Reporting Bird Dog Payments

[Nikia Johnson]

Hello all, 

I am looking into paying bird dogs for fees for leads closed but I want to make sure I am handling it properly. I would assume they would need to be 1099 for that income so that it is not viewed that they are being paid under the table and it can be taxed. Is anyone currently paying bird dogs am I overthinking this with using a 1099?

Thanks