Roofers hate 10/50/50 because it promises fairness and delivers frustration.
It sells the dream of shared profit, then hands you delayed paychecks, blurry margins, and arguments that show up after the job is already done. Everyone feels aligned right up until materials spike, supplements stall, or a “great deal” quietly turns into a loss.
That is the breaking point. Not theory. Real jobs.
More roofing companies are ditching 10/50/50 because it cannot survive speed, growth, or chaos. And roofing is all three.
This article gets into why roofers hate 10/50/50, what actually breaks behind the scenes, and what commission models work better when you want growth without the headaches.
Where the 10/50/50 Model Actually Breaks
The 10/50/50 roofing commission structure works great in a perfect world. Roofing is not that world.
It breaks the moment jobs stop being clean.
What looked profitable on day one starts to wobble once production kicks in. Materials change. Scopes shift. Timelines stretch. The “profit” everyone expected to split starts feeling theoretical.
Here is what usually happens:
- Reps close the deal and move on
- Payouts get delayed until the job fully settles
- Costs creep in quietly
- Final profit looks nothing like the original number
That delay creates tension fast.
Sales feels stuck waiting on money they already earned. Owners feel boxed in by numbers that keep changing. And profit starts to feel like something that exists on paper, not in the bank.
The Real Reasons Roofers Hate 10/50/50
At first, 10/50/50 feels like teamwork. Everyone shares the upside. Everyone is “aligned.”
Then the first messy job hits.
That is when roofers start to hate it. Not loudly. Quietly. Through tension, side conversations, and end-of-month arguments that never fully go away.
Pay Uncertainty Wears Reps Down
Under 10/50/50, sales reps sell first and worry later.
They close a deal, feel good for about five minutes, then realize their pay depends on weeks of variables they do not control. Labor. Weather. Production speed. Missed details.
When pay feels like a moving target, motivation changes:
- Reps stop trusting the number
- They push volume to compensate
- Quality quietly takes a back seat
That is not how you hit $1M profit in roofing business territory. Predictable pay drives focused selling. Uncertainty drives survival mode.
End-of-Month Surprises Kill Momentum
Nothing drains energy faster than thinking you crushed a month and then seeing the books.
Jobs that looked profitable shrink after labor overruns and delays. Margin leaks show up late. Suddenly, commissions feel lighter than expected.
These are the overhead expenses that destroy roofing profits, and 10/50/50 hides them until the damage is already done.
When truth shows up late, trust takes the hit.
Sales vs Production Becomes the Culture
This is where things turn toxic.
Sales blame production for delays inflating labor (e.g., tear-offs), while production faults sales for loose scopes missing extras. Industry experts note “splits” create unhealthy sales-homeowner pressure and internal finger-pointing, worse than commissions-only.
Instead of fixing systems, teams defend their cut.
Sales feels punished for execution issues. Production feels set up by sloppy selling. Everyone feels misunderstood.
The Split Turns Alignment Into Tension
10/50/50 does not encourage collaboration under pressure. It encourages self-protection.
Sales watches numbers. Production watches timelines. Owners mediate conflicts instead of leading growth.
What looked fair on day one slowly erodes trust from the inside. And once tension becomes normal, performance follows it downhill.
That is why roofers hate 10/50/50. Not because it fails immediately, but because it quietly teaches teams to pull apart when things get hard.
What 10/50/50 Teaches Sales Reps (And Not in a Good Way)
10/50/50 does not just pay reps. It trains them.
Not intentionally. But consistently.
The model rewards optimism over accuracy. If a job might work, it gets sold. If the numbers look close enough, the deal moves forward. Clean, conservative estimating feels slower than closing fast, so speed wins.
That mindset shows up in the quotes. Reps stop building profitable roofing quotes and start building sellable ones. The difference matters more than most teams realize.
Volume becomes the goal. More contracts. More jobs in the pipeline. The assumption is that it will all balance out in the end. Sometimes it does. Often it does not.
