If you do not know your numbers yet, that is exactly what I help people work out. Here is a short video on what I actually do: https://go.bamillionaire.com/watch-now. Or if you are ready, book a call: https://go.bamillionaire.com/apply
Want this in your inbox every Saturday, before it reaches the blog? Subscribe here: https://bamillionaire.kit.com/newsletter
