Unattainable quotas and commission performance metrics - Territory Sales Engineer Cognex Employee Review

2.0
Mar 13, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great Products. Best in the Machine Vision Industry (2d). Best Barcode Scanning products in industry.

Cons

The Territory sales organization that Cognex created in 2022 to try and win market share with the bottom 50% of the market (smaller business) was (and is) aggressively rushed without data behind it to make financial and hiring decisions. Huge amounts of college graduates onboarded with an expectation they could meet their quotas. Commission plans were not disclosed until 5 weeks into Q1, and the quotas were staggeringly high compared to the previous year's bookings data (2.5x quota growth in territories that have been established for 15 years). And then they were retracted because the numbers listed on them were "incorrect." They were re-released with 5 weeks left in Q1 with even higher attainment numbers, with a heavy focus on "performance metrics" (absurd number for quantity of meetings attained, which just results in garbage meetings to hit the number rather than a focus on quality). How does a sales org not have a commission plan for its members laid out with 5 weeks left until they are to be graded on said performance? Frankly, it seems like some promises were made at the board of executives level that this new sales org was going to produce much more revenue than it actually is, and the top level execs are scrambling to squeeze something out of it by setting unattainable quotas. I would not be surprised if less than 5% of the org makes quota, and that sets a horrible expectation for its future success. Cognex was not like this even 2 years ago. It will be interesting to see the next few years. I really hope improvements can be made because Cognex has a great history and reputation and they need to preserve that.

Explore other reviews about Cognex

5.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits and awesome culture

Cons

Work very hard sometimes and it can be a bit much

2.0
Jun 29, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Talented and dedicated employees who genuinely care about the products and customers. Interesting technology and strong positions in several markets. Financially stable company with significant resources and the ability to invest for the long term.

Cons

The company still benefits from the reputation built during earlier periods of innovation, but there is a growing sense that preserving that reputation has become more important than adapting to current realities. Many employees want to improve processes, modernize how work gets done, and challenge long-standing assumptions, but meaningful change often struggles against an entrenched preference for maintaining the status quo. There is also a noticeable disconnect between messaging and action. The company talks extensively about culture, inclusion, and employee experience, but employees may find that these priorities become much quieter when external conditions change. Leadership and advancement opportunities can feel concentrated within long-established networks, leading to the perception of a persistent "inner circle" culture. Transparency is another challenge. Important business decisions and strategic shifts are often communicated incompletely or after the fact. Employees are frequently asked to absorb the impact of cost-cutting measures, limited raises, and repeated efficiency initiatives despite the company having substantial resources and continuing to emphasize profitability and margin performance. The result is a growing feeling that employees are carrying the burden of correcting strategic decisions made much higher in the organization. Many of the pressures facing employees feel financial and narrative-driven rather than operationally necessary. The company still has talented people, strong products, and the resources to remain a leader. The concern from many employees is not whether the business can succeed, but whether leadership is willing to invest in the people and organizational changes necessary to maintain that leadership position.

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