Sales Territory Management: 6 Steps to Creating an Effective Plan

sales territory map

Are you struggling to optimize your sales territories and boost your sales team’s productivity?

You’re not alone! 64% of companies struggle with ineffective territory planning.

In this blog post, we will guide you through the essential steps to create an effective sales territory management plan that will lead your team to success.

Get ready to unlock your sales potential and achieve maximum results!

Short Summary

  • Maximize sales success by creating an effective Sales Territory Management Plan with key elements such as market segmentation, customer profiling and sales rep skill assessment.
  • Implement best practices to foster a culture of continuous learning & development for your reps in order to stay ahead of the competition & capitalize on customer needs.
  • Regularly review & update your plan to ensure maximum success and growth in your organization’s sales efforts!

1. Master Key Sales Territory Management Principles

A group of sales team members discussing a sales territory management plan

Sales territory management is an important tool to help outside sales reps be effective and successful. It can directly contribute to the increase in closed deals and sales efficiency. By implementing an effective sales territory plan, you can boost sales productivity, provide better customer service, and ensure maximum success.

Historically, sales territory plans were based on geography, but it has evolved to encompass much more. So, what exactly does sales territory management entail, and how can you maximize your sales success with a territory management plan?

Let’s dive in!

In a nutshell, sales territory management involves the continuous process of allocating resources, prioritizing opportunities, and measuring performance to achieve sales success.

It incorporates both inside and outside sales opportunities, with inside sales targeting the SMB and mid-level market, and outside sales focusing on the enterprise-level and above. Conducting a SWOT analysis is a crucial step in creating a successful sales territory plan, as it provides an insightful understanding of your current market position and a renewed outlook of your business operations.

The Role of Sales Territory Management

Territory management plays a vital role in optimizing sales resources, targeting specific markets, and increasing productivity. By understanding and prioritizing opportunities, allocating resources effectively, and evaluating performance, you can drive sales success for your organization.

Striking a balance between new business development and account management is also essential, as it allows your sales force to focus on fresh business opportunities and maintain existing customer relationships.

An effective sales territory plan should consider both inside and outside sales opportunities and help sales reps manage their accounts within their own sales territory. By having a system for developing and moving accounts through the sales process pipeline, your sales reps can effectively monitor and manage their accounts, and ultimately close more deals.

In essence, territory management is the key to unlocking your sales team’s potential and achieving maximum success in your sales efforts.

Benefits of Effective Territory Management

The advantages of effective territory management are numerous, including higher revenue, enhanced customer satisfaction, and boosted sales rep morale. By pursuing new business, you can expand your reach and grow your customer base, while maintaining high morale among sales reps can boost productivity, allowing them to close more deals and keep existing customers satisfied.

Moreover, sales metrics and allocating resources to prospects and customers who have the highest potential to be converted into paying customers can help increase your company’s revenue.

In short, having an effective sales territory management plan in place can lead to significant benefits for your business, contributing to its overall success and growth.

2. Build an Effective Sales Territory Management Plan

To create a successful sales territory management plan, there are a few key components to consider, including market segmentation, customer profiling, and sales rep skill assessment.

By dividing leads effectively based on account type, referral source, product interest, or account size, you can create a sales territory that maximizes your sales impact and better understand your prospects and customers. Additionally, considering your sales team’s skills, interests, and working style can help ensure the success of your sales territories.

Incorporating these essential elements into your sales territory management plan can help you not only optimize resources and prioritize opportunities, but also achieve greater success in your sales efforts. By doing so, you can:

  • Stay ahead of the competition
  • Capitalize on customer needs
  • Increase sales value
  • Improve customer satisfaction
  • Foster cooperation
  • Enhance team cohesion

Market Segmentation and Customer Profiling

Understanding your target market and creating customer profiles is crucial in sales territory management, as it allows you to allocate resources effectively and capitalize on specific opportunities. You can segment your customers based on:

  • Demographic information
  • Psychographic information
  • Behavioral information
  • Geographic information

This segmentation gives you a better understanding of your customer base and enables your field sales reps to tailor their approach to the unique needs, goals, and pain points of each segment.

