IBM revamped it's sales and technical sales commission targets to be based on employee salary. That approach allowed IBM to target senior, higher earning, employees by positioning them in accounts that had zero or low history of purchase and thus targeted the lower "performing " senior employees with carefully managed account selection; conversely allowing the lower paid young to survive because the dollar amounts they had to sell were miniscule.
I too was Laid off following half of one year in an account set and the two previous halves switching account sets, none of the Account groups had any relationship with IBM or prior sales history of note yet drove quota in the multi millions for each half in quota. The "buyer beware" flag is that IBM is not interested in improving or increasing long-term sales, rather they are short term visioned to doing whatever measures it takes to make a quarter by quarter number.
I believe, they are now at a point of no return. Development is too lean to be progressive let alone on target. Sales is too lean and too frequently reorganized to be successful with accounts that depend on relationship and industry understanding. The net result it is a target against higher wage earners within (seniors). The competitive sharks will be in the water big time. I am a long term IBMer. I hope the company survives the Gini era.