territory business plan example

• June 24, 2024

Profitable Sales Territory Plans (7-Step Template + Examples)

• Sales Productivity , Sales Prospecting

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Sales organizations are more challenged than ever with a connected world, complex offerings, and what seems like an endless world of prospects. Without a strong sales territory plan, sales teams may feel all over the place, and as a result may not be producing the best results for your customers or your organization.

If you’re looking to maximize sales productivity and the value that your sales team brings to customers, it may be time to review and enhance your sales territory plan.

Good sales territory planning provides a framework to measure sales potential, set goals, and focus your team’s sales efforts for maximum success. It provides your sales team the guidance to properly identify and understand customers and prospects, assess and measure value, and support customers in a way that leads to loyalty.

Table of Contents

What is Sales Territory Planning   Benefits of Sales Territory Planning Factors to Consider When Planning Sales Territories 7 Steps to Writing a Successful Sales Territory Plan 5 Sales Territory Management Best Practices to Follow Essential Tools to Plan Your Sales Territories 5 Ways to Validate a Sales Territory Business Plan

What is Sales Territory Planning?

Territory planning is the process of creating a plan to ensure your sales team targets the right customers (and the most profitable ones).

Historically, most territories were broken down by geography, but in today’s connected world, sales territories can also be divided in many ways, including:

• Sales potential
• Customer type

With a clearly defined territory, sales teams can work strategically to address the needs of their assigned market. A strong sales territory plan allows you to:

• Ensure your sales team’s efforts are focused on the who , what , when , where and why that offer the strongest return on investment.
• Align salespeople to the regions, segments, and/or verticals best suited for their background and expertise.
• Partner intelligently across company teams to drive corporate objectives
• Optimize customer experience by aligning accounts with sales teams that understand their unique challenges and opportunities.
• Set the stage for long-term solid customer and market relationships.

Benefits of Sales Territory Planning

If you’re doubting the value of a strong sales territory plan, consider these inarguable benefits:

More time spent selling

A strong territory plan allows organizations to maximize their sales momentum by aligning the right sales teams to the right opportunities. Studies by industry analysts consistently show a decline in sales productivity due to factors such as extensive traveling, the need to learn and understand new segments, and administrative overhead.

With a clear sales territory plan based on geography and sector, salespeople can spend less time traveling and preparing for customer engagements and more time working directly with customers.

Better customer service

By aligning your salespeople to a set of accounts that aligns to their background, expertise, and geography, they are better able to understand customer needs and build solutions that align. With consistent territories, salespeople can build long-term relationships, leading to higher customer loyalty and repeat business.

Balanced workloads

Workload is measured in time and effort required to adequately manage all accounts in a given territory. A strong territory plan compares workloads and designs territories so that each salesperson is at full capacity, maximizing their potential.

To maximize rep production, you need to do some due diligence when it comes to assigning balanced territories.

Factors to Consider When Planning Sales Territories

When segmenting territories among your reps, you want to make sure they’re allocated fairly. To ensure this, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the workload equally divvied up between each member of the team?
• Does the territory design provide equal compensation opportunities?
• Is there a good mix of existing and new accounts per territory?
• Does the territory route allow easy travel time management?

Once you’re able to answer the questions above, it’s time to consider:

1 | Revenue Source

Current Customers. Where are your best customers and prospects located? Geographic and industry-based clusters are the most common focus because it’s easier to get new customers in an area with existing customers. Historical sales data will become your new best friend as it’s the best predictor of future success.

A sales tracking software will give you a complete history of this data.

Inbound Leads. When inbound leads convert, focus on the demographics such as geography, industry and size. Then, build a strategy to divide them as evenly as possible across your sales force.

The focus needs to be on revenue generated from inbound leads as opposed to volume of leads.

Outbound Prospecting. Sales territory design for outbound efforts begins by first laying out the territories to work, then overlaying them with prospecting territories according to how you’re allocating salespeople.

For example, you assign two sales reps to each state (two territories) and one canvasser (one prospecting territory).

2 | Rank Your Team

Create a scorecard and evaluate your sales reps to identify who your top, middle, and low level performers are.

• How much is their quota ?
• Do they consistently achieve this number?
• How many current customers and prospects are in their funnel?
• How many viable prospects are located within their territory?

3 | Rank Your Territories

Most Profitable (Least Risky). Evaluate which of your territories are most successful and double down on what’s already working.

Most Growth. If you’re more focused on the long-term instead of the short-term, focus on territories that haven’t been worked yet. It’s likely to take longer to become profitable, but will generate greater growth over time.

Learning / New Markets. To establish yourself in a new market segment or determine if it’s viable, send a canvasser into this territory to accomplish a specific task. This will help determine exactly what’s needed to succeed in that market.

4 | Track and Measure Metrics

Sales metrics are invaluable in understanding the success of every sales team within the company, and entire sales department as a whole. They help you to spot trends and determine efficiencies, and inefficiencies, within the company.

With sales enablement platforms like SPOTIO, you can easily pull results for:

• Team performance in relation to your sales funnel
• Data from custom statuses and fields based on KPIs
• Graphs representing team performance, best time and day to knock, etc.
• The number of attempts it takes to establish contacts, get leads and make sales
• This data gives you the information you need in order to assign balanced workloads across your sales team.

Actionable Data and Insight

With the help of territory management technology, sales territory data helps you accurately evaluate sales performance. This information helps you design effective sales compensation plans and ensure your sales teams are performing at their maximum potential.

Clarify ownership in complex organizations

In organizations with large and complex sales teams, roles and responsibilities are often tangled. With effective sales territory planning, territories are made clear from the get-go, ensuring that salespeople are clear about their target audience and not creating confusion for the team or the customer.

Resilience to change and turnover

Organizational changes such as personnel loss, mergers, acquisitions, alliances, and relocations inevitably effect customers and internal teams. With a strong territory management plan, change is easier to manage.

A well-documented sales territory plan allows new team member’s to ramp up quickly and avoid confusion regarding roles and responsibilities.

Team cohesion and morale

Strong territory planning optimizes the role of the team. By assigning complimentary teams to each territory, you create and environment which allows team members to benefit from each other’s strengths, share workload, and also avoid conflict that arises from unclear territories and boundaries.

7 Step Plan to Write a Successful Sales Territory Business Plan

The next logical question is, where do you start? In this section, we’ll provide an overview of each planning step, along with key questions and suggestions. Depending on your offering, industry, company size, or various other factors, you may use some or all these steps when building your territory plan.

1. Analyze your business goals and objectives

The first step to drafting a solid sales territory plan is bringing clarity to your company’s landscape, defining organizational goals, and evaluating industry trends. This is a basic step to ground you and your team on what you’re trying to accomplish with your sales territory plan.

As you go through the subsequent process, you should continually refer back to this data to maintain a pulse on whether your plan accomplishes what you’ve set out to do.

To get the juices flowing, start by answering these key questions:

• What is your organization’s most current vision, mission, and north star objective ?
• What are the key trends in your industry or market?
• What pain do your offerings solve for customers?
• What are your sales goals , in numbers?
• What is your conversion rate? Based on this how many prospects should you have in your funnel at any given time to ensure that you’re meeting your sales goals?
• Are there specific products/services that you are selling more than others? Why?

2. Analyze your prospects and customers

The next step is looking deep into your customer base. In addition to understanding their businesses, challenges, and unique traits, it’s important to identify what makes them unique and what sets them apart from each other.

Key questions to ask yourself include:

• Who are your most profitable and lucrative prospects and customers defined by industry, region, product, etc.?
• What do these customers have in common?
• Which of your prospects or customers offers the most profound growth opportunities for your company?
• What are your customers buying today and what does this tell you about their challenges and opportunities?
• Are their industries you serve with success? Are their industries that you’ve had less success with?
• When customers and prospects object, what is the biggest reason why?

3. Determine your Total Addressable Market

Your Total Addressable Market (TAM) is the entire body of prospects and customers that fit your ideal customer profile. Traditionally, organizations use data including industry, location, size, and revenue to begin mapping their TAM.

While this is still important, technology and tooling makes it easier than ever to identify prospects within your TAM that may not be so obvious.

Using traditional and modern sources, even tools like social media, look for company and industry look-a-likes that may be a suitable candidate for your offering.

Once an ideal customer profile is solidified, the next step is to figure out how large the market opportunity is that fits the description. You may use a matrix to include a range of large and small markets which present large or small opportunities.

While estimating the size of your market used to be a struggle of guesswork and complicated calculations, there are now tools available to businesses to automate the TAM discovery process.

4. Perform a SWOT Analysis

A simple way to evaluate your position in the market is to perform a SWOT (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) analysis. Since we all have blind spots, a SWOT analysis is best performed with the help of a broader team, including other company leadership, as well as members or your sales management and sales rep teams.

• What Strengths will you build upon?
• Which Weaknesses do you need to mitigate?
• Which Opportunities in your marketplace are you suited to take advantage of?
• What Threats in your selling environment will you defend against?

In doing this analysis, you will start to see patterns that indicate areas of your business that require more or less attention for various reasons.

For example , a strength that’s also a large opportunity may need a dedicated territory. On the other hand, an area that aligns to a serious competitive threat may require special attention to protect your company’s place in the industry.

The SWOT characteristics you identify will not always be related to revenue or geography. They may be related to more obscure things like training needs of your sales team, gaps in systems and tools, or even gaps in your products themselves.

Doing this analysis will help you be aware of other ways to think about your business and territories.

5. Determine and Document Sales Territories

Based on the work you perform in the sections above, you should have an idea of how to divide your sales territories. It’s important to document these clearly, outlining details of each territory including things like:

• Geographic Boundaries
• Industry or Segment Boundaries (including any overlap and how that is addressed)
• Revenue Boundaries
• Product Boundaries
• Anything else that may be applicable to your sales organization

6. Devise an Action Plan

Similar to the SWOT analysis, devising an action plan is a group exercise that should include various stakeholders in the company, specifically the leaders of each of your identified territories. Just as well, the action plan should be built to be nimble.

In a world where market opportunities change every day, the sales territory plan should be built to follow, ensuring that your action plan keeps up with changing opportunities and threats.

Gone are the days of an annual territory and action planning session. It’s important that change management is built into the framework to ensure your teams are not caught off guard with changes.

Within each category, you should answer the following questions:

• What is the territory’s quota?
• What is the territory’s quota stretch goal?
• What is the territory’s closed business YTD?
• What is the territory’s gap?
• How much pipeline do I have today?
• What is the territory’s pipeline gap?
• What are my goals for the year?

In addition to the overall territory, you will need to spend time looking at top accounts and where they fit in your territory plan. List top accounts and explain why they are chosen (relationships, industry fit, target profile).  For each, in one sentence, be clear and focused on the outreach strategy.

Next, create an opportunity map and make sure opportunity plans are thorough. What’s the compelling event? Why now? What’s the strategy to engage with a champion and economic buyer? What’s the mutual success plan?

Finally, close out with strategies to build your sales funnel.

In addition to being responsive to external factors, action plans should be reviewed on a quarterly basis to ensure your plan isn’t going stale unintentionally.

7. Track Performance and Stay Adaptable

Once you’ve devised and implemented your territory plan, it’s important to regularly measure success in each territory and adapt as needed.

Metric reviews should happen on a regular, defined cadence such as monthly or quarterly, and should be automated using sales performance tools to avoid making this a manual, costly, and easily avoided overhead.

Measures you put in place will vary based on your unique company situation, but some important measures include:

• Gross Sales

The most obvious measurement of sales success, gross sales is the sum of all sales that a territory carries out during a defined time frame. Gross sales is a useful metric because it shows the ability of sales professionals to make sales, regardless of what the profit margin is on those sales.

Gross Profit

This is the difference between the selling price for a product and the price the business paid to develop the solution. This measurement is important for businesses that want to encourage their sales forces to focus on high profit margins rather than just sales.

• Total Unit Sales

The aggregated number of product units sold within a particular territory, regardless of price, profit or commission. This method of measurement is useful when a company mainly sells a single type of product.

Conversion rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of leads or appointments that result in a sale of some kind. Sales forces with a high sales turnover number are operating at a high level of performance.

• Total Commissions

This is the amount of money the sales representatives for the territory in question take home as personal income. Although this measurement does not directly correlate to the competitiveness or degree of success of the business itself, it is effective to use as a means of motivating members of the sales force to achieve higher numbers.

• Return Customers

A sign of true development and sustainable growth in a sales territory is the tendency of buyers in that territory to come back and buy again.

For this reason, one important measurement to make is the amount of revenue or profit coming from clients who have bought before. This amount may be expressed as a gross number or as a percentage of gross sales, gross profits or commissions. 

With each review, it’s pertinent to ask your leadership whether the data being measures indicates the need for an adjustment to your territory plans. If you’re proactively monitoring and adjusting, you will maintain a plan that keeps you relevant with your customers and industry.

5 Sales Territory Management Best Practices to Follow

Managing a sales territory is a skill that needs constant development. Moreover, you should adjust and adapt to changes in your area. With summer underway, you have half a year left to grow your business. Propeller suggests four sales territory management best practices for you to implement this week.

1. Using a call rotation schedule to keep in touch with accounts

During the strategy phase, you and your team determined how often to call on each account based on their needs.  Also, note whether it is a phone call or an in-person meeting. Put these in a CRM or a calendar to keep your schedule on track.

2. Note the seasonal account trends

Another essential part of managing sales territories you addressed when building strategy was to determine which accounts were the seasonal business. It’s an excellent idea to check in before the season arrives and reconnect, so you are in touch when the account is ready to buy.

3. Keep the focus on the long-term, account-based goals.

New business is fantastic; however, it should not distract from the goals set for the targeted account-based marketing goals you set. Teaching the team to balance new business development with account management is a vital skill for any salesperson.

4. Explore new ways to divide the leads.

Many sales territory plans are set up by geography, and the leads from that area go to that sales territory rep. However, not every sales territory plan needs to be geographical; the location of the lead is not always the best way to go.

In cases where your sales reps do not have in-person meetings, you can try dividing new leads based on account type (i.e., verticals) or the referral source. Some people divide leads based on the product in which the lead is interested or by the size of the account.

5. Look for cross-selling opportunities.

Analyze the products that an account buys and look for natural partner-products or services, i.e., the “Would you like fries with that?” strategy. Many times, customers might not realize that you offer the full suite of products and services and can make their lives easier by ordering from one supplier.

Essential Tools to Plan Your Sales Territories

Like any job, when you are planning sales territories, you need to have the right tools. The right tools will help you plan, build, and execute a sales territory plan. There is a multitude of options available.  Here are three essentials you need to set yourself up for success, improve productivity and close the best deals.

CRM: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a how your company keeps track of its customer information and history. Many CRM applications also offer data analysis to help companies with customer retention and account growth. CRM compile data from several sources, including live chat, social media, and email correspondence, among others.

CRM is a significant source for successful sales territory planning.

Spreadsheet: Spreadsheets are data organizers in a tab form that takes data entered in cells and leverages that into different calculations and values, including simple math as well as complex financial and statistical figures. When you have data from various sources, such as a CRM and online sources as an example, you can assemble all the data available in a spreadsheet for quick access and comprehensive analysis.

GPS: Geo Productivity Software (GPS) are software applications that combine standard geolocation and route optimization functions with CRM data to help salespeople address their most relevant and profitable account first. Moreover, the features help salespeople optimize their selling time with customers instead of traveling to and from customers.

Some of the more sophisticated systems incorporate traffic and weather in the optimization of the scheduling.

A 7-Step Template to Create Profitable Sales Territory Plans

Without a strong sales territory plan, your sales team might become disorganized. As a result, you reps may not produce the best results for your customers or your organization. This is obviously a problem. Fortunately, this seven-step template is the answer! Simply follow the process we outline below to build a profitable sales territory business plan.

1. Analyze Your Business Goals

What do you want your sales territory business plan to achieve? Answer the seven questions below to help define and understand your organization’s objectives in this area:

• What is our current vision?
• What are key trends in our industry?
• What pain do we solve for customers?
• What are our sales goals, in numbers?
• What is our current conversion rate?
• How many prospects do we need?
• Which products/services are most popular?

2. Study Your Customer Base

Now that you know what your goals are, take a moment to study your customers. When you understand this unique group of people, you can serve them more effectively.

• Who are our best customers?
• Which customer segments offer the biggest growth opportunities?
• What challenges and/or opportunities do our customers meet every day?
• Which industries are we most successful in? Which are we least successful in?
• What are the most common objections our sales reps deal with?

3. Determine Your Total Addressable Market

Your Total Addressable Market (TAM) is the entire body of prospects and customers who fit your ideal customer profile. Use this formula to determine your company’s TAM:

• (Total # of Customers) x (Annual Contract Value) = TAM

Imagine you sell machinery to manufacturers in Texas. To find your annual contract value, multiply your average sales price ($1,000) by the average number of sales you make to each customer per year (3). In this scenario, your average contract value is $3,000.

There are roughly 17,000 manufacturers in Texas. So, your TAM would be $51M, because 17,000 manufacturers multiplied by an average contract value of $3,000 equals $51M.

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Ask yourself the following four questions to perform a SWOT analysis for your organization:

• What Strengths can my company build on?
• Which Weaknesses does my company need to mitigate?
• Which Opportunities is my company able to take advantage of?
• What Threats in the industry can my company defend against?

A SWOT analysis will help you determine which sales territories need your immediate attention.

5. Document Your Sales Territories

Now it’s time to either create or redefine your sales territories. Once you’ve taken this step, document the details of each territory to keep things organized. These questions will help:

• What location boundaries define my territories?
• What industry boundaries define my territories?
• What revenue boundaries define my territories?
• What product boundaries define my territories?
• What other boundaries will define my territories?

You’ve almost finished building your profitable sales territory plan. The next thing you need to do is outline specific data points to collect and goals to strive towards for each territory you create.

• What is the territory’s quota?
• What is the territory’s quota stretch goal?
• What is the territory’s closed business YTD?
• What is the territory’s gap?
• What is the territory’s pipeline gap?

7. Track Performance

Finally, take time to evaluate your efforts on a regular basis. That way you know if your territories are performing the way you want them to, and can make necessary changes. To make things easier on your team, commit to tracking a few key metrics, like:

• Gross Profits
• Conversion Rate

5 Ways to Validate a Sales Territory Business Plan

Measuring your progress toward your goal is a crucial part of managing sales. By looking at specific parts of your process, you can determine what is working on your behalf and, perhaps more importantly, what is not.

Here are five questions you should ask to validate a sales territory business plan courtesy of Steve Andersen, President and founder of Performance Methods Incorporated (PMI).

1. Is your growth of strategic customer relationships on target?

It is critical that the customers you focus on provide new sales opportunities and growth, so ensure you picked the correct ones.

2. Are you adding to and advancing the opportunities in your pipeline?

Systems build excellent account management, and every salesperson should have a system for developing and moving accounts through their pipeline.

3. What is your close rate on targeted opportunities?

Close rates are the number of sales you get divided by the presentations you made. For example, if you close three deals for every eight presentations you make, your closing rate (or closing ratio) is 38%. The higher your close rate on targeted opportunities, then the more valid your sales territory business plan is.

4. How accurate is the sales forecast?

The ability to correctly predict the sales your territory will produce is a vital skill for managing a sales territory.

5. Do you have the right resources deployed to help your team?

Managing resources is significant in the overall strategy of a sales team. The right resources along with the right motivating activity can be the key to success in a sales territory business plan. Ensure you have both deployed appropriately.

Sales territories tells salespeople where they can do business. Proper sales territory planning by you and your team can help them take care of business. Work with your team in a collaborative way to help them target the right accounts that give them best results and you have built a foundation for success that benefits the salesperson’s, the company’s and your bottom-line.

And who doesn’t want that?

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Sales - 8 min READ

How to create a sales territory plan: A step-by-step guide

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Copper Staff

Contributors from members of the Copper team

An effective sales territory management plan can make your team more productive, improve customer coverage, increase overall sales, and reduce costs.

On the other hand, unbalanced sales territory plans and constant changes in territory division can hurt productivity as well as working relationships between clients and account managers.

That’s why it’s so important to work on your sales territory management strategy, whether you’re just starting one, or updating an existing plan.