By analyzing your customers and creating profiles, you can uncover what makes them unique and what sets them apart from each other. This valuable information can help you better allocate resources, assign territories, and ultimately, drive sales success for your organization.

Sales Rep Skill Assessment

Assessing the skills of your sales reps is a significant factor in territory management, as it helps you allocate them to the most appropriate territories. Designing sales territories for outbound efforts should start with strategically laying out the territories. Afterwards, strategically overlay the prospecting territories according to how salespeople are allocated.

Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your sales team can help you assign them to the most suitable territories and maximize their potential. Properly assigning territories is essential to avoid any potential overlap and ensure that each sales rep can focus on the most lucrative opportunities within their assigned territory, ultimately improving the overall performance of your sales teams.

3. Craft a Winning Territory Management Strategy

Now that you understand the key components of a successful sales territory management plan, it’s time to develop a strategy. Crafting your sales territory planning involves strategically setting goals, allocating resources, and assigning territories.

To get started, take a closer look at your business goals and objectives, and create a strategy map that considers financial, customer, internal, and learning and growth perspectives in the context of territory planning.

The GSOT method can be used to create an effective sales strategy that will help you reach your goals. By prioritizing accounts, documenting sales territories, and identifying seasonal business, you can ensure success in your sales territory management efforts.

Setting Realistic Goals and Targets

Setting achievable goals and targets for your sales team is essential to guarantee success and inspire motivation. To determine your sales goals and maximize your success, start with the big sales numbers and then work your way downwards for a more achievable approach. Break down your annual goal into quarters, months, and even weeks to keep yourself motivated and on track.

By setting realistic goals and tracking your progress, you can ensure that your sales team stays focused and motivated throughout the year, ultimately leading to increased sales success and growth.

Moreover, setting achievable goals can help increase motivation and confidence among your sales reps, allowing them to perform at their best and achieve maximum success in their sales efforts.

Allocating Resources and Assigning Territories

In order to achieve success in sales territory management, it’s crucial to:

  • Allocate resources and assign territories based on market segmentation
  • Consider customer profiles and sales rep skills
  • Utilize this information to effectively distribute resources and assign territories in an efficient and effective way

By following these steps, you can ensure maximum success for your organization.

Achieving success in sales territory management necessitates access to:

  • Sales data
  • Customer information
  • Market research
  • A reliable CRM
  • Tools for managing sales territories

By strategically allocating resources and assigning territories, you can stay ahead of changing market conditions and business needs, ultimately leading to increased sales success and growth.

4. Implementing & Monitoring Your Territory Management Plan

A sales team discussing a sales territory management plan and tracking progress

With your sales territory management strategy in place, it’s time to put it into action and monitor its progress. Successful implementation of your plan requires:

  • Fostering communication and collaboration among sales team members
  • Tracking progress and measuring performance
  • Adjusting strategies as needed By regularly monitoring your sales territory plan, you can:
  • Analyze cost metrics
  • Identify and address any inefficiencies in the system
  • Improve overall results.

Moreover, a SWOT analysis can help you identify valuable characteristics, such as training needs for your sales team, gaps in systems and tools, or even gaps in your products themselves. By staying on top of your sales territory management plan and adjusting it as necessary, you can ensure continued success and growth in your sales efforts.

Communication and Collaboration

Clear communication and collaboration among sales team members are crucial for successful territory management. By fostering a culture of open communication and working together, your sales team can achieve the following benefits:

  • Increase sales value
  • Improve customer satisfaction
  • Enhance cooperation among team members
  • Strengthen team cohesion

Effective communication and alignment can also help sales reps in managing existing customer relationships and securing new business opportunities.

Call monitoring is one way to facilitate communication and collaboration in your sales team. By listening in on sales calls and providing coaching to reps, you can help them enhance their performance and close deals more quickly. Encouraging open communication and collaboration among team members will ultimately lead to greater success in your sales territory management efforts.

