Compensation Loops in the Wild: An Auditor's Map
Every revenue audit starts with a spreadsheet. But the leaks that matter rarely sit where you think. They hide inside compensation loops — recurring incentives, rebates, and partner payouts that circle back and forth, quietly eating margin while looking perfectly normal. This map is for operators who've seen the dashboard look fine and still felt something was off. You're right to trust that gut. Here's where to look. Why You Can't Afford to Ignore the Loop Margins under pressure: why loop leakage stings harder in 2025 Revenue leakage used to be tolerable. A few percentage points drifting through an incentive program felt like the cost of doing business. Not anymore. With compressed margins across most SaaS and marketplace verticals, that drift is now the difference between a healthy quarter and a layoff round.