Here is what quietly shifts:
- Tight scopes feel optional
- Margins feel theoretical
- Execution feels like someone else’s problem
Once the job is sold, attention moves on. The back end of the job becomes background noise. Production issues, delays, and cost overruns feel disconnected from the sale that caused them.
That disconnect is the real problem.
What High-Performing Roofing Companies Use Instead (And How They Switch Without Chaos)
At some point, growing companies face the same realization. If roofers hate 10/50/50, it is not because reps are lazy or owners are greedy. It is because the model cannot keep up with real-world roofing.
High performers do not chase “fair.” They chase clear.
Why Gross-Based Commission Wins in the Real World
Gross-based commission is simple. Reps get paid based on gross profit or gross revenue that is visible early. No waiting for the job to fully settle. No guessing where the numbers will land.
Clarity beats fairness every time.
When reps know exactly what a deal is worth:
- Pricing discipline improves
- Scopes get tighter
- Margin problems show up before production starts
That early visibility protects profit sooner, not weeks later when nothing can be fixed. It is one of the biggest reasons companies move away once roofers hate 10/50/50 becomes a pattern instead of a complaint.
Better Models Protect Margin Earlier
The real advantage is timing.
Gross-based commission forces margin conversations at the sale, not after the job. Bad deals get flagged early. Good deals get rewarded immediately. Owners stop discovering problems after the money is already gone.
This is how companies scale without drowning in disputes.
How to Transition Away Without Losing Your Team
The switch is not about math. It is about communication.
Start with the why. Explain the problems honestly. Late surprises. Margin leaks. Friction between sales and production. Reps already feel it.
Timing matters too. Most companies roll changes between seasons or at clear reset points. Sudden changes mid-rush create resistance.
Set expectations clearly:
- How pay is calculated
- When payouts happen
- What behaviors are rewarded
When reps understand the system, morale improves instead of dropping.
Where Systems Make the Transition Easier
This is where most companies struggle. Not with the decision, but with execution.
A communication-first CRM changes everything. ProLine keeps sales, production, and management aligned in one place. No more bouncing between inboxes, calls, and notes. Fewer misunderstandings. Cleaner handoffs.
When everyone sees the same numbers and conversations, teams sell more jobs, protect margin, and still make it home for dinner.
That is the real upgrade. Not just a better commission model, but a system that actually supports it.
Stop Wrestling the Math and Start Running the Business
If your commission model needs constant explaining, defending, or fixing, it is not helping you grow. It is slowing you down.
Roofers hate 10/50/50 because it turns every job into a debate. Who caused the delay. Where the margin went. Why the numbers changed. That is not leadership work. That is damage control.
The best roofing companies do not fight their commission structure. They build one that shows the truth early, rewards the right behavior, and removes friction instead of creating it. Clarity beats clever every time.
ProLine gives you that foundation. A communication-first CRM built for roofers who want to sell more jobs, keep teams aligned, and still make it home for dinner. One place to run sales, track conversations, and keep everyone on the same page. Book a ProLine demo and take control of your roofing sales process for good.
FAQs
Why do roofers hate 10/50/50 in practice?
Because the frustration shows up late. Jobs sell clean, but pay gets delayed, margins shift, and the final numbers rarely match expectations. By the time the truth is clear, the job is finished and everyone is frustrated. That delayed reality is what slowly erodes trust.
Is gross-based commission safer for owners?
In most cases, yes. Gross-based commission surfaces pricing and margin problems early, when adjustments can still be made. Owners get clearer visibility, better forecasting, and fewer surprises after production is complete.
Will good reps leave if pay changes?
Good reps usually leave uncertainty, not change. When pay becomes clearer, faster, and more predictable, strong performers tend to stay. The reps who struggle are often the ones benefiting from messy systems.
When is the right time to switch commission models?
The best time is between seasons or at a clear business reset. Switching during a rush creates resistance. Switching with planning, explanation, and clean systems builds buy-in.
What is the biggest mistake companies make when replacing 10/50/50?
They change the commission math but keep broken communication. Without visibility into jobs, costs, and expectations, even better commission models break down.