In this post, we'll go through how to create a sales territory plan step-by-step:

• Define your market, analyze, and segment existing customers.
• Conduct a SWOT analysis.
• Set goals and create targets.
• Develop strategies.
• Review and track your results.

What is a sales territory plan?

A sales territory plan is a strategic approach to targeting the right customers, setting goals for revenue, and achieving consistent sales growth over time.

Traditionally, sales territories were divided based on geographical location, but today, they often include various industries, customer types, and other segments.

Follow these steps to create a sales territory plan:

The best way to start a sales territory plan is to first look at your customers, leads and prospects.

1. Define your market, analyze, and segment existing customers.

You should split up your customers into segments based on various characteristics such as: industry, location, purchase history and whatever else is relevant to the organization.

Ask yourself, “Who are the top customers, prospects and leads?” Categorize your customers into three groups.

• The first group should be your best customers , or the ones who require little effort.
• This is followed by the second group of customers: the ones who require a bit more work , but only those you are confident have potential revenue gain that justifies the extra work required by sales reps.
• The third group should be customers who require a lot of work .

With these groups formed, you can decide how to best use your resources in sales territory management.

To discover what key trends are in your geography or market, look over the sales data that’s already been collected. Analyze the data to find which sales territories show signs of growth and then assign them to the sales reps who would be most successful based on their strengths (more on that below).

Pro-tip: Learn about the best territory mapping software out there.

You can also use existing sales data from previous years to better understand buying patterns, but you'll have to do some additional research to learn why they are purchasing (or not), when they purchase, what drives the sale to go through and what the conversion rates are.

From this, you’ll learn how and when to reach out to your customers based on when they're likely ready to buy again, and how to really drive that sale home.

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2. Conduct a SWOT analysis.

Next, you should identify your sales team’s internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats with what is known as a SWOT analysis.

A SWOT analysis is a process that identifies internal and external factors that can affect the organization’s performance. When you have a better understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, you can develop a stronger sales territory plan.

Everyone brings different talent and skills to the job, so it’s important to have a good understanding of what your team has to offer to help them excel and reach your goals. What strengths will you build on? What is your team good at? Where do they excel?

Consider them as a team, but also think about sales reps' individual strengths. After all, strengths aren’t just confined to team members; they reflect the organization as a whole too.

Knowing everybody’s strengths will help you decide which sales reps to assign to which territory.

Potential strengths might include:

• A diverse customer base
• An established distribution base
• An excellent service team

Which weaknesses do you need to respond to? Think about weaknesses amongst your team, but also in the sales process.

• A very large geographic area
• A lack of time to develop understanding of the products, markets and selling process
• Not understanding your customers' real needs

Opportunities

Are there any opportunities in your marketplace you can take advantage of? This data can also be discovered using CRM software.

• Untapped markets
• Under-served territories
• Growing demand for product or service

Take a look at the biggest threats in each territory and consider what threats in your selling environment you'll defend against.

Some threats you may discover include:

• Competitors fighting for the same market share
• Changes in technology
• New industry and regulatory standards

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3. set goals and create targets..

In order to make a successful sales territory plan, you must create clear parameters and realistic goals for the team as well as individual sales reps’ territories.

To do this, consolidate the trends you’ve discovered above to come up with S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based) goals and realistic targets.

Here are some questions you may ask:

How many new opportunities do you need to meet quota?

Having sales quotas are a great way to motivate sales reps, but if you find you're not meeting those quotas, you have a problem. There could be weaknesses in the sales pipeline, or you may need to seek new opportunities. In order to set goals and benchmarks for the team, consider using the top-down approach .

Using the top-down approach to sales quotas (where you set a goal for the period and then assign sales quotas to support this goal), you can go over the data from previous periods to get an idea of what your team was able to accomplish in the past and what a realistic goal for the future is. This can help you decide how many new opportunities you'll need to pursue in order to meet that goal.

Where do most of your leads come from? Which geographical regions should you concentrate on?

There are a number of ways to review customizable data using CRM software to discover where your leads are coming from. This can help you target areas of interest.

Which products or services are most profitable? Who is purchasing them?

Again, CRM software can automatically capture sales data and put it to work.

Which opportunities should we focus on?

Copper’s detailed reporting gives you insights into which areas of your sales territory are generating the most leads and revenue. With this information, you can better allocate resources, set clear goals for your team, and make data-driven decisions about where to concentrate your efforts.

Managing sales territories also involves staying on top of multiple moving parts, but Copper CRM makes it much easier. With Copper, you can organize your sales process in a Pipelin e to ensure no leads fall through the cracks, especially for creative agencies that frequently handle project quotes.

For example, you can set up repeatable sales stages like Project Discovery → Scoping → Proposal → Negotiation, which help your team follow a structured process. This ensures that each proposal is tracked, follow-ups are handled, and nothing gets lost in the shuffle. Copper can also keep your team updated on the status of each project, so you always know which stage your leads are in and can adjust your focus as needed.

By building a repeatable process with Copper, you’ll ensure smoother project management and more successful sales territory management.

4. Develop strategies to accomplish your goals.

With clear customer segments and goals in place, it’s time to create strategies to succeed.

Using the information collected so far, you can now work out an even distribution of specific regions or markets among individual reps.

The SWOT analysis mentioned above gives you a better idea of how to best assign your team members’ skills and talents to a territory.

The customer segments will help you figure out how often different accounts should be contacted and how to contact them.

Consider the following questions when creating your strategy:

• How will you go through current accounts?
• How can you leverage current successes?
• How will you generate new leads?
• Where do you need to improve?
• What does your team need in order to reach their goals and targets?

In addition, consider your resources:

• What resources do your sales reps need in order to manage their accounts?
• Which sales reps have the skills or connections you need?
• Are there any external resources you can use to help?

When creating your action plan, don’t forget to look at what your high-leverage actions are, what resources are needed, due dates and key milestones.

5. Review and track your results.

The final step in managing sales territories is to continuously review and track your results. Regular monitoring ensures that your sales territory plan remains effective and allows you to make adjustments as needed.

Key metrics to track:

• Sales Growth: Are sales increasing or decreasing in specific territories?
• Sales Rep Performance: Are all sales reps meeting their quotas and managing their leads effectively?
• Territory Costs: Are there any territories that require more resources or adjustments in strategy?

Using CRM software can significantly enhance your ability to manage sales territories by providing real-time data and insights. With tools like Copper , you can automatically compile reports, monitor progress, and fine-tune your sales territory plan to maximize efficiency.

Use a CRM to help create a killer sales territory plan.

Many organizations use CRM software to better gather data without depleting resources. CRMs allow sales reps to access insights into your pipelines, revenue forecasts , sales goals and progress and much more.

The best part: all of this data can be automatically compiled into reports used to create your sales territory plan, freeing up more time for your sales team to focus on building long-lasting relationships within their territories.

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5 Steps to Create a Sales Territory Plan + Templates + Examples

• February 5, 2024

Are you ready to revolutionize your sales approach? 

This isn’t just another article; it’s your key to mastering sales territory planning. 

In the competitive world of sales, having a well-crafted territory plan isn’t just nice to have – it’s essential . 

This guide is packed with insights and strategies that could mean the difference between meeting your targets and exceeding them. 

We’re revealing the secrets to effective territory management , the kind that transforms good salespeople into great ones. 

By missing out on this, you’re leaving untapped potential on the table. 

Let’s dive in and discover how to enhance your sales game, outperform your competition, and achieve results you’ve only dreamed of.

What is a Sales Territory?

A sales territory refers to a specific geographical area or group of customers that a sales team or individual salesperson manages. 

Think of it as your playing field in the world of sales. In this territory, you’re in charge of all the selling activities, from initial contact to closing deals. It’s not just about where you sell, but also who you sell to .

Effective sales territory planning ensures that you’re targeting the right customers and making the most out of your area. It’s a blend of strategy and practicality, where designing sales territories becomes a key part of your success. 

Managing a sales territory means you’re at the helm, steering your sales strategy and making sure your territory sales plan is on track. It’s like being the captain of your own ship, navigating through the market’s waters. 

When done right, this approach leads to efficient territory management, helping you grow your business and achieve your sales objectives . Remember, every territory is unique, so tailoring your approach to fit its specific needs is crucial.

Step 1: Territory Analysis

Territory analysis is your first crucial step in formulating a sales territory plan. This involves a detailed exploration of your assigned area , much like a detective uncovering insights. Focus on understanding the demographics and market opportunities. 

Conduct a SWOT analysis tailored to your sales territory to pinpoint strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This critical analysis lays the groundwork for your entire sales strategy, helping you identify key areas for potential growth and improvement. 

By thoroughly understanding your territory, you’re better equipped to plan and achieve your sales objectives effectively.

Best Practices in Analyzing Your Territory

When it comes to analyzing your sales territory, diving in with a clear plan is key. This is where the best practices in territory analysis come into play. These are your golden rules, guiding you to make the most out of your sales territory planning. It’s like having a roadmap in the complex world of sales territory management.

Here are the best practices to keep in mind:

• Understand Your Market : Get to know who's buying what in your area. It's all about grasping the customer demographics and behavior.
• Evaluate Your Competition : Keep an eye on who you're up against. Knowing your competitors helps you strategize better.
• Identify Opportunities for Growth : Look for untapped markets or potential areas for expansion within your territory.
• Use SWOT Analysis : Assess the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in your territory. It's an invaluable tool for strategic planning.
• Leverage Data and Tools : Utilize data analytics and territory mapping tools. They're like your high-tech compass in navigating the sales landscape.
• Set Clear, Achievable Goals : Based on your analysis, set realistic and measurable targets.

Remember, analyzing your territory effectively sets the stage for a successful sales strategy. It’s all about being thorough, strategic, and proactive. The better you understand your territory, the better your chances of hitting those sales targets.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Sales Territories

This step in your sales journey is setting up your sales territories, a pivotal move in your territory planning strategy. It’s like laying the groundwork for a successful sales campaign. 

Here, you’re not just mapping areas; you’re strategically designing sales territories to maximize efficiency and reach.

Consider these steps:

• Define Territory Boundaries : Start by establishing clear boundaries for each territory. This helps in creating manageable and focused areas for your sales efforts.
• Analyze Customer Distribution : Look at where your customers are located to ensure your sales resources are targeting the right areas.
• Assess Market Potential : Evaluate the market potential in each territory. This involves understanding the demand and growth opportunities in each area.
• Balance Workload : Make sure each territory has a balanced workload. This is crucial for maintaining efficiency and preventing burnout.
• Align with Sales Goals : Each territory should support your overall sales objectives, contributing to the larger goals of your sales strategy.

This step is crucial for effective sales territory management. It’s about making sure every area has what it needs to succeed. Done right, it sets the stage for achieving your sales targets, ensuring each part of your sales territory is primed for success.

Step 3: Developing a Territory Business Plan and Sales Strategy

This step is where you dive into developing a territory business plan and crafting your sales strategy. This is where your planning takes shape, turning analysis and structure into actionable goals . It’s about plotting your course to sales success. 

You’ll start by setting clear, specific objectives for your sales territory. Think about what you want to achieve and how you’ll get there. Next, you’ll tailor your sales tactics to fit the unique needs of your territory. 

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach; it’s about customizing your strategy to maximize your territory’s potential . You’ll also need to think about resource allocation. This means deciding where to focus your time and efforts for the best results. And don’t forget about monitoring progress. 

Keeping track of your achievements and setbacks will help you adjust your strategy as needed. In essence, this step is your blueprint for territory success, guiding your actions and decisions towards your sales goals.

Step 4: Implementing and Managing Your Sales Territory

This step is about putting your sales territory plan into motion. This is the execution phase, where you activate your strategies . 

Begin by launching marketing campaigns and reaching out to customers. Your focus is on effectively deploying your sales team to the right places at the right times. As you manage your territory, stay responsive to customer needs and adapt to market changes quickly . 

This stage is critical for seeing your plan take effect and for setting the stage for reaching your sales targets. Successful implementation and management of your sales territory are key to driving growth and staying competitive.

Step 5: Measuring and Adjusting the Plan

The last step is all about measuring and adjusting your plan. Once you’ve set your sales territory strategy in motion, it’s crucial to keep track of how things are going . Think of this as the fine-tuning stage. 

You’re not just running with a plan; you’re constantly evaluating and tweaking it for better results. Start by monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs). These are your checkpoints to ensure you’re on the right path.

Key KPIs to track include:

• Sales Volume : Check if sales are meeting your targets.
• Customer Acquisition Rates : Measure how effectively you're gaining new customers.
• Customer Retention Rates : Track how well you're keeping existing customers.
• Revenue Growth : Monitor the growth in revenue from your territory.
• Market Share : See how your share in the market is evolving.

If the numbers aren’t adding up, it’s time to adjust your sails. This might mean reallocating resources, changing your sales approach, or even revising your targets. 

Remember, flexibility is key in sales territory management. It’s about responding swiftly to market changes and customer feedback. By measuring and adjusting, you ensure that your sales territory plan remains effective and aligned with your overall business goals.

Sales Territory Plan Templates and Examples

Creating a top-notch sales territory plan can be much easier when you have the right templates and examples at your disposal. Think of these as your cheat sheets to success.

For New Market Entries

When entering a new market, focus on detailed market analysis and initial customer engagement strategies. Your plan should help you understand the unique demographic traits, preferences, and economic conditions of the new area. 

Tailor your approach to align with these insights, identifying effective marketing channels and initial sales tactics. This stage is about establishing a strong foothold and making a positive first impression in an unfamiliar market.

Here’s a template:

For Growing Existing Markets

To expand in an existing market, emphasize customer retention and growth. Your strategy should include personalized marketing, loyalty programs, and exceptional customer service. 

Look for untapped segments within the market, considering product diversification or new sales channels. The goal is to solidify and expand your presence, building on existing customer relationships while attracting new clientele.

For Reviving Underperforming Territories

For underperforming territories, adopt a focused turnaround strategy. Conduct a thorough analysis to pinpoint the causes of poor performance. Reevaluate your market positioning, sales approach, and customer engagement tactics. 

The plan should guide you in implementing innovative strategies to revitalize your presence in these areas, aiming to boost sales and improve overall territory performance.

Advanced Strategies and Future Trends in Territory Planning

Staying ahead in territory planning means embracing advanced strategies and keeping an eye on future trends. It’s about being one step ahead in the game. As you refine your approach, consider these cutting-edge tactics:

• Data-Driven Decision Making : Leverage big data and analytics to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and market trends.
• AI and Machine Learning : Use AI tools to predict market changes and customer needs, enhancing your strategy's responsiveness.
• Customized Customer Experiences : Tailor your sales and marketing efforts to provide personalized experiences for each customer segment.
• Integration of Digital Platforms : Utilize digital tools for more efficient territory management and customer engagement.
• Sustainability Focus : Incorporate eco-friendly practices and products to align with growing environmental concerns.

These strategies not only keep you competitive but also position you as a forward-thinking leader in territory planning. Embracing these trends ensures that your sales territory plan stays relevant and effective in an ever-evolving market landscape. 

Remember, the future of territory planning is about being adaptable, innovative, and customer-centric.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sales Territory Plan

When it comes to crafting a stellar sales territory plan, you might have a few questions up your sleeve. Let’s tackle some common queries that we haven’t touched on yet.

How do you balance territories to ensure fairness among sales reps?

Balancing territories is key to keeping your sales team motivated and fair. Start by analyzing customer potential and the workload required in each territory . Use data to assess factors like the number of potential customers, average sales cycle length, and historical sales data. 

Then, aim to distribute these factors evenly among territories. This might mean dividing a large, high-potential area into smaller sections or combining smaller, lower-potential areas. Regular reviews and adjustments are essential to maintain balance as market conditions and team dynamics change.

What's the role of technology in sales territory planning?

Technology is a game-changer in sales territory planning. With advanced CRM systems , you can track customer interactions, sales patterns, and market trends with precision. 

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping software help in visualizing territories and optimizing routes for sales reps. AI and machine learning can forecast sales trends and identify untapped market opportunities. 

Embracing these technologies leads to more informed decisions, greater efficiency, and enhanced sales performance.

Can a sales territory plan be too detailed?

While detail is crucial in a sales territory plan, there’s a fine line between thorough and overly complicated. A plan that’s too detailed can become rigid and difficult to adapt to market changes. 

The key is to strike a balance – provide enough detail to guide your sales team but leave room for flexibility. Include clear objectives, strategies, and KPIs, but be open to adjustments based on real-time market feedback and sales performance. 

A flexible, adaptable plan is often more effective than one that’s meticulously detailed.

Key Takeaways in Mastering Sales Territory Plan

Let’s quickly recap our journey in creating a successful sales territory plan. It all starts with thorough territory analysis – getting to know your area inside out . 

Then, you move on to setting up your territories, carefully mapping each area to ensure success. The next phase involves developing a strategic business plan, which is your roadmap for achieving sales targets .

The real action begins with implementing and managing your plan, ensuring every strategy is effectively put into practice . Equally important is measuring and adjusting your plan to keep up with market changes and performance.

We also touched on the importance of using specific templates and examples for different scenarios, like new market entries or reviving lagging territories. Advanced strategies like leveraging technology and data are crucial for staying ahead.

Lastly, we tackled some common questions, emphasizing the need for balance , the role of technology, and avoiding overly detailed plans.

In short, a great sales territory plan is all about strategic planning, effective execution, and ongoing adaptation. Keep these points in mind, and you’ll be on track to hitting those sales targets.

Edgar Abong

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How to create an effective sales territory plan in 6 steps

Some experts say that the secret to sales success is a combination of skill, perseverance, and a good sales conversation starter . And they’re right—those are all important attributes for salespeople. But it overlooks what is possibly the most important factor in sales success—which happens before a meeting is even booked: your sales territory plan. 

If you’re running a small business , you may wonder why you need a sales territory plan. After all, it sounds complicated—something for bigger, more sophisticated organizations.

But think of that plan as the important strategic groundwork that’s going to help you reach your sales goals. The good news is that yours doesn’t need to be complicated. And we’re here to help you create one, headache-free, for your small business or team.  

Let’s break it down. In this post we’ll cover: 

• What a sales territory plan is
• 4 reasons why you need one

How to create a sales territory plan in 6 steps

• Essential tools for creating the plan

Up your sales game and close more deals with these free cold outreach scripts. ☎️

What is a sales territory plan?

Basically, it’s your strategy for how your team will target and approach prospects, leads, and existing customers to close more deals. Before you jump into your fancy sales territory mapping software , you need a battle plan:

An example of a sales territory plan from Adaptive Insights that shows things like which sales reps (and how many reps) you need, how many accounts you want to win per year, and more.

Traditionally—and as its name tells you—the sales territory plan was defined by geography. Salespeople would focus on prospects within a specific area only. 

Today’s level of connectivity has changed that. You can now optimize your sales territory plan and target your leads by industry, business size, deal potential, and role too. Which, as you might guess, is much more effective than using geography alone. 

Thank you for your interest in RingCentral.

4 reasons why even small businesses need a sales territory plan

You’d never walk into a sales meeting with a prospect without having done a decent amount of prep work. Creating a sales territory plan should be no different. Here’s why. 

1. It helps you target specific industries, regions, opportunities, and customers

Instead of targeting customers geographically, you can now segment opportunities by industry, opportunity, role, business size, business type, and others. This allows you to focus on meeting specific customer needs and target prospects that are most likely to buy, rather than simply playing a numbers game by trying to cover the most ground. 

2. It aligns your sales team with your prospects

Every salesperson on your team will have a different set of strengths based on their experience—and effective teamwork is the key to making this work. For example, some reps may have lots of experience selling to a specific demographic, whereas others are experts in certain industries or types of products. Being able to align their efforts with a customer’s industry or specific needs means they’re going to close more deals than taking the spray-and-pray approach.

3. It empowers you to set realistic goals, track progress, and optimize your strategy

Having the latest Bluetooth headset and sales software is great and all, but setting goals are a must in sales. Having a way to track them helps you see what’s working, what isn’t, and why—and it’s essential to your success. With the ability to track your progress, you can replicate successes and easily make adjustments to areas that need work. 