Tracking Progress and Adjusting Strategies

Tracking progress in sales territory management is key to analyzing, monitoring, and maximizing performance. By setting realistic goals, tracking progress, and adjusting strategies as needed, you can ensure you are making progress in sales territory management and achieving maximum success in your sales efforts.

Analyzing data, such as sales figures, customer feedback, and market trends, is a great way to measure performance in sales territory management. By regularly reviewing your plan and making necessary adjustments, you can stay ahead of changing market conditions and business needs, ultimately leading to increased sales success and growth.

5. Empower Territory Management with Must-Have Tools

A sales team using a CRM system to manage their sales territories

In order to achieve success in sales territory management, it’s crucial to have the right tools at your disposal.

Field Sales CRM systems and mapping tools are essential for achieving optimum results in your sales territory management efforts. Sales performance tools can help optimize your sales territory mapping by automating the process, making it faster and easier for your team.

Some of the most successful sales mapping software includes Badger Maps, Maptitude, and Xactly AlignStar, while Salesforce and Zoho CRM are among the most sought-after CRM software available. By leveraging these essential tools, you can streamline your sales territory management processes, optimize resources, and achieve greater success in your sales efforts.

CRM Systems

Using a CRM system for sales territory management can help you track customer information, manage sales activities, and analyze data for more informed decisions, ultimately leading to greater success. CRM systems can also help you stay organized, track all sales team activities, and keep conversation history and key details of prospects in one place, making it easier to close deals successfully.

Some of the best practices for achieving success in sales territory management with a CRM system include regularly reviewing and refreshing your plan and promoting ongoing learning and growth in skills. By leveraging a CRM system in your sales territory management efforts, you can ensure that your sales team stays focused and motivated, ultimately leading to increased sales success and growth.

Mapping and Visualization Tools

Mapping and visualization tools are essential for creating, managing, and optimizing sales territories, as they offer a visual representation of your sales data, allowing you to better allocate resources and prioritize opportunities. Some GPS applications also include traffic and weather information to optimize your scheduling, ensuring that your sales reps can make the most efficient use of their time with customers.

By leveraging mapping and visualization tools in your sales territory management efforts, you can gain valuable insights into your sales territories, adjust your strategies as needed, and ultimately achieve greater success in your sales efforts. These tools can help you stay ahead of the competition and capitalize on customer needs, ultimately leading to increased sales success and growth.

Field Sales Software

Are you ready to supercharge your sales territory management? Look no further than the game-changing Field Sales Software, like the revolutionary Veloxy! This cutting-edge tool brings a wave of efficiency and effectiveness, giving your sales team the power to conquer territories like never before.

1. Enhanced Efficiency: Say goodbye to time-consuming tasks and welcome a new era of productivity. Field Sales Software automates mundane processes, granting your field reps the gift of time. With a few swift taps, they can access real-time customer data, manage appointments, and effortlessly update sales activities on the fly. Say farewell to clunky paperwork and hello to streamlined workflows, enabling your outside reps to devote their energy to building connections and sealing deals within their territories.

2. Improved Communication: Communication is the fuel that drives your sales engine, and Field Sales Software is here to ignite it. Imagine a world where your sales team operates in perfect harmony, seamlessly connected and informed. With this exceptional software, information flows effortlessly between reps and the management team. Instant updates, notifications, and shared calendars keep everyone in the loop, fostering collaboration and coordination. Together, they unlock a new level of teamwork, sharing invaluable insights and propelling collective success.

3. Enhanced Sales Performance: Prepare for a sales revolution! Field Sales Software equips your reps with game-changing features that elevate their performance. This intelligent tool reveals insights and analytics that uncover hidden opportunities, empowering reps to prioritize leads and focus on the most promising prospects within their territories. With built-in tracking and reporting capabilities, sales managers gain a bird’s-eye view of individual and team performance, identifying areas for growth and providing personalized coaching. Armed with data-driven insights, your reps make informed decisions, fine-tune their sales strategies, and ignite unparalleled success in their territories.