4. It lets you spend more time selling

Having a plan in place and a path forward means you and your team can focus on actually selling to customers that are the most likely to buy. You know who your happy customers are, you understand their challenges, and you know how to help them reach their goals. And that means more deals closed. 

Having a plan in place can help reps focus on their role, save time, and close more deals.

Now that you know what a sales territory plan is, let’s dive into how to write one in five basic steps. 

1. Define your larger sales goals

Before you have a plan, you need a goal (or goals). And there are many different approaches you can take to determine sales goals. But we want to keep it simple, realistic, and easy to do without needing a 10,000-cell spreadsheet. Start with the big sales numbers and then work your way downwards. First, determine what your annual goal is, then break that into quarters, months, and even weeks. 

For example, if your annual sales goal is $500K, then your quarterly goals will be $125K, and your monthly targets will be $41.7K.

If you’re not sure what your annual goal should be, last year’s sales numbers plus ten percent is a good place to start. (Of course, if things are going really well and you want to be more ambitious, you can adjust this number—and vice versa.)

Keep in mind that these numbers are just preliminary. You can adjust them later when you’ve completed the other steps and accounted for outside factors like economic conditions, seasonality, existing pipeline, and even current customers.

2. Define your market 

What does your piece of the pie look like? Your market encompasses everyone you sell to. 

Make a list of all the different people or industries you target. For business-to-business sales, this could be business type and size, departmental function, or roles within the organization. For business-to-consumer sales, you can segment based on demographic, psychographic, behavioral, and geographic information. 

Ultimately, you’ll need to determine how to segment your customers based on the what’s relevant to your business or product. 

An example of how to segment B2C customers

Defining your market lets you paint a clear picture of who your customers are. It allows your sales team to play to their strengths and address specific needs, goals, and pain points, which will differ between these different segments. 

3. Assess prospect and account quality

Some customers will see tons of value in your product. The benefits are clear and it solves a big headache for them. They’re happy to buy a lot of what you’re selling, and often.

But, others may not have the same need. 

Review which customers have traditionally been easy to sell to and/or seen high levels of success with your product. Then prioritize those leads and similar accounts. 

4. Start mapping out the strengths and weaknesses of your reps

Some reps have a great understanding of the ins and outs of how enterprise organizations buy products and take on new vendors. Others will specialize in selling to people within a specific role, regardless of the size of the business. List all of the strengths and weaknesses of each sales rep so you have a better idea of the type of prospects they should target.

Keep in mind that it’s not about ranking them from best to worst—many sales reps who start out weak can finish strong with coaching and experience. It’s about aligning their skills and experience to where they’ll make the biggest impact and achieve the most success.  

5. Assign leads

Armed with the knowledge of where your reps shine, you can now start assigning accounts. Start with the most obvious, high-value pairings where the rep has a lot of experience selling to that industry or type of individual. For example, reps who are good at closing large deals with educational institutions would be assigned leads in the educational space. 

Next, assign leads to target roles. Reps who have experience working with or selling to IT managers would be assigned leads with similar titles. 

Apply the same process to company size, deal size, location, and any other way you segmented your market. 

How you organize this information is up to you. Some people use spreadsheets. Some use text documents. Others use illustrations and graphs. A mix of charts, maps, and tables will give you a pretty comprehensive and easy-to-absorb view of your territory plan:

6. Look for ways to improve your plan

Congrats—your sales territory plan is just about done. Your goals are more than just numbers on a page. And you can see a path to how you’re going to achieve them. But you may notice that it’s a bit lopsided. Perhaps some of your reps are carrying too much of the workload or the quotas don’t seem realistic. 

The truth is, you may go through several iterations of your plan. You’ll have to move leads around to different reps. For example, giving your stronger reps leads that will be harder to close, and newer reps lower value deals where there’s less at stake. Ultimately, the numbers should be achievable for every rep. So take a step back and look at your plan objectively to make sure it makes sense.

And you’ll need to make sure you have the tools you’ll need to execute your plan. For example, do you have a business phone service, call center management system , or IVR system?

Essential tools for building your sales territory plan

With your plan in hand and a clear path to success, you’re going to need a few tools to put things into action.  

Office software

Whether you’re a visual person who prefers to map out your territory plan using images and graphs or you’re the type that likes to dive into every row and column of a spreadsheet, you’re going to need office software to turn your plan into a document. Office software usually includes apps for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation decks, and email. The two most popular options available right now are probably Microsoft 365  and Google Workspace .

What’s the difference? Without diving into a feature-by-feature comparison , Google Workspace is often better for small- and medium-sized businesses who are looking for a simple, elegant solution. Microsoft 365 has more robust, enterprise-grade features that can be used for more complex businesses. 

An all-in-one communications tool designed for sales teams

This may seem like a no-brainer—if you’re selling, of course you need to have a phone, email address. Perhaps you need a business phone number , a toll free number , conference call services , and contact center software , along with SMS and fax (if you’re selling in industries like insurance). 

But if your reps spend any time traveling to meetings and working on the go, a traditional office phone setup isn’t going to support them very well. You’ll also be missing out on a few key features that are made specifically for helping sales teams. 

Ideally, you should have a sales app that lets you make voice calls and video calls (especially useful if you do a lot of sales demos ), send instant messages to your team, and basically communicate through any channel you need. Here are a few features to look for: 

Cloud support : Having a phone system or communications app that works on the cloud is much better than just using a cell phone. Why? Because your reps can receive inbound calls and make calls from their laptops or their own personal phones (without using their personal numbers)—without needing additional hardware. Plus, that same app lets you have video calls and send instant messages to your team:

Call monitoring : Ramping up new sales reps can take time and a lot of coaching. What if you could monitor your team’s sales calls quietly and listen in to what they’re saying to prospects? This way, you can help get them up to speed and get them booking meetings, pitching better, and closing deals faster. 

Call recording : Every now and then, you’ll want to make an example of your agents (in the best way possible, of course). Call recording lets you capture their best calls and share them with the team, making it easier to replicate success. It’s also a good way to find opportunities for coaching. Sometimes, you’re also just required by law to keep records of calls with customers, so this feature might even be a must-have. 

A customer relationship management (CRM) platform 

Your team will be making calls, booking meetings, and taking notes all day long. A CRM makes it a whole lot easier to remember and track all the key details about their calls and prospects, so they can close more deals. 

To make things even easier, many CRMs integrate with communications tools to keep your calls and key customer details in one, well-organized place. 

Ready to start building a sales territory plan?

Making a sales territory plan may seem complicated. And in some cases, it is—whether you’re a large business with territories all over the world or a smaller business that’s just started branching out into new regions. 

The key is to not overthink things. Follow these steps, and you’ll be able to identify your goals, better understand your market, know your customers—and target them without breaking (too much of) a sweat.

Originally published Mar 01, 2020, updated Aug 15, 2024

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Sales territory planning: The five minute territory plan and template

What is a sales territory plan?

The number one issue for sales leaders today is – pipeline, pipeline, pipeline. How’s your pipeline looking? What’s your pipeline coverage gap look like? Well, we got you covered.

We have proven ways to quickly build self-sourced pipeline and progress pipeline faster too. It all starts with planning – territory planning. Sales territory planning is a proven way to empower sales teams to prioritize accounts and activities to generate more pipeline and close more deals – faster.

A sales territory plan is a strategic document that outlines how a sales team will approach and manage sales activities within a specific geographic area or market segment. The primary goal of a sales territory plan is to optimize the allocation of resources, increase sales effectiveness, and achieve revenue targets within the assigned territory. A territory plan serves as a roadmap for a salesperson and sales team, guiding their efforts and helping them stay focused on achieving success within their assigned territory.

Territory planning offers several benefits to organizations, sales teams and salespeople. Here are some of the advantages.

• Clear sales objectives
• I ncrease sales and revenue
• Increase sales efficiency
• Develop more self-sourced pipeline
• Optimize resource allocation
• Improved focus and activity prioritization
• Better customer relationships
• Deeper understanding of customer and market needs
• Improved customer retention and growth
• Enhanced team collaboration

The five minute sales territory plan

We believe there’s nothing better than old school, back to basics, sales territory analysis, planning and prospecting. Here’s a short talk outlining how to get your team embracing territory planning as a path to create self-sourced demand. Imagine what would happen to your business and pipeline if every seller documented their own territory plan and then video recorded a short and thoughtful five minute version of it?

We call this the “Five Minute Territory Plan.”

Reps love the 5 minute territory plan:

“I found recording my sales territory plans to be such an illuminating experience. It helped me identify gaps in my strategy, evaluate what I was saying and why I was saying it. The AI was real time and the feedback was spot on. I feel I’m better for it and looking forward to doing more”. – Ben

Turn territory planning into an i nteractive experience for your sales teams by making everyone part of the process and accountable for results. I believe our quota carrying, revenue generating sales executives need to own self-sourcing pipeline. Territory planning is the way to reinvigorate it. Here are the secrets to making “territory planning and prospecting” a revenue generating peer activity appreciated versus criticized.

• Have vision and leadership to make it part of your sales culture
• Make territory plans relevant, short, and accessible to share best practices
• Do sales territory planning quarterly or even monthly

Vision and leadership make it happen

Companies that embrace the idea of video recording territory planning with Sales Enablement Platform on a regular basis, with peer reviews, are seeing tremendous increases in self-sourced pipeline and improvements in new hire time to ramp. Think about it. Imagine if every new hire had access to stack-ranked video recordings of territory plans grouped by tenure. What would happen to your team’s time to first deal and time to ramp metrics? The power and value of crowdsourcing is incredible. We all know that some of us are great at planning and others aren’t so great. Making territory planning a team sport is a chance to get everyone to learn how to plan like those who do it best. It takes vision to turn crowdsourcing territory plans into culture. It takes work to align teams on expectations. It takes discipline to make it stick.

Make the plan relevant, short, and accessible

Here are the basics of a sales territory plan proven to create pipeline and generate revenue fast. Start by sharing a territory planning template that’s relevant and short. Click here to download our template. Turn the territory plan into a collaborative business review.

Have your team document the facts of the territory and goals.

Then, move into top prioritizing accounts to prospect. Prioritize top accounts and explain why they are chosen (relationships, industry fit, target profile). For each, in one sentence, be clear and focused on the outreach strategy.

If some of the accounts are ready, have your teams create an opportunity plan and make sure opportunity plans are thorough. It doesn’t take much to know if there is a plan in place.

• What’s the compelling event?
• What’s the strategy to engage with a champion and economic buyer?
• What’s the mutual success plan?

We’re not doing deep detailed reviews. You can also follow a MEDDICC/MEDDPICC deal review format too.

Close out the plan with strategies to build pipeline. Don’t forget that we’re living in a 3X or even 5X pipeline-ratio world. Putting “pen to paper” on these territory statistics makes it super clear what needs to get done, to earn a spot on the beach celebrating club.

That’s the flow of the five slide and “Five Minute Territory Plan” template. Download the template now .

The benefits AI and sales territory plans

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can significantly enhance the effectiveness of sales territory planning by providing advanced analytics, automation, insights and coaching. Here are several ways in which AI can assist in sales territory planning:

Data Analysis and Insights: AI can analyze vast amounts of data, including customer demographics, purchasing behavior, and market trends, to provide valuable insights into each territory’s potential.

Customer Segmentation: AI algorithms can perform advanced customer segmentation based on various factors, enabling sales teams to target specific customer groups with tailored approaches.

Automation of Routine Tasks: AI can automate routine and repetitive tasks, such as data entry, report generation, and administrative activities. This allows sales teams to focus more on strategic planning and customer engagement. SalesHood’s AI Call Recaps and AI Coach are great examples.

Content recommendations: AI-driven personalization can enhance sales effectiveness within each territory by tailoring campaigns to the specific preferences and needs of local customers.Recommendation engines can suggest personalized offers and content, increasing the relevance of marketing materials.

Coaching: AI-powered collaboration platforms facilitate communication and knowledge-sharing among sales team members working in different territories.

A great use of AI is to provide coaching feedback to salespeople in real-time on their sales territory plans. The power of AI with territory planning is that you will make your review process more effective and efficient. It’s a game-changer for sales leaders, sales managers and sellers. Here are the benefits of using AI to inspect, review and coach territory plans:

• Reps and team show up ready for team reviews
• 10X review volume and quality
• Coaching in the moment

Here’s a video explaining the benefits of using AI to coach sellers and provide feedback – especially relevant for account and territory reviews.

Overcome territory planning objections and barriers

For many, sales territory planning is not perceived as a revenue generating and pipeline building activity. It’s our job as managers and coaches to guide our teams to breakthrough these barriers. Here are some questions to pose during a team meeting, kickoff event or one-on-one.

• What limiting beliefs are holding us back?
• What do we have to do to achieve greatness?
• How do we need to grow personally and professionally?
• How should we think differently?
• What behaviors need to develop, change, and evolve?

Sales territory planning cadence

Given the sales territory plan template is short, forward thinking leaders are building monthly and quarterly territory planning cadence. The short plans get sellers to focus on strategy and execution versus too much time filling out slides that aren’t relevant. We want to see more sellers take the time to be thoughtful about their plan and business. What we love most about this process is getting everyone to limit their territory planning to five minutes. Less is more. Less slides and less words is hard to accomplish.. We’ve learned when territory planning video recordings are five minutes or less (and accessible), sellers will invest the time to watch up to fifteen peer territory plans. We have also witnessed that with AI sellers are taking time to get feedback multiple times on their plans before submitting for approval by their managers.

The process and benefits apply to account planning too. If you want to learn more about Account Planning, here’s another blog you can read . You can scale Territory Planning and Account Planning with our AI Coach .

We have proven ways to quickly build self-sourced pipeline and progress pipeline faster too. Sharing hyper-personalized sites to educate and elevate prospecting outreach is working wonders for many of our customers.

✅ 60% pipeline conversion ✅ Win-rates are up 2X ✅ Deal velocity up 15% ✅ Deal size up 400%

Who doesn’t want these results? Click here to learn more and start a free trial.

How does SalesHood help with territory planning?

SalesHood is an AI-powered revenue execution platform designed to support various aspects of sales effectiveness, including training, coaching, and collaboration. SalesHood plays a role in facilitating certain aspects of the sales territory planning process including planning, prospecting and personalization. Here’s how SalesHood can contribute:

Training and onboarding: SalesHood provides a platform for creating and delivering training content. For sales teams involved in territory planning, this can be valuable for onboarding new team members or ensuring that existing team members are up-to-date on the latest strategies and approaches related to territory management.

Content creation and best practice sharing: SalesHood allows organizations to create and share content related to sales strategies, market insights, and best practices. This can be useful in the context of territory planning by providing a centralized repository for information that can be accessed by sales teams as they plan and execute strategies within their assigned territories.

Collaboration and communication: The collaboration features of SalesHood facilitate communication and knowledge-sharing among sales team members. This can be beneficial for coordinating activities within and across territories, allowing teams to share insights, success stories, and challenges.

Coaching and feedback: SalesHood supports coaching and feedback mechanisms, enabling managers and peers to provide guidance to sales representatives. This can be particularly useful in the context of territory planning, where feedback can help refine strategies and improve performance.

Hyper-personalized prospecting with Client Sites: Guide sellers what to do, what to share and what to say with hyper-personalized prospecting. There’s so much noise out there. Rise above the crowd with a differentiated and personalized approach to prospecting. We have proven ways to quickly build self-sourced pipeline and progress pipeline faster too. Sharing hyper-personalized sites to educate and elevate prospecting outreach is working wonders for many of our customers. Salesforce says that only 29% of sellers use videos to prospect. SalesLoft reports that using video to prospect can lead to a 26% higher response rate compared to simple email text.

SalesHood complements the sales territory planning process by providing a platform for ongoing learning, collaboration, and prospecting. Integrating SalesHood with other tools and processes tailored to territory planning can create a more comprehensive and effective approach to sales management and pipeline development.

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The Complete 30-60-90 Day Plan for a New Sales Territory (Plus Templates for Interviews and Managers)

Oct 11, 2020

A new sales position can be daunting. After all, you’ve just been entrusted with a big bucket of potential, and it’s your job to turn it into gold (. . . or revenue, but you get it). It’s your name on the spreadsheet, your prospects to win or lose, and your commissions for the taking.

Working with new leadership can be daunting too, since they want to make sure that you are on the same page with the company. It’s hard to prove that you are doing your job while you are still trying to learn the ropes and your metrics need time to line up with your colleagues.

No pressure, right?

During these critical early days, a game plan is essential. An organized schedule can help you prioritize all the vital tasks and adapt to your new environment. That’s where 30-60-90 day sales plans come into the picture.

A sales plan can help you figure out exactly how you will best execute your new position. For sales reps, it also helps take the pressure off of sales management with clear timelines and goals that they can monitor. For leadership, coming up with the right sales plan will make sure that sales reps are completing what they need to be successful and ensures that everyone is on the same page.

We’re going to show you how to build out a strategy that will help you go from getting the territory to absolutely crushing it in just three months . And the best part is, you even will know when to implement what .

Here’s what you need to know about 90 days sales plan and 30-60-90 day sales templates to get you started.

Table of Contents

1. What Is a 30-60-90 Day Plan?

2. When to Use a 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan

3. How Long Should a 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan Be?

4. 30-60-90 Day Plan Templates for Better Sales

Template #1: 30-60-90 Day Plan for an Interview

Template #2: 30-60-90 day plan for a new sales territory, template #3: 30-60-90 day plan for managing a new team.

5. Day 91: What Now?

What Is a 30-60-90 Territory Plan?

Simply put, a 30-60-90 plan is when you strategize action steps and goals to accomplish in the first 30, 60, and 90 days of a new sales territory or position.

The plan is helpful not only for keeping yourself focused on specific targets but also for keeping your manager in the loop. The truth is, managers love 30-60-90 plans. Often, hiring managers will even ask potential sales reps to lay one out in their interview process. It’s good stuff.

There’s not a single “right way” to do these plans. But generally, they’re broken down like this:

• Days 1 through 30: Learn all you can
• Days 31 through 60: Put a plan into action
• Days 61 through 90: Make the plan better

Getting down to the details and being on the same page with your manager is a fantastic way to avoid stresses down the road for all parties. For example, if your manager knows you have a big push planned for days 31 to 60, then they’ll be able to take a breath and give you a bit more space to get acquainted with your territory from 1 to 30.

Alright, now that you know what we’re talking about, let’s get into it.

When to Use a 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan

A 30-60-90 day plan is useful for mapping out the transitions in your career. Whether starting, taking on new responsibilities, or ready for growth, you can tailor your plan to meet whatever your environment. How you want to structure your sales plan depends heavily on what you want to use it to achieve. Some of the most common times that a sales plan is used include:

Interviewing for a New Sales Position

You nailed the initial interviews, have the experience and references to land a great sales job. As you enter the final round of interviews, though, you’ll be up against other candidates that are just as likable and qualified as you. A sales plan is a great way to highlight exactly what you can bring to their company.

It’s common for hiring managers to ask about a sales plan, and it’s a critical way for you to distinguish yourself from the other candidates. Often, the manager may casually ask what your plan is for the first 30, 60,  and 90 days on the job. In most cases, you would benefit from having a formal plan drawn up to show that you have carefully thought through how you will tackle the job.  Done well, a sales plan will enable your hiring manager to view you in your position and what would make you excel in the company.

On a New Job

Another situation that you may find yourself crafting a sales plan is early into a new job, typically during the first week. Outlining your 30-60-90 day plan will allow you to communicate with leadership so they understand how you operate and how they can best support you during the onboarding and ramp-up process. It is also a chance for you to discuss how your goals align with the company goals and discuss any questions or concerns you have about your new role.

Once you start a new job, you’ll have a clearer picture of the company’s goals to align your sales plan. Even if you came up with a sales plan during the interview process, it is time to review your plan in light of your better understanding of your new company.

Starting a new job can be overwhelming. Even if you are not required to create a sales plan when you start at a company, creating one for yourself might provide you with the clarity and vision you need to excel as quickly as possible.

Assignment to a New Territory

Sales is fluid, and even the most senior reps may find change necessary during their careers. Whether a change in a territory or learning new technology, you will likely find yourself starting over again while working for the same company.

A 30-60-90 sales plan during this time can be critical to ensure your success during the transition. It can offer organization and clarity necessary so you can concentrate on what is important and make things as smooth as possible.