6. Follow Emerging Best Practices in Territory Management

A sales team discussing a sales territory management plan and updating it regularly

To ensure success in sales territory management, it’s essential to follow proven best practices. Regularly reviewing and updating your plan is crucial for staying ahead of the competition and capitalizing on customer needs. Additionally, fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development among your sales reps can help improve their performance and adapt to new challenges.

By incorporating these best practices into your sales territory management efforts, you can ensure that your sales reps stay focused, motivated, and prepared for any challenges that may arise. In turn, this will lead to increased sales success and growth for your organization.

Regularly Review and Update Your Plan

Regularly reviewing and updating your sales territory management plan is essential for staying ahead of the competition and capitalizing on customer needs. By keeping your plan up to date, you can identify any shifts in your sales team’s strengths and weaknesses and adjust the plan accordingly to maximize sales potential and increase success.

Staying on top of your sales territory management plan and adjusting it as necessary can ensure continued success and growth in your sales efforts. By regularly monitoring your plan, you can:

  • Stay ahead of changing market conditions and business needs
  • Identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments
  • Track your progress and measure the effectiveness of your strategies
  • Identify new opportunities for growth and expansion

Ultimately, this proactive approach to sales territory management will lead to increased sales success and growth.

Encourage Continuous Learning and Skill Development

Fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development among your sales reps can be incredibly beneficial for sales territory management. Continuous learning and skill development can help sales reps achieve better performance, experience greater job satisfaction, and be better equipped to handle new challenges.

Managers can create an environment that encourages learning and skill development by offering training and development opportunities, motivating employees to take on new challenges, and acknowledging and rewarding employees for their efforts.

By encouraging continuous learning and skill development, you can ensure that your sales reps stay engaged, motivated, and on track to achieve maximum success in their sales efforts.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, creating an effective sales territory management plan is crucial for optimizing your sales resources, targeting specific markets, and increasing productivity. By understanding the key components of sales territory management, developing a strategy, implementing and monitoring your plan, leveraging essential tools, and following best practices, you can unlock your sales potential and achieve maximum success in your sales efforts. Now, it’s time to take action and transform your sales territories for the better!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the basis of territory management?

Sales territory management is the process of assigning specific customers to individual salespeople, usually based on geographic region. It allows for teams and reps to focus on a single market, providing efficiency and customer satisfaction.

This process helps to ensure that customers are receiving the best possible service and that salespeople are able to maximize their time and resources. It also helps to create a more organized and efficient sales process.

Why is territory management important?

Territory management ensures that your sales reps are focusing on the best territories and accounts, and helps them prioritize activities for improved customer service.

This way, they can maximize their time and track progress easily.

What is sales territory management?

Sales territory management is the process of organizing customers and prospects based on segments, assigning sales teams to their assigned territories, and monitoring their performance and making adjustments as needed for optimal efficiency.

This process helps to ensure that sales teams are able to focus on the right customers and prospects, and that they are able to maximize their efficiency and effectiveness in their assigned territories. It also helps to ensure that sales teams are able to identify and capitalize on opportunities in their sales teams.

What are the objectives of territory management?

As a sales manager, your primary objective in territory management is to create balanced territories in terms of existing customers, potential for additional customers, and revenue potential.

This means that you need to consider the size of the territory, the number of customers, the types of customers, and the potential for growth. You also need to consider the resources available to you, such as staff, budget, and technology.

What are the key components of a successful sales territory management plan?

Creating a successful sales territory management plan requires market segmentation, customer profiling, and assessing the skills of your sales reps for maximum impact.

By segmenting the market, you can identify the most profitable customers and target them with tailored strategies. Customer profiling helps you understand the needs of each customer and tailor your approach accordingly. Assessing the skills of your sales reps.

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Samir Majumdar

Samir Majumdar

Samir is the CEO and Co-founder of Veloxy. After spending 20+ years creating corporate systems, boosting revenue, and eliminating inefficiencies, Samir started Veloxy to help sales professionals shorten sales cycles, accelerate pipelines, and close more deals.

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