If you’ve been assigned to a new territory or part of your region has shifted, you’ll want to develop a 30-60-90 day plan to get ahead of it. It’s no easy task to become acquainted with a new market. Sometimes managers will require this, but if not, you should come up with a focused plan to get organized.

Create a Leadership Strategy

Entering a company as a leader can be a challenging prospect. Each company has its own unique goals, objectives, and values that leaders need to learn. Plus, every team has a different dynamic with unique strengths and weaknesses. Even experienced managers and leaders need time to understand these before making changes. However, they may feel pressure to make immediate improvements to establish their worth.

A 30-60-90 plan is a valuable tool for new managers to establish themselves. It allows them to stay on the same page with the rest of leadership and create a strategy for making improvements. The right strategy will allow them time to understand the dynamics of the company and team they will lead so that they can manage effectively.

Leveling Up Sales Skills

Success in sales does not happen by accident. It takes intentionality and drive to make sure you are hitting not only your quotas but your own professional goals as well.

It’s not a bad idea to implement these kinds of plans on a semi-regular basis. You can use a 30-60-90 plan to audit the way you’re approaching your customers and improve upon your messaging. It’s especially helpful during times of change — for instance, during an economic downturn or when your organization is adjusting their product/market fit is an excellent time to use a 30-60-90 plan.

Whether you want to move up in your company or just want a larger commission check, a sales plan can help you start making your dreams a reality.

How Long Should a 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan Be?

The length of a sales plan can vary widely. The average length typically spans anywhere from 3-8 pages.

How in-depth should your plan be? It depends on what you are using your plan for. If you have a new position with multiple responsibilities, you might benefit from a longer document that can tackle your goals and plans for each part of the job. For an interview, a shorter plan would be better to keep your answer from being long and rambling (a classic interview mistake).

Your sales plan should be as long as you need it to be. Don’t feel pressured to make it longer if there is not as much to tackle, but make sure that it is adequate to address all of your needs.

30-60-90 Day Plan Templates for Better Sales

Now that we’ve discussed the general outline of a sales plan, it’s time to dive into what that means specifically. We have broken down what your plan should look like based on what you are using it to accomplish.

Some of the most common templates for 30-60-90 day sales plans include:

A 30-60-90 day sales plan is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for your big interview. Even if the hiring manager doesn’t ask about your plan, it is a critical opportunity for you to research and strategize to be prepared.

Days 1-30: Gain an Understanding of the Company Values and Analyze Your Market

Coming up with the right sales plan from scratch is all about defining what success looks like in the beginning.

When it comes to a sales plan for an interview, it takes some more creative thinking to define and segment your goals. It is especially challenging because you most likely have not received clear company goals to outline.

However, you can still get a general outline to differentiate yourself from the other candidates. Take a careful look at the job description to find the necessary responsibility and qualifications for the position. What is emphasized in the description and qualifications? Is there any overlap in the two that seem significant? You can use these to distinguish goals to create an effective plan.

At its most basic, your first 30 days should include:

• Completing company training to learn valuable skills and their objectives . This goes beyond simply completing a training course and getting insights into your company and team’s high-level priorities. Understand their objectives for the future and the core goals to get you there.
• Gain an in-depth understanding of the company products or services. Your goal should be to gain mastery as soon as possible to help you advise customers and provide valuable information.
• Understand. who your target market is. Research to find out more about them. This is the time, for example, to research buyer personas and how your product or service uniquely serves them.
• Create connections in your organization . Not only should you be connecting with your sales team, but also key players for your customers. For example, you should get to know customer service and IT to create one comprehensive team for your clients.

Incorporating all of these elements should give you the chance to schedule weekly checkpoints to spend 1:1 time with a mentor or leadership to report on your progress. It is also a critical time to get support and advice for anything that comes up during this time.

Days 31-60: Get On-The-Ground Training

The first 30 days are critical to getting a solid foundation and understanding of your company. While you may still be speaking with customers depending on the company, most of your energy will be spent getting a general understanding of the company, your team, and customers. The next phase of your training plan, then, is making this theoretical knowledge practical.

The 60-day portion of your plan will likely concentrate on getting practical, on-the-ground training to put the knowledge you gained in the first 30 days to use:

• Set and revise your sales goals . You can decide what works well and resonates with customers, and what does not.
• Get to know your prospects and how you can improve the customer experience. Your hands-on experience should also give you a better understanding of your market and where you can support your customers.
• Find a mentor or more experienced team member during this time. You can shadow them to see how they best manage their territories and make sales. You can also role-play with them to sharpen your skills.

Days 61-90: Refining Your Goals and Plans

Now that you have received critical training and an in-depth understanding of your company, team, and customers, the last part of your sales plan should put that all together. It is a chance to put everything you learned together to make the most impact.

The last part of your plan should include these elements:

• Adjust your goals in light of everything you have learned.
• Optimize your list of prospects and customers to ensure you are reaching the maximum number of people possible.
• Think through your schedule . Are there certain days or times that are better for prospecting? Can you batch your schedule or schedule routes to make the most use of your time? Make the most of your time to set yourself up for success.
• Get feedback from team members and leadership. Their experience can help guide you to be as effective as possible and line up your goals with your organization. Actively seek feedback and use it to shape your strategy and goals.

The final step in a general, interview-ready sales plan is refining and perfecting your sales strategy. Now is the time to learn, adjust, and optimize your sales approach.

Although a territory change does not require as much adjustment as starting at a new company from scratch, it does come with unique challenges. A solid sales plan will help ensure that you continue to meet and exceed your sales goals no matter where you are.

Here is a sample template for a territory change:

Days 1-30: Understand and Analyze Your Market with a Strategic Sales Plan

When you are just handed a brand-new territory, it pays off to do your research and understand the direction you need to go in before diving into a set plan. Rather than sprinting off blindly into the distance, let’s take these next thirty days to get fully acquainted with the market and create a strategic sales territory plan .

Sales territory plans help you orient yourself and lay out a clear, intentional approach to your sales. This is essential because when you are intentional, you’re better able to measure your results and optimize down the road.

This may seem a bit simple, but it’s imperative— don’t skip it! Before you can do anything, you need to define your market and environment quantitatively . Get started by asking specific questions with objective answers:

• What are the literal geographical bounds of this territory?
• How big is the Serviceable Addressable Market (or SAM ) in this territory? Or what is the value of this specific territory? You can look at profitability, potential deal values, total number of prospects, or leads—whatever is the most relevant KPI for your goals.
• How big is your Share of the Market (SOM)? Or, how much of the SAM can your company reasonably serve? Think about your available resources.

• What are the demographics of this territory? Are the companies large or small? What industry are they in? How educated are they about your solution?
• What spending power do these prospects have?
• What competitors are already here?

The more interview questions you ask, the better prepared you will be down the road—so don’t be afraid to dig in.

Once you’ve collected your data, it’s time to make sense of it. Analyze your leads and evaluate them based on overall quality .

Your business goals define “quality.” If your current goal is to maximize revenue, you should look at potential revenue as your main KPI . If your goal is to minimize churn, you should look at the likelihood that the prospects would stick around.

Finally, you can divide your market into segments that help you target them more efficiently and effectively . It’s important to remember that segments aren’t made arbitrarily. Instead, they are defined by four things:

• Substantiality : Are there enough leads to make this segment worthwhile?
• Measurability : Can you easily identify who belongs in this segment?
• Accessibility : Does this segment represent actual prospects in your territory?
• Responsiveness : Does this segment require different sales or marketing tactics than other segments?

Typically, segments that meet these four criteria will be related to a relevant to your target KPI (noticing a theme here?). Some salespeople choose to create three segments based on the amount of “touch” (or work) involved in converting them: low touch, medium touch, and high touch. The choice is yours!

Complete a SWOT Analysis

Now that you know the basics about your territory, it’s time to evaluate your team’s relationship to it with a SWOT analysis.

“SWOT” is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Like most great tools, it seems simple at first, but you’ll find it to be invaluable as we build up our strategic sales plan.

“Strengths” and “Weaknesses” both look at the internal advantages and disadvantages your team has in this particular territory. They are directly related to your team—for example, the number of resources at your disposal.

“Opportunities” and “Threats” are external advantages and disadvantages. This has to do with the territory itself and the environment. For example, you may include competitors with a strong foothold as a threat or an underserved market as an opportunity.

Complete your own SWOT analysis by dividing a piece of paper into four columns and giving yourself some time to brainstorm. Take this exercise seriously—it’s going to come in handy soon when we start planning action steps.

Define Success

By now, the answer may be obvious, but it’s still essential to write it out explicitly and concisely: what exactly would success look like in this territory? What is your most important KPI ? Based on your research, what is a reasonable but challenging expectation for you to achieve?

This is when you want to set tangible goals for yourself—a process called sales accountability , which has been shown to drive productivity, increase sales, and improve customer satisfaction. Sales accountability is all about setting specific sales quotas and goals and holding yourself accountable for hitting them.

When deciding what your goals should be, choose something that’s SMART—you know, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely . (We’re really all about the acronyms here at MMC.)

Create Action Items

Finally, what we’ve all been waiting for: action items. This is the final step of creating your strategic sales territory plan. Now, you’re going to write out the blueprint that will be your guide for the following thirty days.

To find specific actions you should take to reach your SMART goals , return to your SWOT analysis, ask yourself how to take advantage of your Strengths and Opportunities, and neutralize your Weaknesses and Threats. For example:

• Is there an untapped market you can reach? How will you reach it?
• Who is your biggest competitor here? Why is your company the better choice? How will you convey this to your prospects?
• How can you let each of the team members at your disposal shine? How can you utilize their skills?

Write it out. This is going to be your guide for the next 30 days when you execute and evaluate.

Days 31-60: Execute Your Plan and Get Qualitative Feedback

For days 31 through 60, it’s time to put the pedal to the metal, for the rubber to hit the road, to make like Nike and “just do it.” It’s time to put your strategic sales territory plan into action.

For these thirty days, you’re going to have a fuller calendar than you could imagine. Your goal is to keep your head up and keep moving forward. Think of it like a writer’s first draft—you need to get something on the page to improve upon it later.

In addition to hitting your action items, here are some critical tasks for you to complete during this time.

Find New Leads

There are always more leads out there, and the more acquainted you get with your territory, the better you’ll know how (and where) to look for new customers.

The best way to find new leads is to excel at serving the customers you currently have . When you leave a path of satisfied customers in your wake, you increase your referral rate and generate free positive “press” (people talk!). Even better, these leads are warm, which means less work for a higher close rate.

Optimize Your Route

Now that you know where you need to go, you can start optimizing your route . Use a digital tool like Map My Customers to discover how to get from Customer A to Customer B and then to Customer C more efficiently —and, better yet, what order to visit them in.

See a hands-on product tour of Map My Customers

Depending on your priorities, you can choose to optimize for time spent driving, distance covered, or a specific order in which you need to meet with clients. You can save up to 30% on gas just by making this simple change!

Get Qualitative Feedback

At this point in the game, it’s too early to have a significant amount of meaningful numerical data. Instead, it’s the perfect time to lean into qualitative feedback from your own team, your customers, and your prospects.

Be sure to regularly check in with your team to see how they think things are going and if they have any ideas. A good way to do this is to schedule a time in advance for a quick touch-base with each person. Try to come to that meeting ready to listen.

You can also meet with a mentor figure at your company . This person may be in another team or higher up. The point is that they have the experience, and you value their opinion. Ask to grab coffee with them and show them what you’re up to. See if they have any useful pointers.

And, of course, you can always get feedback from your customers—and even the deals that don’t go through (which, as sad as it is, is typically the most helpful of all).

Lastly, use surveys, questionnaires, and interviews to gather as much information as possible from your customers about why they did or didn’t buy, what other solutions they considered, what they think of your business so far, etc. As they say, the customer is always right—so figure out what they think!

90: Optimize and Implement New Strategies by Using Sales Analytics

You’re nearly there—it’s the home stretch! These final thirty days are all about taking what you did up to now and doing it better . Fortunately, you should finally have some of your very own data to work with, which will give you an enormous advantage.

Run the Numbers

Now that you’ve had time for data to accumulate, we can finally get to analyzing. This is the back end of that “sales accountability” we talked about before—it’s time to see if you hit your goals.

By referencing your CRM , lay out your data in a way that helps you to make sense of it all (we love graphs). Be sure to look not just as your main KPI but at all relevant data points. Review the results with your entire team to see where you did well, where you can improve, and what was successful .

Look at the numbers and the qualitative feedback you collected side-by-side. What’s the story here? It can be useful at this point to also evaluate how specific action steps you took played out. Did they help you to address the Weakness or Threats that you identified? Or do you need a new plan?

Then, take the numbers even further. Go beyond what’s currently happening with your customers and discern what is likely to happen down the road with predictive analytics and sales forecasting .

For example, if you notice a customer has been calling into customer support more than usual—a red flag that they may churn soon—you can reach out to them with a special or thoughtful offer to keep them on board.

Individual Account Reviews

Often, figuring out the best way to serve a current customer is as simple as just asking. Maintaining a positive relationship with your customers is all about staying one step ahead and showing them that you’re thinking of them. Accomplish this by scheduling individual account reviews for each of your clients .

In these meetings, you can ask critical questions to help you better serve your client. For example:

• How has our service been?
• Have we been able to help you improve your KPI?
• How could we serve you better?
• What else are you working towards or struggling with?

This is an opportunity to gather invaluable qualitative feedback and upsell or cross-sell existing customers. Whatever you do, be sure to be empathetic —only sell what you genuinely think will be good for them

Automate Your Sales Processes

It’s hard to automate systems before you’ve worked out the kinks, but by now, you should be prepared to switch some tasks over to some handy-dandy robots (or software, but same thing).

To find the best ways to automate your processes, first, take a day or two to organize your CRM .

When you adjust to a new territory, it’s normal to be overwhelmed and make silly mistakes with your CRM. Go back through and make sure that you’ve logged all the relevant information completely and correctly.

Then, you can take a look at some of the easiest ways to automate (and the best tools out there ). That way, you can focus less on menial tasks and more on selling.

A 30-60-90 day plan is not just for sales reps. It’s a critical tool for leadership to make concrete plans to meet their goals as well. With different roles and goals, though, the 30-60-90 day plan will look far different than a general sales plan:

Day 1-30: Get to Know Your Team

The first month of any job requires getting to know the company. You should be taking this time to learn about policies, goals, and how the company works. For leadership, in particular, this includes getting to know your team and how it currently operates.

The first month should dive deep into learning about your company in general. You should be learning about your product or service, the target market, metrics, and trends. Your team will rely on your expertise, so an in-depth understanding will be vital to your position.

Beyond the technical expertise, use this time to have conversations with your direct reports and get to know them. They can provide valuable insights to help direct your goals and understand each team member’s strengths and weaknesses.

No two teams are exactly alike. Each person brings something different to the team, and each team has different strengths and weaknesses. It’s impossible to be an effective leader and keep your team happy and motivated if you don’t take the time to understand their unique dynamics. A deep team understanding is critical to good leadership.

Days 31-60: Bringing Your Skills to the Team

While the first 30 days are about getting a more in-depth understanding of your company and team, the next 30 days are your chance to start making tangible and useful changes. You are hired for your unique skill set, so now is the time to impart that onto your team.

Take this time to identify any skills gap on your team. For example, does your team lack a tech expert to help other members navigate their sales technology? See where you can offer your expertise and where training might be necessary.

Based on what you have observed in your team and your understanding of your company, now is also a time to create goals for your team. Being able to impart a vision to your team is valuable for maintaining morale and guiding their decisions. With measurable goals, you can help shape how the team operates to meet the overall company goals.

Days 61-90: Develop and Draft a Training Strategy

Having identified your team’s gaps and goals, your final 30 days might be developing a training strategy to overcome any skills gaps and guide your direct reports into their roles in the future. It is where you take practical steps to address what you have learned and identified in the first 60 days.

While you may not be promoting people quite yet, your time so far should give you a sense of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. Your final process should be coming up with the best plan to coach them to where they can be and want to be in the future.

Day 91: What Now?

Congratulations! You’ve officially gone from getting a new sales job or territory to crushing it in just 90 days. How does it feel?

Remember that “crushing it” is all about constant improvement. If you’re trying new things, looking for new opportunities, seeking out new leads, and generally playing an active role in your position, you’ll always be crushing it—even if one specific campaign isn’t a resounding success.

Other Posts

Joe McDonald’s Data-Driven Approach for Territory Management at Jasper Engines

Podcast: build your framework for sales growth with todd caponi.

Fine-tune your team’s performance with our new Dashboard & Performance Profiles

Podcast: what’s holding back your field sales growth, revolutionize your field sales with a mobile-first crm for outside sales teams.

How to Create a 30-60-90 Day Territory Plan [Template Included]

By emily healy, posted in sales productivity, territory management, sales management.

The most overwhelming part of being an outside sales rep is building a brand-new territory from scratch. Managing a territory is like running a business: you’re the one who decides if your territory succeeds or fails—and there are no days off.

Your territory plan is a blueprint explaining how you’ll turn your region into a profitable operation .

Your plan needs to demonstrate that you can develop a territory like a top outside sales rep with the right tools at your disposal. 

A common mistake is thinking that you can improvise instead of creating a detailed sales plan . These are the same salespeople who get overly cocky and end up scrambling for deals at the end of the quarter.

This guide will teach you how to create a 30-60-90 day territory plan that will help you scale your new territory without missing a single step.

Instead of scrambling the next time you need a territory plan, read on to find out the ins and outs of a 30-60-90 day territory plan, and check out our template for creating your new sales territory plan! 

How to Create a 30-60-90 Day Territory Plan

What is a 30-60-90 day plan, how to write a 30-60-90 day plan what to include in a sales territory plan, what does a 30-60-90 day plan look like, 30-60-90 day template for new sales territory plan, days 1-30: understand and analyze your market.

• Define Your New Sales Territory
• Identify your ideal customer persona

Product Knowledge: SWOT Analysis

Know your competition, discover your top 10 accounts.

• Days 31-60: Implement Your New Sales Territory Plan

Define Your Sales Goals

Go beyond your top 10, find new leads.

• Optimize Your Route

Plan to Meet Your Monthly Quota

Days 61-90: optimize your sales territory plan and get feedback, get qualitative feedback, run the numbers, check-in with your customers, sync your schedule, manage territory management reports, day 91: what’s next, edit & download our 30-60-90 day territory plan template.

A 30-60-90 day territory plan is a blueprint explaining how you’ll turn your region into a profitable operation. 

It is a workable plan for targeting the right customers and implementing goals for income and consistent sales growth over time. A structured plan from the start will paint a positive picture that will give you a sense of direction and show you where you’re headed. 

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The aim of the 30-60-90 day territory plan is to target the right customers and implement goals for income and consistent sales growth over time. 

This framework will help your organization outline a clear plan of how you’ll turn your region into a profitable operation . 

When creating a 30-60-90 day plan, the keys are in the details. It’s important to analyze your unique situation by focusing on certain factors, such as:

• Understanding and analyzing your market 
• Identifying your customer persona
• Creating a SWOT analysis
• Discovering your top 10 accounts
• Defining SMART goals and KPIs
• Optimizing your route

Including detailed sections in your new territory sales template will set you up for success. For more information on how to build your sales territory plan, keep reading! 

A 30-60-90 day territory plan will look slightly different for each sales rep. You should be customizing your plan to the goals and needs of your company. 

Badger Maps has partnered with Xtensio to create the ultimate   30-60-90 Day Sales Territory Template  for sales reps. 

With this template, you can add or subtract different sections based on your preference, while keeping all of your information organized (and visually appealing!). Creating and customizing a free territory plan has never been easier. 

Define Your New Sales Territory 

Before starting your sales plan, it’s important to clearly define your market quantitatively. Asking specific questions will help get a strong start. 

Consider asking questions like:

• What geographical area does this territory cover?
• What is the value of this territory?
• What are the demographics of this territory?
• What competition already exists in this territory?

The more you know and understand about your territory before you start the initial planning will help you grow faster down the line. 

Identify your ideal customer persona 

User personas (or buyer personas ) represent the ideal customers who will engage with your product. 

Using this template to create a buyer section in your 30-60-90 day sales plan will align everyone in your company on who your ideal customer is. This will show the key insights to your ideal customers, such as their behavior, needs, pain points , interest, and motivators.

In your first 30 days, you need to learn everything there is to know about what you’re selling. Creating a SWOT analysis is a great starting point to figure out why a customer would want to purchase your product.

By creating a SWOT analysis for your product, you will find out:

• What are its strengths ?
• What are its weaknesses ?
• What opportunities does it create for the buyer?
• What threats does it face from competitors?

Take the time to develop concrete answers to these questions . Keep in mind that customers are always thinking about cheaper alternatives, so driving home your product's value proposition is integral to close a deal. 

A SWOT analysis is your secret weapon. By mastering it, you won't sweat when tough questions pop up. 

Set higher standards for your own performance than anyone around you, and the only competition will be with yourself - Rick Pitino

By understanding your competition, you learn why your market needs your product category . Examine your direct (and indirect) competition, and think about the reasons your customers should choose your product instead.

Here are some areas to evaluate during a competitive analysis:

• Positioning
• Reviews and testimonials

It’s always interesting to see a competitor’s product features compared to your own. Go back to that SWOT analysis and focus on the threats . Dive into your research to understand the why . Why are those competitors actual threats, and what can you do to minimize these threats? 

Your company probably has competitive analysis reports on the major competitors in your market. But, if they don't, you should take the initiative and begin building this resource.

Knowing exactly who your competitors are and how your product compares will put you miles ahead of them when it comes to preparing for deals. Competitive intelligence is worth its weight in gold and you can easily do it with an online competitive intelligence tool .

You should immediately figure out who the most profitable accounts in your territory are. These may be accounts you've inherited or defined by analyzing your ideal buyer. 

Review which customers have traditionally been easy to sell to and/or seen high levels of success with your product. Then, prioritize those leads and similar accounts.

The 80/20 rule is in full effect - 80% of territory growth will come from 20% of your customer base .

To maintain a steady relationship with your “golden customers,” get as personal as possible. Not only will they start seeing you as a friend rather than a salesperson, but they will also trust you and your advice - which means more sales .

Days 31-60: Implement Your New Sales Territory Plan 

Consolidate the trends you’ve discovered above to come up with S.M.A.R.T goals: 

• S pecific 
• M easurable 
• A chievable 
• R elevant 
• T ime-based

Set goals based on valid data and information relating to historical performance. These will include the product/ service revenues and margins, account revenues, market share, customer retention levels, and other key data from the sales funnel.

Sales key performance indicators (KPIs) are numeric values that help you measure performance in order to make data-driven decisions. 

As a salesperson, setting measurable values to track achievements is essential to improve .

A few examples of sales KPIs are:

• Market Share - the relative market share of your company in comparison with your competitors 
• Lead to Sale Conversion Rate - the percentage of new customers compared to new leads
• Customer Turnover Rate (AKA churn) - an annual metric that depicts the number of clients that stopped using your product or service
• Average Conversion Time - the amount of time taken by your customer to move ahead in your sales funnel
• Product Revenue - the metric resenting the individual contributions of a specific product or service to the total company revenue

Now that you're an expert on your sales territory and have a plan to conquer it, start selling beyond the top 10 customers you met in your first month. 

Start prospecting regularly and invest the time into developing your territory early. This way, you'll avoid any unpleasant surprises as it grows. 

Analyze the market segments in your territory. What should be prioritized in your sales pipeline ? 

This answer will give you a clear overview of your territory's growth potential. Set deadlines for territory expansion, but be realistic. A deal doesn't close in a single meeting . In fact, 80% of deals require 5 follow-ups or more. 

Leads will be the driving force for your sales pipeline, but you need a systematic approach to generate and close them to avoid overwhelming your pipeline. 

The best way to develop a better lead generation process is by maintaining a strong customer base . If you take care of your existing customers, they'll refer you to other qualified leads who will be much more likely to close.

Optimize Your Route 

Following up with prospects regularly is the best way to maintain and grow your relationships. 

Create a regular routing schedule based on your core customers and opportunities . A detailed schedule will ensure that your deals develop at a steady pace, preventing you from missing any critical portions of your territory. 

You can use a sales routing app like Badger Maps for planning and growing your territory . Badger Maps helps you schedule appointments and create efficient routes. On average, users sell 25% more and spend 20% less time in the car . The app accomplishes this with traffic-sensitive route optimization and a built-in lead generation tool. 

Combine these great sales tips with the best field sales app

Find out how many leads you need to meet each month to crush your quota . Also, keep track of how many leads you meet with each day or week to acquire a new customer. 

For example, if you need to meet with 5 leads to acquiring 1 customer and your sales quota is 30 new customers/month, then you need to meet with 150 leads a month to meet your quota.

• Break down this goal of 150 leads by week and then by day, so you can achieve your goal.
• 150 leads/4 weeks = ~ 38 leads/week
• 38 leads / 5 days per week = ~ 8 leads/day

Be sure to adjust your weekly or daily goals if you only prospect 4 days a week, or you plan to take a vacation.

It's always a great idea to connect with your customers to check how satisfied they are with your product. You can also interview people that ended up not converting to understand what went wrong with them. 

Gathering feedback will allow you to adjust your sales strategy based on your customers' needs . To evaluate how satisfied your customers are with your product you can collect data about your cross-sell and upsell opportunities, the number of problems solved, or ask them for their Net Promoter Score.  

Explain what you accomplished and how that aligns with the project or team's overall goals. Focus on your main goals with measurable KPIs .

Your territory plan should be solidified by the third month . Your most important accounts, sales goals, and your schedule for reaching them should be set for the rest of the year.

Design your plan around your personal life and responsibilities . Don't overload your schedule without taking your personal life into consideration. It's easy to get overwhelmed in a new sales territory. 

In the final 30 days of your plan, it’s time to forecast your numbers for the rest of the year . Where do you see your territory going ?

You can use this formula to project how fast your territory will develop: 

Contacts to make x appointments to set x average close rate x average revenue per deal = % to quota

Keep track of your meetings . Nothing is worse than missing deal-critical details. By logging each of your customer interactions, you're helping your future self stay ahead of your pipeline. 

It’s important to keep a record of your history with every account. Jot down any information that seems relevant. You might uncover objections before they're even brought up. 

For example, if a customer mentions an issue with your product, you can ask follow-up questions about that previous issue during your next conversation.

This information will help you manage the many relationships you make in the field. Building strong customer relationships will help you close more deals, get more referrals, and increase productivity .

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Chances are that your calendar is going to be slammed in the first few months. In the third month, you should make it your mission to have your schedule under control. 

You want to avoid overlapping appointments . An overwhelming schedule prevents you from prioritizing important customers. Even worse, your appointments might fall on different areas of your territory, forcing you to waste time (and gas) driving to two wildly different places.

Using a CRM software can do wonders. Look for software that has features that allow you to prioritize accounts , keep notes and tabs on each individual profile, pick a date for the next follow-up , and also remind you of your prospect's preferred method of communication.

With Badger Maps , CRM integration is built right in. You can secure your upcoming follow-ups and never miss an opportunity to contact a prospect on time.

Managing how you report your time is an important aspect in sales, which it's often overlooked. It's useful to check in often and provide feedback on your progress. 

Here are some important tips for reporting the activity in your territory.

• Don’t make assumptions . This can apply to any situation, but make sure that you understand the context of the sales situations you find yourself in. 
• Make sure you and your manager are on the same page when discussing deals. 
• Have open conversations about how your pipeline looks and any deals you've forecasted already. There is no such thing as "over-communication" in outside sales.

Each quarter of the year, you should project your revenue . Do this by looking at your territory and all of the active deals in play. It gives you and your manager an overview of how your revenue has grown and what goals are achievable next quarter.

Congratulations! You've completed your 90-day sales territory plan! But now the question is: what’s next ?

Constant improvement is the key to continuing your success as a sales professional. There is always room for finding new leads, improving your CRM, optimizing your schedule, and learning more. 

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For your 30-60-90 day territory plan, using this template can help you feel more at ease in the first few months. 

If you feel like making things easier for yourself, look into different sales software or apps to help streamline different areas of your sales process. For help with route optimization, territory division, customer relationship management , and much more, make sure to check out Badger Maps .

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Sales Territory Planning and Management: What You Need to Know

Published: June 09, 2023

One of the essential pillars of a successful business is an effective sales territory strategy.

Sales territory planning requires careful thought and consideration — getting it right the first time is crucial. Constant changes in territory division can dampen your sales team's productivity and take a toll on employee morale. And from the client’s perspective, frequent changes in account managers can lead to unstable relationships and create a higher risk for churn.

In this post, we'll cover exactly how to execute sales territory planning and management that keeps your team and your customers in mind. You'll also get best practices for sales territory design, alignment, and the rules of sales territory engagement.

Understanding, planning, and managing sales territories can make or break your sales efforts. Your reps need a firm grasp on the specific customer segments they’re responsible for and the general framework of your team’s territories overall. Only then can your team successfully close deals using this strategy.

How you structure, define, and distribute the territories you work with has massive implications for your organization’s sales efficiency and bottom line.

A strategic sales territory design, exceptional territory management, and sales territory alignment are the building blocks of a successful sales territory plan . So here’s some perspective on how to do them right.

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Building a Sales Territory Plan

If you choose to design your sales territories without a plan, you’ll quickly find that your resources and budget are disappearing faster than your ROI can keep up. Sound familiar?

If you're on borrowed time and money quarter after quarter trying to prospect and close new business, get familiar with these sales territory rules of engagement below.

1. Define your market.

To effectively set up territories, sales leaders must first understand the environment of their business. There are numerous ways for a business to define a market. Factors could include geography, size, and consumer demographics, competition, and more. But starting with internal company factors is key.

Take a look at your company's core values, goals, and revenue. Which segment of your customer base is most aligned with these and generating the most revenue for the business?

Once you identify who this group is, look for similar niche markets that your sales team could tap into. For example, if your most profitable customers are in the consumer packaged goods sector, try targeting niche sectors of this industry like food & beverage or health & beauty products. These could become new territories for your business.

Know what is unique to your business and prioritize based on what your climate demands. Targeting a profitable market segment as its own sales territory will lead to lowered overhead costs, increased sales, and reduced customer churn.

2. Assess account quality.

After you've identified the perfect target market for your sales territory, you'll need to evaluate the value of each account within the market. The measurement could be either quantitative or qualitative , depending on the product or service your business offers.

For example, a beverage company might rank the value of its accounts by net profitability. In contrast, a company that relies heavily on customer recommendations could focus on accounts that are more likely to provide a referral for their company.

By determining the value of each account, you can prioritize each one in your sales territory planning. That way, your sales team understands which accounts are reflected in their quota metrics and can give these accounts the attention they deserve.

3. Determine territory quality.

After assessing the quality of each account, it’s time to determine how qualified the territory is as a whole. As with the accounts’ values, this process is subjective based on different business needs and priorities.

Continuing the consumer packaged goods example, if you have a food & beverage territory and a health & beauty territory, you may realize that each of them has different sales cycles, churn rates, and even repeat purchases. These are just a few examples of factors that could affect the quality of a sales territory.

Internally, you may decide that the sales cycle is the biggest determinant of territory quality and use this factor to rank each one from highest to lowest. A shorter sales cycle for the health & beauty territory could mean a quicker ROI for your team, so you could rank health & beauty as a higher quality territory than the food & beverage territory.

To get a better picture of territory value, include your sales team in these discussions. After all, no one knows the territories better than the reps who work within them each day. This way, you can assign the appropriate reps to maximize the potential of each territory.

4. Understand your sales reps’ strengths.

The next step of effective territory management may be the most important of all. After determining the quality of each sales territory, you must assign reps with the applicable skills to develop and optimize each one.

An example of an excellent sales territory assignment is assigning a territory defined by large enterprise deals to a rep who has experience closing big deals.

Now this isn't to say that as a sales leader you should cherry pick certain reps to work certain territories. This step represents the opposite. Instead of relegating reps to highly specialized roles to the point of creating silos, you can cultivate an environment of continuous learning. Use the expertise of each sales rep to introduce best practices for each territory that can be passed on to other team members.

By strategically assigning qualified reps to accounts, you will empower your entire team to deliver an amazing buying experience for your clients.

5. Review your sales territory plan.

The four steps outlined above will prepare your business to put a sales territory plan into action, but you'll need to do a final diagnosis of costs associated with each territory. Analyzing cost metrics will help you as a sales leader zero in on specific inefficiencies in the system and solve for them.

There are several ways to identify these industries, but I recommend you start with customer acquisition cost or CAC. By using this metric, you'll quickly come up with a list of costs associated with prospecting and closing each deal. You can even compare CAC over time, against competitors, or against industry standards to determine what a healthy CAC should be for the territory.

6. Design the final plan.

The last step of building a sales territory plan is to put it all together by designing your sales territories.

There are some strides businesses can take to ensure their sales territory management is as efficient and effective as possible. Below are some of the sales territory management best practices.

1. Put a stellar sales leader in place.

A sales territory plan is pretty much useless when you don't have the right sales leader in place to guide its execution. This person will be responsible for sales territory development, team management, and stakeholder alignment, so take your time and do your research when filling this role.

As you're considering promoting your next sales territory manager from within or hiring one externally, check out our post on what to look for in a good sales territory manager .

2. Practice sound cadence management.

Proper cadence management — the process of prioritizing, structuring, timing, and conducting account interactions — is central to successful sales territory management efforts. Your reps need to gauge account priority level, group accounts based on that assessment, and determine the best frequency, pattern, and nature of touches between them and contacts.

Cadences will differ from territory to territory. It might take some trial and error, but properly managing territories often hinges upon how you contact the prospects you’re trying to reach within each one.

3. Consistently keep track of your data and customer needs.

Territory management is agile by nature. You can’t expect a specific territory to remain stagnant in how it responds to your sales strategies. Customer circumstances change, and you need to be able to quickly adapt to them.

That’s why your reps need to keep records of their sales data in a CRM — making sure you’re keeping tabs on what is and isn’t working for you. Have reps maintain notes from their appointments and keep them on record. Stay abreast of every trend within all your territories to ensure they’re being catered to as effectively as possible.

4. Don’t forget to pursue new leads.

Effective sales territory management isn’t specific to existing accounts. Though this is a crucial component of the process, it’s not the only one. Always pursue new business — one way or another.

That doesn’t mean forgetting about current accounts. You still need to keep them happy — particularly high-volume ones. But if you want to grow your business, you have to consistently pursue new opportunities within your territories. Both kinds of customers serve an essential function to the health of your business, so both need their fair share of attention.

Remote Territory Management

Not all sales territories require an in-person presence, and there are instances when your reps will have to work remotely. If this is the case, your reps still need to abide by the best practices mentioned above, but in all likelihood, they’ll need to adjust their cadence.

A cadence that rests on in-person interactions will have to change if those interactions can’t happen anymore. It might mean finding a new progression that incorporates more phone time and remote tools like video calls.

It might take some trial and error, but you have to land on a cadence better suited to handle remote interactions — and that might not look like the one your reps are used to using.

In addition to adjusting cadence, you may have to adapt your sales territory plan to changes in the market or internally within the company. This is where sales territory alignment comes in.

The most common way sales territory alignment occurs is geographically, especially for remote sales teams who work in the field and meet customers face-to-face. If you notice that there's increased demand for your product or service in the northeast region, you can restrict the territory to the area with the most concentrated demand and expand the corresponding team in that area.

You may have to align your sales territories three to four years, but as often as every year can be normal for fast-paced industries like technology, medical sales, and real estate.

Final Thoughts

An effective sales territory design can be the difference between well-organized, cohesive, successful sales efforts and inefficient, scattershot wastes of resources.

If you understand and implement the sales territory rules of engagement discussed in this article, you can increase your chances of success no matter the territory you find yourself in.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Sales Territory Planning: Strategies, Tips, and Best Practices

Sales territory planning is a tedious and time-consuming process without mapping software. However, a strong sales territory plan is crucial, as it’s an important part of any successful sales strategy.

Read on to learn what a sales territory is, real-world examples of sales territory plans, and how to create a successful sales territory plan (template included!). We have broken the process into 4 main stages:

Step 1: Analyze your market

Step 2: segment your customers, step 3: conduct a swot analysis, step 4: create your sales territory plan, sales territory planning: the basics.

• Knowing how to create a territory sales plan helps you make better-informed hiring decisions, which drives sales productivity, revenue, and profits.
• Sales territory planning maximizes sales resources, producing equitable and balanced areas and optimizes lead allocation.
• A sales territory plan is a win for salespeople, sales managers, and operations.

Let's start with some basics:

What is a sales territory?

There are three approaches to designing sales territories.

Here you assign a group of customers in a geographic region to a sales rep. Zipcodes are the most popular building blocks, but you can use county or state boundaries too.

Account-based territories

Many organizations ignore geographic boundaries and use an account-based or points-based design. Regardless of location, assigning accounts to a Senior sales rep or manager solidifies customer relationships.

As the name suggests, it combines geographic and points-based territory design.

Why good, clean data matters

To optimize sales territories, you need clean data. The challenge for many organizations is that their data lives in multiple systems like CRM, ERP, and spreadsheets.

• Consolidating the data makes your sales process more manageable, which is where mapping software excels.
• You win once you import clean data using one system as your source of truth.
• You can overlay multiple layers of data and fine-tune your analysis, and as you make changes, they sync with your CRM or other systems in real time, saving hours in administration.

Sales rep turnover

Your data is clean, so next, you turn to your greatest resource: your salespeople. You'll want to avoid underperformance due to poor sales territory design. All reps need coaching and development, but when your sales territory design is sub-optimal, your sales team’s efforts can fall behind, and training may not resolve the deficit.

Many salespeople leave because the odds are stacked against them.

Real World Scenario

A large contract recruitment company with a US-based field team experienced sales rep turnover of over 20% annually. On the surface, the under-performers left, which was a good thing. But the costs of hiring and training new reps escalated, and the sales operations team conducted a deep analysis of sales performance and territory design to understand if there was a correlation.

The results were stark. Almost 60% of their sales territories were out of balance with two key metrics.

• Sales potential

Territories balanced on potential sales

Territories balanced on customer count

Sales potential: The organization targeted large construction sites across the US to sell their services. When they mapped the locations of the highest-potential projects, a trend emerged. A minority of sales territories had enough potential projects to hit their quotas. So no matter how hard the rep worked, the area could never reach its sales quota.

The opposite was true also. Underperforming salespeople managed the sales territories with the lowest potential, so hitting quota was much more challenging.

Workload: Using workload as a balancing metric uncovered significant flaws in their territory designs. Too many territories had workloads far in excess or below their target workloads, meaning sales potential was wasted or unrealized.

Outcome: By redesigning the sales territories and optimizing sales potential and workload, sales reps had equal opportunities to succeed. Managers could now focus their coaching on skill development, knowing that territories did not reward the salesperson.

Check out our Conquering Sales Territory Management guide

How territory management software helps

Managing sales territories can quickly start to feel overwhelming. From careful planning to in-depth analysis to ever-evolving adaptation, it can be challenging to keep up with changing market conditions, customer needs, and company goals.

Whether you're expanding to a new sales territory or trying to boost your sales productivity, effective territory management software can make a big difference.

• You can identify inefficiencies and overlaps in territory design and fix them quickly. You can map your sales data and analyze trends instantly.
• You can overlay competitor locations and assess new opportunities.
• The options are endless as you strive to design the best territories.
• Ongoing sales territory management is easy and intuitive too. You can adjust alignments as new territory growth opportunities arise or people leave, and you re-assess area mergers. It is a way to future-proof revenue growth and maximize rep productivity.
• Optimizing your marketing plans is more manageable, too, as you map customers, prospects, and competitors and overlay other critical data. You see trends and gaps and hidden insights.

Critical outcomes of sales territory planning

Once you've chosen your territory mapping software and cleaned up your data, you'll be closer to hitting your sales goals.

But let's look at some key outcomes you should expect from properly aligned and optimized sales territories.

Your sales plan is data-led

Data-driven decisions are essential, and effective sales territory planning leverages the power of your data to give you visual insights.

You eliminate the guesswork, but just as important, it is easier to share, collaborate and engage others via live maps. That cuts down planning cycles while improving realignments.

Let’s look at some common sales territory plan examples and how they can be used to provide value to an entire organization. Imagine a sales operations team has visualized and analyzed the sales data using heatmaps, pin, and color-coded maps. Next, they optimized the territories using their territory mapping software with a workload and sales potential index.

The final (and some would say the most crucial step) involves their key stakeholders, sales managers, and HR. They bring their expertise and local knowledge and add suggested improvements using a shared map.

Their objective is to minimize disruption. Sometimes a customer relationship is more important than a perfect territory alignment, so it is easy to move an account to a rep (using an account exception approach).

HR, too will want to understand the impact those changes have on compensation.

Feedback via interactive maps accelerates decision-making and improves territory design while minimizing disruption.

Your sales performance improves

With a detailed sales territory planning system, you can track leads, opportunities, deals lost, deals won, and all critical metrics on a map and share insights.

This type of granular insight also supports targeted sales and marketing campaigns. It adds context to how regional markets have changed over time. Data from Gartner , the research firm, shows proactive territory management can increase revenue by improving sales planning and streamlining various management tasks. The Harvard Business Review says that impact can increase revenue by up to 7% without any other changes. Mapping software plays a significant part in the process.

Your sales costs decrease

Modern field sales teams understand that customer-facing time is precious and hard-won. Eliminating unnecessary travel (windshield time) is critical. Meeting customers face to face can be a competitive advantage, but cost control is essential too. Every 1% increase in selling time should convert to more revenue and higher productivity.

You slash fuel costs when you optimize territories.

According to research by consulting firm Pace Productivity, sales reps only spend an average of 26% of their time making sales . But with territory mapping software and route mapping, your sales teams can optimize schedules, almost eliminating planning time but boosting precious face-to-face time.

Using these solutions, you can ensure your top performers are productive, cost-effective, and focused on closing more deals.

Your business can grow sustainably

Over time, your customer distribution changes due to shifting market demand, increased competition, or other outside influences (economic, social). With a complete view of your territories, you can predict these market fluctuations and adjust your sales strategies.

For example, mapping software lets you identify underperforming regions that need support. By centralizing your data and incorporating location analytics, you can discover trends in the big picture or drill down to learn more about individual territories and clients.

Moreover, territory mapping tools can help you leverage scenario planning, allowing you to identify expansion opportunities and grow your customer base.

You hire better

The knowledge, skills, and experience of your sales reps are crucial to the success of your business, especially during times of uncertainty.

According to a 2018 report from The Bridge Group, a sales consulting firm focused on B2B optimization, the average sales rep tenure continues to decline . In 2010, reps stayed an average of three years at each job. In 2018, that was down to just 1.5 years.

Balanced, equitable sales territories with enough opportunity for success boost sales rep morale. So how do you keep your top earners longer? Design balanced and fair territories. When you achieve balance, you give every salesperson a chance for success.

Combine that with a manageable workload, and you have a winning formula for keeping talent.But when someone leaves, you need to act fast. Gaps in your coverage can be an opportunity or a threat to your business.

The opportunity to merge or absorb one territory into another can unlock new efficiencies. A territory map maker with optimization capabilities means you can accomplish your task in minutes. The threat is that a vacant territory opens the area to greater competitive activity, and customers may move.

Onboarding a new rep is much easier when using a territory map. It's much easier for a new sales rep to get started when their territory, leads, and customers are in front of them. And, since the sales manager has access to the same data, they can help a new rep with targeting and creating a plan.

How to create a sales territory plan: Our step-by-step guide

We've covered what a sales territory plan is and why you need it. Now let's look in detail at sales territory planning best practices and how to use them to design sales territories tailored to your needs.

Before mapping your territories, assess your customers, prospects, and market penetration. It helps you align your territory management plan with your business goals.

You'll need to use data and insights from your CRM, ERP, and spreadsheets to create a complete plan.

Need a sales territory plan template to get you started? Use our sales territory planning template and start boosting your sales productivity today!

The first step to creating a successful sales territory plan is collecting and analyzing market data. Include an assessment of buying trends, past sales targets and performance, competitor activity, and other relevant data points.

The more detailed your information, the better prepared you'll be during the territory mapping stage. Some critical questions you should answer include the following:

• Where are your customers located?
• Which industries do you serve?
• Which regions are underperforming?
• Which region over-performs?
• What's the sales potential for each territory?
• How are buying trends influencing your sales performance in specific areas?
• Which service-related inefficiencies are leading to missed business opportunities?
• How might future demand for your products/services affect your sales territory plan?

These questions will help base your sales territories on current and future needs. You need to think beyond just geography and look at opportunity and workload.

So, you've analyzed your business operations, sales performance, and market context. The next step is to segment your customers into groups.

When creating a sales territory plan, avoiding giving too much weight to any one characteristic is essential. For example, organizing your customers into rigid industry-based categories can help you prioritize sales rep assignments. But it can also force them to cover a wider geographic area.

When sales teams regularly cross state lines to meet with customers and prospects from specific verticals, the fuel costs and travel times are much higher (unless you leverage the accounts-based territory design model).

Instead, sales managers should use several data points in their territory management framework allowing for more flexible segmentation and can help maximize resources.

When categorizing your existing and prospective clients, be sure to consider the following:

• Customer and prospect locations
• Industry type, size, and everyday use cases for your products/services
• Behavioral trends (spending habits, the likelihood of repeat sales, revenue potential, etc.)
• Client delivery and sales support expectations
• Regional competition (high vs. low risk of losing business to a competitor)

Combining these insights can provide a big-picture view of your current sales performance and help find areas of improvement. Keep in mind your customer segments will undoubtedly change over time.

The ability to quickly rebalance customer groups and realign territories should be a primary goal. Without some level of flexibility, your sales management strategies may fail to deliver the results you're hoping for.

Once you've organized your customers and prospects into groups, the next step is to assess internal and external factors that affect your business performance.

Conducting a SWOT analysis will help you identify your sales team's strengths and weaknesses, making it easier to assign the right rep to high-value or challenging accounts.

The popular business and financial education website Investopedia defines SWOT analysis as a "framework used to evaluate a company's competitive position and to develop strategic planning."

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. These considerations are crucial to building an effective sales territory plan, so take your time before moving on.

Here's a quick breakdown of each phase of the SWOT analysis process:

Strengths: Note your organization and team strengths and be as open and honest as possible. A territory planning perspective starting point might be identifying territories with solid performance and the reasons behind that.

Are you strong in specific verticals? Is your team better organized and focused than your competition? Do you offer better service levels? Is your sales training and coaching a strength?

Weaknesses: Are there geographic regions where performance is weak? Do you have some fragile customer relationships? Is your marketing spend lower than the competition? Are your sales territories out of balance? Are your sales team over or under-worked?

What other weaknesses might you have?

Opportunities: What growth opportunities are available to you? Can you grow your territory footprint by expanding into new areas? Can you split/merge sales territories? Are there competitor accounts you can win? Are some existing customers expanding? Can you increase your share of wallet with customers? Do you have new products to launch?

Threats: Everyone knows that sales are a highly competitive profession. Understanding specific threats in your selling environment can make a big difference. When conducting a SWOT analysis, you should consider competitors vying for market share, changes in demand, and time wasted on low-value tasks.

The final step in the sales territory planning process is to combine your data, market research, and business goals into a single package.

Sales managers should create clear parameters for their sales teams. That includes realistic goals, information on who to target, and more. It will help you develop more balanced sales territories upfront and allow you to pivot down the line.

Some critical questions you should ask include:

• Where are your highest-value accounts located?
• How will you organize sales territories to capitalize on your sales team's strengths?
• Which regions may need more sales support?
• Where are the primary sources of new leads, and why?
• What quotas do you have for sales reps?
• What resources do your sales teams need to grow?

While drawing out your sales territories by hand is possible, territory mapping software gives you the advantage. It's easier, faster and allows you to make data-driven decisions.

With eSpatial's territory mapping software, you can quickly upload data from Salesforce and other CRMs, ERP systems, and spreadsheets. You can use this data to create your territory maps or analyze it further using the following:

• Radius maps

Alongside customizable data visualizations, eSpatial offers a suite of specialized tools. They make your sales territory plan more efficient and cost-effective.

For example, route planning lets your field sales reps map out their entire day and find the quickest path from the office to customer locations.

You can see how territories perform, compare, and create maps to communicate data to C-suite decision-makers. Tracking your sales success and failures is crucial, as it allows you to pivot your sales strategies and capitalize on new lines of business in real-time.

A sales territory plan is dynamic. You must adjust to keep your territories balanced and your top performers satisfied.

Creating interactive territory maps transforms raw data into actionable insights. You can find the hidden details that help you increase sales efficiency and effectiveness. Ultimately, that means more conversions, higher ROI, and flexible sales processes.

Learn How eSpatial Can Improve Your Sales Territory Plan

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Sales Territory Management 101: A Sales Rep’s Complete Guide

Many businesses organize their sales teams into territories based on geography, demographics, or other criteria. Your company has also decided to jump on the sales territory management bandwagon to ensure better outcomes.

But how can you ensure you continue hitting your monthly sales quota under this new arrangement?

Your experience and your prospect's willingness to buy your product affect your success, but one thing is sure you cannot simply… wing your sales territory management.

You need a territory management plan—a solid one at that.

This Salesman.org guide will lay out the basics of sales territory management and help ensure you direct your time and energy on activities that have the most impact.

What Is Territory Management?

A sales territory is a customer group or geographic area over which either an individual sales reps or a sales team has responsibility.

Each territory is defined based on specific factors, such as its history, geography, or sales potential—sometimes a combination of these factors. The ultimate aim of managing sales territories this way is to maximize sales and profits while efficiently allocating resources.

Sales territories have to be balanced. Otherwise, bad things can happen to performance:

• If your territory is being under-serviced, you and your team can spread too thinly, resulting in inadequate activity levels. As a result, you'll seek out a few leads, identify fewer prospects, and generate lower revenue.
• If your territory is being over-serviced, you'll have little work and too many team members to service a smaller area. This will increase costs and overall prices, which will ultimately lead to reduced sales.

If you want to get the most value from your prospects, you need to get your territory management right. And the best way to get this? Have a solid territory management plan.

5 Easy Steps To Create an Effective Sales Territory Plan

Below, we've created a step-by-step rundown to help you create a winning enterprise territory management plan template and set yourself up for sales success.

Step 1: Familiarize Yourself With Your Target Territory

The first step when managing a sales territory is to analyze your current and potential customers thoroughly. Think about what your customers have in common, including:

• Their location
• Their purchasing behavior, i.e, the product or offering they buy from your business
• The pain points your product or offering solves for them
• The events that cause them to buy—or not to buy—your product

Also, figure out the needs of the market that are not currently being fulfilled. This analysis will tell you how to position your products or services uniquely, giving you an edge over your competition.

Step 2: Do a Self-analysis

Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses and your capacity to win business from your new prospects. This will help you develop a territory plan that plays to your strengths while improving any weak areas.

Besides your capabilities, you should also consider your organization's resources and think of ways to utilize them efficiently on your sales patch.

Step 3: Set Measurable Goals

Using the information collected from Step 1 and Step 2, develop goals you want to achieve from implementing your territory management. The goals you could measure include:

• Total income generated per month
• Number of calls every week
• Total sales closed every month
• The ratio of leads to sales closed every month

After identifying your territory management goals, it can be valuable to document them to remain top of mind. There are a few ways you can do this:

• Goal Statement:  Your goal statement should address what you plan to achieve and what is at stake in your sales territory. When you put your goals on paper, it becomes concrete. Instead of wondering about objectives, you know what you want to achieve from which activity.
• Key Milestones and Deadlines:  With a roadmap for approaching your prospects, you will close sales and achieve your goals faster. Break down your plan into smaller milestones to make your road to success clear. For instance, if you want to close $100,000 of new business this year, you can track progress by breaking your plan down into smaller milestones, such as $15,000 by Month 2, $32,000 by Month 3, and so on.
• Measurable Metrics:  You'll need clearly defined KPIs to ensure your business goals are met in an efficient mannor. To get started on the right track, consider metrics like total sales created, leads contacted, and leads closed. Choose metrics that  give you insight into productivity  and can help track your progress against those goals effectively.

Your goals must be realistic and simultaneously push you to improve and grow to meet your sales targets.

Step 4: Chalk Out Your Territory Action Plan

Creating the plan is where all the action begins!

Generally, your sales manager will create a map for you to prevent any overlap between different territories and sales reps. Your job is to ensure you visit all opportunities within your region in a timely and effective manner.

Think about how often to call each account and whether the calls should be in person or by phone—or the more remote-friendly option: virtually. By planning out the nuances beforehand, you'll minimize time, effort, and money wastage and can direct your focus on converting your clients.

Put your call plans on a calendar and stick to it. This will force you to have the discipline needed to become a successful territory manager.

Step 5: Effective Record-Keeping

As you implement your territory management action plan, you should maintain an accurate and up-to-date record of outcomes in your organization's CRM. This will help you track your plan's effectiveness.

Log everything. If your data tracking starts taking too much time then invest in selling software to help.

Sales Territory Management Best Practices

Besides creating a sales management plan, you'll have to adopt a few best practices and make them a part of your daily routine to have massive sales success.

A: Create a Contact Rotation Schedule

Regularly check in on prospects to ensure they have all the information resources to move forward in the buying process. But while you do this, don't come off as too  salesy  and end up overwhelming them.

It's why we highly recommend creating a contact rotation schedule. Use it to determine the communication channel that works best for your specific territory and at what point in the sales process. It'll also make it easier to decide when and how often an account needs a phone call, an in-person visit, or a promotional email.

B: Don't Forget Your Current Accounts When Finding New Leads

Your sales territory management plan should have a dual focus on providing services to high-value accounts and developing relationships with potential new accounts.

High-value accounts are those guaranteed to bring in higher volume sales in shorter periods when compared to other accounts. However, while high-value accounts will help you meet your sales quotas, they aren't enough to smash through it. You'll also have to cultivate new accounts to expand the business and ensure professional growth.

C: Change With the Seasons

Customer requirements change with the seasons. Depending on the product you're selling, your territory's customer base and conditions might vary during the year.

To avoid issues, analyze your territory by looking at sales data over time. Find out:

• What product or service do people buy during different times of the year?
• When are they buying it?
• How much do they spend on them?

Based on the data, identify whether your business has slow and busy seasons. Then adjust your goals, priority level, and plan of action as needed.

D: Align Your Sales Efforts With Other Departments

You are not the only one interacting with customers. While other departments may not be talking to your buyers face-to-face, they're still interacting with your accounts.

Try to collaborate with other departments—marketing and customer service—and get them involved with your territory. Maintaining consistent interactions will help you learn valuable insights that you can apply when selling.

E: Refresh Your Sales Map

Territory management is a never-ending cycle where you must continuously evaluate, implement, assess, and improve your action plan.

Yes, this regular evaluation and improvement is a lot of work. But it'll help you achieve more tremendous success and close more deals over the longer term.

Even after you draft a strong territory management plan, nothing is set in stone. Conditions can change at any time, regardless of your industry, economy, organization. So keep measuring progress and modifying aspects of your plan to stay relevant and get your desired results.

Once you get a firm grasp over your territory, accounts, and current and potential customers, you can effectively crack the complicated code of successful treasury management. All the benefits—and bonuses—will soon follow.

Empower yourself with territory management knowledge , and manage your accounts—current and potential—the right way.

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A Step-By-Step Guide to an Efficient Sales Territory Plan

According to Harvard Business Review, quality territory design can increase your revenue by 2 to 7 %. That’s why the territory plan is an important strategic groundwork for sales.

It helps you understand where your opportunities are. How to reach the right potential clients and achieve your goals. If it lacks balance, you invest too much time into non-potential leads and too little energy into profitable ones.

This guide will guide you through the steps necessary for crafting a successful sales territory plan.

What is the Sales Territory Plan? 

It is a strategy for  effectively targeting  and  approaching  prospects, leads, and existing customers. The main objective is to close more deals. Traditionally, sales territories were created solely by  geographical locations . That is where the word “territory” originates. Salespeople focused on prospects within a specific geographic area. 

Nowadays, the digital era changed this. Reps contact leads and customers through phone, email, or other virtual channels. Personal sales meetings are  almost completely eliminated . 

Therefore, an approach to work mainly geographically  lost its purpose . 

The territory mapping template now covers many factors:

• Types of industries
• Business site
• Deal potential
• Customer types
• Account types
• Referral source
• Degree of purchasing a product

Scale your business with the Psychology of Selling!

The  current role of territory mapping  is to set proper sales quotas, define various strategic fields, and lower costs. Based on these, managers should provide the team with an  efficient plan  to improve productivity. Sales reps can therefore work strategically to address the right needs of  the right customers . 

A quality territory plan should have several main objectives:

• Assign the right segments to the right reps based on their expertise
• Optimize customer experience by equipping the team with unique challenges
• Build a base for strong, lasting customer relationships
• Ensure that sales teams’ work ensures the strongest ROI possible

Why is Sales Territory Planning Important? 

The Sales Management Association conducted  a survey  with around 100 organizations. Those with an  effective territory design  had a  14 % higher sales objective  achievement than the average. On the contrary, the same study claims that the institutions with  ineffective plans  had  15 % lower success rate  than the average. 

Therefore, creating a sales territory plan template truly encourages efficiency and boosts profits. Let’s look at some most important advantages. 

Higher progress and optimized strategies:  Segmenting your opportunities by detailed criteria helps you to build a tactical approach towards sales. With data-driven insights into territories, you improve performance and see strengths as well as weaknesses. Therefore, you make more strategic decisions. 

More time for selling:  Industry analysts’ studies repeatedly show a decline in productivity due to unproductive approaches to sales. Such as educating agents about segments that other reps may already know. 

In contrast,  Harvard Business Review  claims that businesses show a sales increase of up to  7 %  by simply redesigning their focus. Having a great territory mapping strategy, therefore, leads to less time for unnecessary training and more space for selling. 

Balanced workload:  Territory mapping template helps avoid people being counterproductive by working on the same task. It ensures each sales rep is at full capacity in their own assigned field. This way, you also lower agents’ frustration and reduce turnover. 

5 Steps to Create a Sales Territory Plan

A balanced sales territory plan makes wonders for your business. Yet, you need a unique approach. One that fits your business specifically. What works for one company doesn’t necessarily have to work for another. 

Here are  5 steps you should follow  to create a well-suited territory plan.

#1 Define Your Business Goals and Objectives

• Financial Goals

Before you can start planning, you need to know  what you want to achieve . There are many different approaches to setting sales goals.

First, let’s discuss  financial goals . Start on the top – from big sales numbers – and work your way down. Set your annual financial goal. Then  break it down  into quarters, months, and even weeks. 

Example:  Let’s say that your annual goal is  500 thousand USD. That makes your quarterly goal 125 thousand USD and monthly goal 41,7 thousand USD . 

Unsure what your annual goal should be? For starters, it’s good to take  last year’s sales numbers  and  add ten percent to them . Of course, this depends on your financial situation. It can be more, and it can be less. 

• Strategic Goals and Objectives

Now, let’s continue with a plan on what  objectives  you’re trying to  accomplish . This will bring more clarity to your company’s goals and industry trends. 

To put together what you are trying to achieve, answer the following questions:

• What is the mission you are heading towards?
• What do you want to offer your customers? 
• What are key trends in your industry?
• Do you comply with these trends?
• What is your average conversion rate?
• How many prospects do you need to meet your goals?
• Which of your services is selling the best?
• Why can that be?

This is  the first step  towards creating a productive territory mapping system. 

#2 Analyze Your Market and Segment your Customers

After clarifying your goals, you should dig deeper into your market field and split your customers into segments. This can be done based on different characteristics. Industry, purchase history, location or any other relevant data. 

Define your customers:

Exploring your market clearly showcases who your customers are. 

Use these questions to look closer at them: 

• What is your target group’s common pain point?
• What do they often purchase? 
• How does it lead to deals you have won? 
• What caused a loss of deals you didn’t win? 

Segment your customers:

Determine how to segment based on what is relevant for your business. You can divide the criteria by B2B and B2C sectors. 

• For B2B (business-to-business) sales:  department function, organizational roles or business type and size, etc. 
• For B2C (business-to-consumer) sales:  behavioral patterns, location, demography, psychography, etc.

Define key market trends:

It may be based on your market or on geographical location. Simply, on  anything relevant  to your business focus. The main point is to identify your business environment. 

What to look for:

• What are the key trends in your industry based on diverse criteria?
• What makes your business unique?
• How can you use your findings to drive more sales?

Besides searching for new findings, look at  relevant  statistics  you have  already collected . An intelligent revenue platform Xactly claims that with the right data insights, companies can  reduce territory planning   time  by up to  75 % . 

Based on your current findings, select those territories that show  signs of growth  in comparison to the past results. Then assign these to your best-fitting sales reps. This way, they will know how to drive sales based on  trend-evolving tendencies . 

Evaluate competition

Your own business data is not the only way to analyze and segment a market base for territory planning. You can, and you should  learn a lot from your competition . 

First, put together  who they are . Then, think of what they offer and why customers choose their products. How can you use it, so they  rather choose you  next time? 

Observe  a competitor’s product features and compare them to yours. 

Follow mainly these criteria: 

• Positioning 

#3 Set Goals and Create Targets

Until now, you had defined your goals, analyzed your market environment, and segmented your customers. Now it’s time to  create targets . Well-tailored targets let you achieve bigger things. 

Our advice  – do it  S.M.A.R.T.  This abbreviation represents how your targeting strategy should look: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. 

Create targets for  both your teams  but also for  individual reps . These will put your business into order, as well as uncover what works and what needs to be modified. It will also  motivate your sales agents  to be more productive and motivated. 

So, how do you create Specific, Achievable, yet Time-based and Measurable goals? The target should be as  tangible  and  well-organized  as possible. You need to have a  precise target number  in mind, but don’t create too much pressure on your sales agents. Otherwise, they will end up confused and frustrated.

Here is a practical example: 

Rather than setting a target of closing  60 deals a year  to meet quotas, set a target of making  15 calls each week . A smaller number in a relatively short time feels much more tangible. This way, you are  giving your agents a task but empowering them to take a charge of how they handle it. The above-mentioned approach is also easier for you to monitor. 

#4 Perform a SWOT analysis

The SWOT analysis is a no-brainer. Yet, it’s an  incredibly powerful tool  to boost your business strategy. 

It uncovers base factors that influence your business, so you can develop a strong territory plan. This way, you will have a clear understanding of  what work needs to be prioritized  in order for the company to grow. 

SWOT consists of 4 words:  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. 

Strengths 

Strengths analysis tells you which of your advantages you can utilize to make your business grow. 

The first step is to define the objectives of your strengths:

• Where do they excel?  
• What strengths do you want to build on?
• How can you use your team to execute the strategy?

Focus mainly on the last question. Sales reps are your  strongest attribute . Each person has their  own background  and  unique experiences  to offer. We will look deeper into this a bit later.

Here, think of your soft spots. What are the  vulnerabilities of your business ? Look into your sales processes, but identify weak points in your team, too. 

Examples of what can be your possible weaknesses:

• An overly large geographical area you cover
• Insufficient understanding of your product – from both your and customers’ side
• Lack of understanding to your customer’s real needs
• Chaotic or missing sales tactics

Opportunities

Most businesses have opportunities they either  don’t realize  or  don’t utilize . What are yours?  Look for a gap  in the market that you can fill.

Examples of possible opportunities to keep an eye on:

• Lack of competition in your field
• Under-served territories
• Growing demand for your products or services
• Sales representatives with connections to the right customers

As there are opportunities, there are also threads you need to be aware of. In each territory of your plan, consider what can harm your business. This way, you can easily avoid it. 

Examples of possible threats:

• Unexpected changes in your market
• New industry and regulation standards
• Strong competitors fighting over the same market

Keep in mind that these factors are not standing alone.  They work together . What is your  strength  that may also be a  big opportunity ? You just need to find the right territory and sales professionals to make use of it. 

But don’t only focus on where you can benefit. In contrast, an area that hides a  severe competitive threat  requires  special attention  to protect your business from any negative surprises. 

Another important insight – SWOT analysis doesn’t only point out big things, such as revenue, market needs, or geography. It can  reveal small issues  you shouldn’t overlook. Such as gaps in the systems you otherwise wouldn’t see. Or a need for  better training . There may even be a  hidden challenge  within the product or service you offer.

Therefore, the SWOT analysis is not only here to show precise results. It makes you  think complexly  about how your business and territory plan works and how it should work.

#5 Assign Leads

Now that you analyzed where your agents’ best knowledge lies,  start  assigning  the most  suitable reps  to  each territory . 

First, we recommend  categorizing your leads by value . Some of them are not very likely to bring a lot of profit. Others are promising, with a high chance of becoming customers. And some are almost in your pocket.

• First group:  It should contain your most valuable leads. Those who require little effort in order to purchase your product. 
• Second group:  Here are leads who need a bit more work but still present a pretty high chance of generating revenue. Therefore, they are worth investing more time into.
• Third group:  Leads in this category require a lot of effort in order to turn them into paying customers. 

After you form the groups, decide how to  use your resources  to best reflect them. Assign leads from each of the three categories to  fitting sales reps . The first group will probably require your most experienced agent. The second and third groups can be handled by others. 

Also, as we mentioned earlier,  use reps’ specific experiences . If you communicate with a lead from the pharmaceutical industry, assign an agent who already has established relationships in this field. She or he, therefore, knows how to talk the leads’ language. Another person can have deep knowledge in closing deals within the financial sector. Use it to your advantage.

You can also use the same system with experiences based on  other attributes , such as company or deal size, location, etc. 

Tools You Need to Build Your Sales Territory Plan

After completing all steps according to our guide, you will need  a few tools  to put things into action. Here, we will explain what systems are  essential  to seamlessly execute your quality sales territory plan.

#1 Office Software

Whatever visual approach you take towards crafting your territory map, you need  reliable office software . That helps you turn your plan into  tangible documentation , no matter if you seek an image, graph, or table. 

Office software usually includes applications for word processing, email, spreadsheets, and presentation decks . The two most popular tools are  Microsoft 365  and  Google Workspace . 

Google Workspace is generally a better choice for  small  to  medium-sized   businesses.  Those that are good to go with a simple solution. In contrast, Microsoft 365 has  enterprise-grade features  for big, more complex companies.

Here , you can find an  overview of the best office software for 2024.

#2 Territory Mapping

Sales territory mapping software is key for each successful plan, taking all important data from the CRM (customer relationship management) system. It assists with organizing information for various territories and visualizing them on a map. This gives you a detailed insight into prospects within a specific area. 

The sales territory mapping software easily filters important data. It offers  deep insights  into customer or leads behavior. Such as previous interactions or their last visits. Therefore, it helps figure out  what are the next possible steps  you need to implement for better targeting. This information may then be  easily distributed  amongst all agents. 

Managers can also make use of the sales territory mapping software to measure performance and see  which process resulted in a sale . It saves time and may result in better collaboration. Between sales reps and leads, as well as between your team members internally. 

Simply, it lets you  squeeze the most out of each territory field .

#3 Customer Relationship Management Platform

A CRM system makes data processing much easier. It allows you to  track all the important details  about prospects and interactions with them. CRM contains a whole communication history and keeps track of all necessary information. 

This way, your reps always have  access to each detail , which supports them in closing more deals. Data analysis in CRM also helps companies with customer  retention  and  account growth . 

Especially when you  integrate  it with your  calling software . This way, you  automate the process  of merging data from both systems into one. You can keep them in a single, well-organized place. 

#4 Sales Team Communication Software

Almost everything we do today,  we do remotely . If you are selling, you need  several online communication platforms . Such as email, social media accounts, SMS or a  quality calling system . 

Yet, for current needs, an old analog call center phone setup just doesn’t do the work anymore. Your reps are probably  traveling a lot  or  working from home . A  cloud-based calling solution  – an online phone – allows them to contact leads and customers from anywhere. They can also  receive inbound calls  on their  own laptops  or  phone s without using a personal number. 

No need for additional hardware. The software does all the work. 

What’s more, traditional phone lines miss countless features. These can rapidly boost your sales. For example, having  statistics  that evaluate data directly from your software is a huge plus for crafting an effective sales territory plan. 

Then, there is a  call recording  feature. This cuts the time for personally observing new sales reps’ performance. You may listen to their phone calls. Anytime, from anywhere. It further  helps  agents with  closing deals faster  and  collects valuable insights  for your territory planning. Since you can come back to each conversation, call recording lets you explore customers’ pain points, needs, likes, and dislikes. 

Through the  call monitoring  feature, you can  listen to phone calls  in real-time. It allows you to enter the call when agents need help. It also lets you talk with your reps without the caller hearing you or even joining the conversation. Call monitoring often discovers a space for  additional mentoring . 

With  skill-based routing , you can put your territory mapping findings into action. The tool allows you to assign the best-fitting agents to the best-fitting clients. Or utilize  VIP queuing  to make your most precious customers feel important. 

In  CloudTalk , we have all  these features  and  70 + more . Build your sales territory plan with an industry-leading cloud-based calling solution. 

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Articles › Strategic Planner • Jan 23rd 2024

What is a Territory Plan? (Template, Examples, & More)

Wise Systems

Territory planning, also known as strategic delivery planning , is a crucial component of successful delivery operations. Effective territory planning can be challenging, yet it’s a must for running efficient operations.

There are many considerations to weigh when creating a territory plan, such as cost efficiency, delivery speed, and the ability to adapt plans to accommodate changing conditions. In this guide, we’ll provide an overview of territory plans along with some useful templates, examples, and how to leverage the right technology to streamline your territory planning processes.

In this article:

What is a Territory Plan?

5 basic steps to create an effective territory plan, territory plan template: the key elements of a territory plan, territory plan examples, create and optimize territory plans with strategic planner from wise systems, frequently asked questions.

A territory plan is essential for effectively managing last-mile delivery operations, especially for organizations that service a broad geographic area or a large customer base spread across various regions. Essentially, it’s the process of dividing a large service area into smaller segments (territories) that are assigned to a specific driver.

When properly designed and executed, a territory plan helps companies optimize their resource utilization, improve efficiency , and manage costs .

There are numerous factors to consider in territory planning, such as order volumes, delivery schedules, and vehicle and driver availability. To account for these various factors, several steps are involved in the territory planning process.

1. Data collection

The first step in developing a territory plan is to collect relevant data related to delivery efficiency. For instance, you’ll want to know how many deliveries each driver can complete during a shift.

2. Geographical segmentation

This step involves dividing the geographic area into smaller territories to ensure efficient coverage and streamline delivery routes. Geographic segmentation can be based on zip codes, neighborhoods, or other factors such as natural geographical boundaries.

3. Demand analysis & forecasting

It’s essential to understand the demand patterns that will impact each territory, such as the frequency of deliveries and peak times. You’ll use this data to inform the next step.

4. Resource allocation

Assign delivery vehicles, drivers, and other resources to each territory based on demand, driver and vehicle availability, and other factors. If you find that a territory requires multiple drivers or other additional resources, break it up into smaller areas.

Another way to resolve this issue is to shift customers on the territory’s borders into adjacent territories.

5. Monitor performance & make adjustments

Set goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each territory, such as cost per delivery, customer satisfaction scores, and delivery times. Monitor these metrics to gauge the effectiveness of your territory plan and make adjustments as needed .

Following these steps will enable you to create an effective territory plan that supports effective route optimization and cost management.

Your territory plan should include all the information you gathered as well as outline your strategy for meeting delivery needs throughout your service area while maximizing resource utilization and cost-efficiency.

The key elements of a territory plan include:

• Territory Overview: Define the boundaries of each delivery territory and provide an overview of the demographics and customer base in the area. Additionally, include a summary of your existing delivery operations in the area, if applicable.
• Territory Analysis: Include the results of your demand analysis for each territory, including peak times, delivery frequency, commonly encountered construction and weather conditions, and other relevant factors.
• Resource Allocation: Provide details about the delivery vehicles, delivery professionals, and other resources allocated to each territory.
• Route Planning and Optimization: Describe the approach to creating efficient delivery routes , including how certain variables will be handled, such as driver schedule conflicts, customer delivery time windows, traffic delays, weather conditions, and other unexpected changes.
• Performance Objectives and KPIs: Establish key performance indicators for each territory, such as average delivery times, percent of on-time deliveries, cost per delivery, driver safety, customer satisfaction, and other metrics.
• Customer Service Strategy: Describe how you’ll manage customer communications, such as ETAs and delivery updates. Outline your process for handling complaints or issues.
• Technology: Provide an overview of the different technologies and/or tools you currently use in your delivery operations, as well as plans for future technology adoption.
• Risk Management and Contingency Planning: Identify potential risks and their impact on your delivery operations. Describe your plans to address potential disruptions.
• Continuous Performance Monitoring & Improvement: Describe how your KPIs will be measured and a schedule for reevaluating performance. Provide an overview of how you’ll leverage these metrics for continuous performance improvement.

Most examples of territory plans are sales-related, but they can still serve as a valuable reference as you create your own territory plan. Here are a few resources to check out:

• Slide Team : Here you’ll find 5 downloadable sales territory templates you can customize and adapt to your delivery territory planning needs.
• Indeed : This resource describes the sales territory planning process and also includes a downloadable territory plan template. There’s also an example of a completed territory plan.
• Template.net : Review the five different territory plan templates offered here and download one that best meets your needs. While these templates are also sales-focused, you can adapt them for delivery territory planning.

An engine like no other. Data inputs from your fleet’s real-life delivery experiences refine the algorithms to improve the efficiency, utilization, and performance for future routing and deliveries. Learn more here: https://t.co/zhLbr3qW8l pic.twitter.com/0a0wI7mKqp — Wise Systems (@goWiseSystems) December 3, 2022

Strategic delivery planning is complex, and there are many factors to consider throughout the planning process. Gathering and analyzing the necessary data and creating an optimized territory plan is a time-consuming process when done manually, making it difficult to make adjustments.

With Strategic Planner from Wise Systems , you can build optimized delivery territory plans with ease, improve resource allocation and utilization, and maximize the efficiency of your delivery operations. Strategic Planner allows you to import existing territory maps, move customers to different territories, create repeatable route plans, and edit service patterns and routes.

You can then use your delivery territory plans to inform your route optimization processes with our Route Planner and monitor performance to inform decision-making with our Performance Manager solution. Request a demo today to learn more about the Wise Systems delivery automation platform and discover how Strategic Planner can streamline your territory planning process.

What is territory planning and management?

Territory planning and management in the context of delivery operations involves strategically organizing and overseeing delivery activities within a specific geographical area. This includes dividing the area into manageable sections, optimizing delivery routes, allocating resources such as vehicles and staff, and continuously monitoring and adjusting strategies to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Why create a territory plan?

Creating a territory plan is crucial for efficient delivery operations, and it offers several benefits, including:

• Enhancing Efficiency: Optimizing routes and resource allocation reduces costs and delivery times.
• Improving Customer Satisfaction: Ensures timely and reliable deliveries, enhancing customer experience.
• Streamlining Operations: Provides a structured approach to managing delivery tasks, reducing chaos and confusion.
• Making Data-Driven Decisions: Facilitates informed decision-making based on territory-specific data and trends.

How do you come up with a territory plan?

To create a territory plan, break up your complete service area into smaller territories. Collect and analyze data to understand the delivery patterns in each territory.

Then, determine the resources necessary to serve each territory (such as drivers and vehicles) and allocate resources accordingly. Establish KPIs, continuously monitor your performance metrics, and make continuous improvements to your plan.

What should be included in a territory plan?

A territory plan should include clear definitions for each territory, demand analysis findings, details about resource allocation, KPIs and plans for monitoring and reviewing performance, how you’ll address customer service issues, and an analysis of potential risks and contingency plans.

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• Six Percent Sales
• Apr 5, 2023

How to create a Sales Territory Plan: Elite Sales Rep Plan

Updated: Apr 10, 2023

Your guide on how to put a sales territory plan together. How top sales reps break down their territory and find big opportunities.

Core to what you do

A strong sales territory plan is a core component for any top sales rep or top account executive. With the right territory plan - your focus will be on the right accounts at the right time for the right reasons. That is the goal of any territory management sales territory planning.

You MUST identify:

The right accounts to focus on

At the right time

For the right reasons - you must have logic to back it up

A combination of data and intuition is best to put together your plan

Top account executives look at their book of accounts with both data and intuition. Intuition can be wrong. Data points can be inaccurate. The combination of the two ensures you do not rely on one too much. Think of this as a SWOT analysis for your customer base to identify your areas of opportunity.

Evaluate the sales data with your salesops teams and figure out what the unique traits of closed/won accounts are. Historical data may point towards a specific account size, industry, or geographic area that is winning at a higher percentage.

Intuition is gained through experience. The more deals you work and accounts you break into, the better point of view you will gain on what makes a good account vs a bad account.

Remember: you can lean on other's experience to add to your intuition

If you are new to the company or a younger seller, rely on the current top performing sellers at the company. Meet with them and ask them for their advice. Ask them:

How they break down their territory?

How do they identify a good account?

How do they tier their accounts?

How many accounts do they focus on at a time?

What are the key factors when evaluating an account?

Where do they keep track of their top accounts?

How do they track their top accounts?

Poor territory plans lead to poor OTE attainment and small W2's: don't make this mistake

Treating your territory with a one-size-fits-all, single view approach is a mistake. Too often sales rep look at their territory through which accounts have the "most funding" or the "largest company" view and ONLY that single view. They rank their accounts based on account size and then execute PG. But they fail because their efforts are not focused on the right accounts.

These misaligned sales reps mean well. They work hard. But they chose the wrong accounts to focus on. This has more impacts than just pipeline and deals closed... this affects your bottom line. The W2. Your personal income.

Sales territories can and will impact your performance. The best way to achieve your sales goals is to have a strong focus on the right customers: all of this starts with a successful sales territory plan. This action plan will get you both new leads, hit your sales quotas, and impressive your sales leaders. You cannot become the #1 sales rep on your sales team without an effective sales territory plan.

Your territory plan directs your time and energy.

With the right plan, you can find success. Pipeline will be full. Quarterly attainment is achievable. Promotions will become possible. And you will make more money than you thought possible. The guide is a follow along of best practices to implement.

This is how you put an elite sales territory plan together.

Step #1 : Identify your ideal customer profile

Step #2 : Write down your top 10 prospect account

Step #3 : Write down your top 10 opportunities

Step #4 : Write down all best case opportunities

Step #5 : Identify action steps and resource alignment.

Step #1 : identify your ideal customer profile..

Also known as the ICP. Your ideal customer profile defines the perfect customer for what your product solves. The ideal customer profile is a makeup of the best characteristics.

Potential Characteristics of the Ideal Customer Profile

Revenue | Funding

Product or Use Case

Market segments / Customer Segments

Company size # Employees

Tech stack used

Geographical location

Understanding the ideal customer profile is the first step for any account executive. This lays the foundation for sales territory management and which accounts you focus on throughout the year. What logically follows is... your ICP will determine where you spend the majority of your time.

Getting the Ideal Customer Profile correct is essential to prevent wasted effort and focus

A few things you can do to make sure your ICP is on point:

Meet with the top performing team members and ask: What does your ideal account look like?

Ask the sales enablement managers if you have one

Ask you manager for the Ideal Customer Profile (or What does an ideal account look like)

Once you understand the Ideal Customer Profile it is time to move on to the next step.

Step #2 : Write down your top ten prospect accounts.

What to do:.

Create a list of the top ten prospect accounts.

Stack rank the accounts from best to worst.

Place an account opportunity value next to each account (what does your gut say it would be if you closed it)

Hopefully though, these top ten are all rock star accounts. That is the goal. If you are a strategic enterprise account executive and only have 1-10 accounts, these exercise can be done, but instead use lines of business or business units. For example: Apple iPhone, Apple Payments, Apple Retail.

What accounts make the top ten prospect accounts list?

Your top ten prospect accounts should match your company's Ideal Customer Profile exactly. If you ideal customer profile is SaaS companies with over 100 million in funding looking to expand overseas in the greater Boston area, ALL 10 prospect accounts should fit this description.

How to define a prospect account?

Prospect account - net new customer with no current spend.

Identifying your top ten prospect accounts puts New Logos and New Business generation first. These are the accounts that will drive your future ACV attainment. Placing these bets strategically will pay off.

Your list should look like this:

Top ten accounts.

Company Name | $ACV

Death Star | 150k

New Republic | 55k

X-Wing Fighters Union | 40k

Mustafar Bank | 40k

Tatooine Telecom | 35k

Coruscant Creamery Inc. | 30k

Hoth Winter Coats LLC. | 30k

Naboo Nuclear Plant | 20k

Alderaan Energy Shields Corp | 10k

Step #3 : Write down your top ten opportunities. Forecast only deals.

Create a list of the top ten opportunities

Stack rank the opportunities from best to worst.

Place an opportunity value next to each account

Add a product/SKU distinction if necessary

ALL of these opportunities should be Forecast-able. If you do not have 10 opportunities in your forecast, refer to our pipeline reconciliation plan article.

What opportunities make the top ten prospect accounts list?

These opportunities are forecasted and are Most Likely to close and land. If you only have one hour left in the day, you are pulling up this list and reviewing last steps and next steps for each deal.

Top Ten Opportunities

Company Name | Product | $ACV

Hobbiton Bank| Support | 150k

Two Towers Bakery | 150 seats | 55k

The Shire Telecom | Services | 40k

Moridor Makeup Inc. | Expansion: 50 license | 40k

Isengard TV | Cloud Platform | 35k

Edoras | Services | 30k

Twizel Candy | 5 seats | 30k

Rivendell Computers | 4 seats | 20k

Mount Doom Armory LLC | Support | 10k

Step #4 : Write down all best case opportunities.

Create a list of all best case opportunities

Stack rank the opportunities from most likely to close to least likely to close

What opportunities make the best case list?

Your best case opportunities should STILL match your company's Ideal Customer Profile. These opportunities are Best Case and have a shot to close and land. If the stars align, you can crush your number with these deals.

Best Case Opportunities

Hobbiton Bank | Support | 150k

Write down next steps for each account and deal. Be thoughtful and plot out your strategy.

List resources and help needed. Think: SDR, RD, VP, Partners, CS, SE. Any of these roles could be vital to your success. Be the quarterbacks and direct the company resources to bring in the revenue.

What does good look like for listing next steps and resources on the Sales Territory Plan?

Next steps should be tanglible. Make them actionable and not just "need to follow up". Follow up with whom? About what? Why? What's the backup plan if they don't respond?

These are not just notes - this is sales strategy. Identify the best approach for each customer and come up with a workable plan to hit your account and opportunity goals.

Next Steps should be time stamped just like Salesforce notes. Give yourself the reminder on your calendar to take action if needed. Sales managers will appreciate your thorough and thoughtful approach

Set goals. Realistic goals. But goals none-the-less. How many accounts/opportunities will you go after, with what methods and by when? When will you close the deals by? How many each month of the quarter? The more specific, the better.

Resources should be utilized. Partners, managers, marketing, and sales engineers are great people to engage to find, create, and close deals. Without them, we cannot multiply our efforts.

Execution = Accountability:

The planning process is complete. You have a basic sales territory plan to follow on a regular basis and sales targets to achieve. For new sales reps, this can be the hardest part. Research is easy, execution is hard.

Accountability to your plan.

How to stay accountable to your sales territory plan:

Develop Key Performance Indicators to track progress

Take ownership of your territory

Ask for accountability

Regularly evaluate and adjust performance expectations

Four Sales Territory Plan Best Practices

1) continuously re-evaluate your territory.

Territory is dynamic, not static. Your company and your sales leader will change territory assignments at some point throughout the year. You can bank on it. It's not uncommon for more senior reps to give up customer accounts to new reps to put food on the table. Territory changes are especially common around end of year and end of quarter.

Territory splits are another factor. If your company has a large total addressable market or small market share, they may try to achieve consistent growth by splitting territories and adding more sales reps in the same geographic region. This, in theory, yields better 'sales productivity'. While growth can be a good thing, sales territory splits can be difficult. Without intimately knowing the current state of your territory, you may not understand the impact of a split or which accounts to vouch for.

Bottom line: stay tight on your territory

2) Use sales performance to evaluate reps

Sales performance is a crucial factor to evaluate territory management practices. You can tell how good your territory management is by the numbers you post each quarter. This information can help you adjust your sales territory plan to optimize achieving your W2.

If you are missing quota consistently or quota achievement is erradic (up one quarter and down the next quarter), territory management might be to blame. It is one potential cause. However, if you consistently meet and overachieve quota, sales territory management could be doing well. There is a chance you are getting lucky and there may very well be room to improve your territory management skills, but the chance is low.

3) Identify external factors that will impact your ideal customer profile

Understand how your customers make money and what the impacts could be to. Some key impacts are:

Economic conditions

Social and cultural trends

Environmental factors

Demographic changes

Global events

Technological advancements

Competition

Government policies.

If you see a customer potentially being affected by an economic headwind, this helps you re-focus your time. If you have an opportunity in that account, focus on closing it as quickly as possible. In another example, maybe you have a customer that is positively impacted by new government policies. With this information, it may make more sense to spend time on the account.

External factors act as either a headwind or tailwind. Determine what the factors are, then decide if it is positive or negative. Doing will increase the knowledge of your customer's pain & goals, which lets you sell more.

4) Multiply your efforts: map business pains & goals between similar accounts and verticals

Mapping business goals between similar accounts and verticals will identify new business, cross-sell, and upsell opportunities. Think: customer stories, customer examples, customer proof points, industry use cases.

Questions to ask:

What accounts do I own that share the same characteristics of my company's biggest deals?

What deals do I have that feel the same? What is the same about the accounts? Buying process? Personas?

With these four best practices and the sales territory plan, you are well on your way to success and bagging your biggest W2 yet!

Get a Sales Territory Plan template playbook to work off of so you don't have to start from scratch and can follow in the footstep of successful reps

The final step: go to the playbook store :) and buy today, recent posts.

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• Sales Mapping

Territory Plan Templates for Successful Sales Teams

• On Aug 9, 2022

Your business wants to grow by adding new and profitable customers. Your team wants to earn by identifying and closing attractive prospects.

It’s a simple, mutually beneficial relationship. But there’s a third party that disproportionately impacts a sales team’s success or failure. That third party is sales territories.

And it’s not easy to create and optimize them, making it hard to generate the consistent sales growth your business needs.

Many companies use a territory plan template to help them move into new areas and scale their reach. Technology plays an important role in the process.

To help you create effective sales territory plan templates, we will explore foundational information, best practices, and approaches you need to build a successful territory planning.

Table of Contents

Important Factors for a Successful Sales Territory Plan Template

Before we jump into the different templates, what factors help create a successful sales territory plan? There are three simple things that you need to consider before starting the sales territory plan process:

• Data: What data will you use to inform your sales territory planning? (See below for more information on this.)
• Equity: How will your plan give each sales rep an equitable opportunity and equitable resources to maximize their earnings?
• Balance: Does every territory in your plan offer sales coverage that matches the sales capacity?

These are your ultimate goals when working on sales territory plan templates: using the right data to create equity and balance. And a 30-60-90 plan is one of the best approaches to reaching those goals.

What is a 30-60-90 Day Sales Territory Plan?

Like all sales territory plan templates, a 30-60-90 day sales territory plan serves as a framework. It’s a blueprint for building out a highly profitable territory for the business. A 30-60-90 day sales territory plan covers the following three things:

• Research: Spend the first 30 days defining the market, creating customer personas, evaluating from a SWOT perspective, getting to know the competition, and identifying top opportunities.
• Launch: Before 60 days have expired, launch your territory plan by doing the following: setting sales goals, finding leads, optimizing routes, and setting monthly quotas.
• Scale: The last portion is optimizing territories to scale for the future. This can include getting feedback from reps, conducting quantitative analyses of performance, talking to customers, etc. All companies want consistent sales growth, and this approach to sales territory plans helps you get there.

This is just a high-level overview of what it’s like to use a 30-60-90 day sales territory plan template. But you’ll want to consider your sales reps and your unique circumstances and needs when creating this type of plan for your business and sales team.

How to Create a 30-60-90 Day Territory Plan

How do you create a 30-60-90 day sales strategy for your target market? To use this approach to creating a sales territory plan, follow these steps to develop strategies that help build your sales pipeline:

• Personas: Who is your perfect customer? Build out a persona that reflects all of the characteristics that you are looking for in a client, as well as the unique challenges and needs of that ideal customer.
• SWOT analysis: Look at your team and business from a strengths and weaknesses perspective, and then evaluate the territory from an opportunities and threats standpoint. That’s the simplest way to conduct a SWOT analysis.
• Competitive research: Who is the competition in the territory? What does your business offer that theirs does not? In other words, what is your competitive advantage?
• Profitable accounts: Who are your top prospects? Find the accounts that can be most profitable and use them as a starting point in the territory.
• Sales goals: Set specific goals for your team in the territory. What results will they be able to deliver? And by when?
• KPIs: Create a dashboard that includes all of the metrics that really matter to your success in the territory — the key performance indicators.
• Additional leads: Beyond the top prospects established in No. 4 above, what other leads look attractive?
• Route optimization: Optimize routes for your salespeople so that they can spend more time selling and less time traveling.
• Monthly quotas: Create monthly quotas for your representatives to hit. These quotes should derive from the information gathered in the previous steps.
• Feedback: Get feedback from your reps on how things are going in the territory. They are on the ground in the area and should be one of your best sources of information.
• Analytics: Look at the performance numbers. Where are you exceeding expectations? What areas need more attention?
• Customer interviews: Talk to customers about their experience with your business and its salespeople. You can learn a lot from the people who have said “yes” to your pitch.

And then, it’s time to carry on into the future, continually optimizing and making adjustments as circumstances change. While there’s no end to the tweaks you’ll need to make to your sales territory plan, the 30-60-90 day approach accelerates your work and helps you build a viable territory as quickly as possible.

Other Sales Territory Plan Template Strategies

The 30-60-90 day approach to sales territory planning isn’t the only one available to you. You have other options you can use for your sales plan, which we explore below.

Biggest Potential

The simplest template for territory planning is looking at the biggest potential. This can include finding large metropolitan areas where prospects will be close in proximity. These areas are full of opportunity, and they allow your salespeople to maximize that opportunity by spending less time traveling and more time selling.

Internal Data

As an existing business, you likely have reams of data that can be used to create a territory plan template. Get geolocation data indicating where your existing customers are, where your latest opportunities are, and where your accounts sit in the pipeline.

The drawback to this approach is the echo-chamber effect. You’re working from your existing data, so there’s no opportunity to bring in third-party learnings that can positively impact your business.

Industry Data

Industry data can help you overcome the echo-chamber effect. Industry data that could be helpful include incorporation filings in various states, permit filings in various cities, as well as new developments in markets of interest.

The drawback to this approach is that it gives you information on areas that you’re already interested in. It cannot help you identify areas that you should be interested in.

Multiple Data Sources

There’s no shortage of data available to you. If you have time to get complex with your territory planning, you can combine your internal data and industry data with other information like census results, economic factors, consumer trends, etc.

This level of data can be incredibly insightful when planning territories, but it can also be unwieldy. You need a great deal of time and resources to properly use this approach to territory planning.

How to Use Maptive Mapping Software for Territory Planning

To properly use territory plan templates, you need technology that accelerates processes and gives you accurate data to make decisions.

At Maptive, we offer a platform that allows you to plan territories that are fully aligned with your sales goals. Our software offers a suite of tools that lets you take a data-driven approach to planning. Use Maptive in your sales process to:

• Use demographic and census data to drive decisions.
• Leverage heat mapping to identify opportunities.
• Create drive radius maps .
• Optimize multi-stop routes .
• Calculate distances .
• Put the right customers into fully optimized territories .

We’ll soon introduce a feature that allows you to automate territory creation and optimization .

Maximize your territory planning and gain more market share when you start a free Maptive trial .

Brad Crisp is the CEO at Maptive.com, based in Denver, CO and born in San Francisco, CA. He has extensive experience in Business Mapping, GIS, Data Visualization, Mapping Data Analytics and all forms of software development. His career includes Software Development and Venture Capital dating back to 1998 at businesses like Maptive, GlobalMojo (now Giving Assistant), KPG Ventures, Loopnet, NextCard, and Banking.

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Privacy overview.

How to Build a Sales Territory Plan with a Buyer-Centric Approach

There’s a lot to think about when developing an annual sales plan to support your organization’s strategy and objectives:

New customer acquisition, customer retention, increasing share of wallet, resource budgeting … just to name a few. But don’t forget about your sales territory plan. It’s a critical team effort to determine the best place to win.

In this blog, you’ll learn how to create a sales territory plan in 3 steps:

• Identify buyer-centric market opportunities
• Calculate your Total Addressable Market (TAM)
• Expand with a Win/Loss SWOT

Even though the first quarter is already behind us, it’s not too late to incorporate sales territory planning into a winning sales strategy and produce results, before the year is over.

What is a Sales Territory Plan?

A sales territory refers to a geographical location that is assigned to a specific sales rep or sales team, for the purpose of targeting prospects within that area. However, in our digital age, some companies have expanded their definition of sales territories beyond geography — choosing to include other data points like industry and company size.

A sales territory plan refers to the strategic organization of sales territories to maximize revenue. Once a sales team has defined their territories, they become more efficient by assigning the right sales reps to the right territories, tailoring their outreach efforts based on each territory and customer’s unique characteristics, and more.

In short, a sales territory plan helps you guarantee your sales team targets the right people to close the best, and most profitable, deals possible.   

Why is Sales Territory Planning Important?

Without proper territory planning, how do you know where your sales reps should focus their time? Are you taking full advantage of sales territory mapping , or are there other untapped regions or verticals that should be getting more attention?

And how do you measure year-over-year performance in particular verticals or territories – without knowing where to measure in the first place?

3 Steps to Build a Laser-Focused Sales Territory Plan

Let’s work through this with an example in mind: cloud-connected storage as the solution.

Step 1: Begin with a Buyer-Centric Approach.

Before you begin looking at which market segments or verticals your sales reps should be focused on, consider why those segments need your solution in the first place.

Take the example of a company selling a cloud storage solution: Many CIOs have mandated a “cloud-first” strategy to their IT organization. While cloud migration is a hot topic with many IT teams, they struggle with problems like controlling cloud consumption costs or mitigating security risks. These pain points represent an opportunity in the IT market.

A product development team, on the other hand, may need to use big data analytics and the Internet of Things to differentiate their customer experience and engagements. As a cloud storage provider, the pain points associated with processing speed and data storage present another market opportunity with product development buyers.

Think like a customer first.

This is what we like to call an “outside-in” go-to-market strategy to territory planning.

Don’t think you should know all these answers yourself. Your product marketing and management teams are excellent partners for identifying the needs of different buyers.

As a pragmatic marketing best practice, product marketing and management teams should have market requirements documents to help answer:

• Which are the most opportunistic markets to target?
• What type of demand needs to be created to drive customer interest?
• What are your buyer needs? What do buyers care about when making a purchase?

Keep in mind that your customers are constantly evolving, just like your company. The benefits that resonated with your customers two years ago might not be the same requirements they need help with today.

For example: Some verticals, such as life sciences, have strict data compliance requirements; placing data in the public cloud is prohibited in certain countries. Your cloud-connected storage solution enables these clients to keep data residing on private storage that is connected to the cloud, not actually in it. In this example, your solution solves for this emerging buyer pain point.

Knowing these market requirements upfront during your sales territory planning exercise will define WHO to target (CTOs and operations roles in the life science industry) – and, most important, WHY (because they can maintain data compliance as they realize other benefits of the cloud).

This becomes the foundation to knowing who your ideal customer profile is for each of your solutions.

Step 2: Know Your Total Addressable Market

Once you identify the market needs you’re targeting, it’s time to identify the size of the market opportunity.

Understanding your Total Addressable Market (TAM) will help determine if a new region or vertical needs to be part of your territory plan. (It may be that your existing sales coverage isn’t optimal, and you need to hire a new business development rep to drive customer acquisition within a new vertical or market segment .)

New General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) is a great example of a location-bounded sea change. Market shifts like this present new growth segments for your sales team to target.

This is where good market data becomes extremely important to your sales territory strategy. In fact, without good data, step two cannot be completed.

Marketing and sales intelligence tools like ZoomInfo allow you to quickly conduct a Market Segmentation Analysis to explore which verticals, or industries – such as life sciences – present the largest opportunity for your solution. Once you’ve identified the verticals, you can segment prospective contacts and companies by region. You might find your existing sales coverage needs to expand into an additional territory to drive growth.

Step 3: Win/Loss Analysis Programs for Competitive Insight and Customer Feedback

Now that you know who (CTOs in life sciences), why (maintaining data compliance while using cloud services), and where (existing areas vs. new) to focus – the next step is identifying opportunities where you can win against local competition.

Look at past win/loss analysis data per region to develop a SWOT analysis on each major local competitor. This will help you understand why you win or lose locally.

An independent interviewer allows the buyer to more freely respond without offending or creating conflict. You may want to consider outsourcing your win/loss program to a third party, like Notable Evolution, who will gather unbiased insights.

The resulting information keeps you current with the ever-changing marketplace and buyers. Getting inside your buyers’ head increases your understanding of what they need, their buying criteria and pain points.

Not only that, you can gain intel relating to your competitors’ messaging, pricing strategy, and product features.

“Those who take a more comprehensive approach [to win/loss analysis] have seen a 15% to 30% increase in revenue and up to 50% improvement in win rates.” Todd Berkowitz, Gartner Group

5 steps to create an efficient sales territory plan

Originally published July 08, 2020, updated September 27, 2023

Feel your territories are out of balance? Here’s how to target right customers at the right time.

Success always starts with a plan. A territory plan is a blueprint that explains how you’ll turn the region into a profitable venture for your business. Developing a comprehensive sales territory plan helps steer your business to success.

It’s commonplace for a sales manager to learn how unbalanced their company’s sales territories are. When territories are out of balance, too much effort is spent on low-potential customers and too little is spent on high potential ones - sending possible profits up in smoke.

Effective territory management is one of the most prominent pillars of sales success. Creating a balanced sales territory plan ensures you target the right customers at the right time; assigning the right accounts to the right reps. This allows you to allocate sales expenditure and effort on exactly what can help you achieve maximum success.

What is a sales territory plan?

First things first, sales territory planning certainly refers to a geographical area . However, it is based on other factors such as...

• Account types - categorized by different criteria such as sales potential or sales funnel stage (e.g. leads or opportunities).
• Audience segments - typically defined by characteristics like industry type or products sold.

Managers aim to set proper sales quotas, define strategic territories, decrease costs, and provide their team with effective processes to improve efficiency. This is all included in sales territory management .

How do you know where your sales team should focus their time if you don’t have proper territory planning in place? Are there other untapped regions or verticals that should be getting more attention? How do you measure year-on-year performance in particular territories or verticals, without knowing where to measure in the first place?

The importance of developing a sales territory plan is clear; having a massive impact on your performance. With a clearly defined territory, sales teams work strategically to address the needs of their assigned market.

A strong sales territory plan allows you to:

• Ensure your sales team’s efforts are focused on the who , what , when , where and why that offers the strongest return on investment;
• Align salespeople to regions, segments, and/ or verticals best suited to their background and expertise;
• Collaborate with company teams to drive corporate objectives;
• Optimise your customers’ experience by aligning accounts with sales teams that know their unique challenges and opportunities;
• Set the stage for strong, long-term customer and market relationships.

Sounds great. But can we make it happen?

Check out this one-stop resource for learning how to set up your sales territory plan and increase your sales territory quotas at a higher rate. Simply follow these five steps:

Step 1: Analyze your market and segment customers

The first thing to do when creating your sales territory plan is identify your business environment . Start with researching what is going on in your territory or vertical market.

• Figure out which approach you can use to drive the most sales.
• Discover key trends in your industry, customers’ needs, and their pain points.
• Understand what is unique to your business; why your prospects need to buy. Prioritize these reasons based on your market’s demands.
• Analyze the territory and review the current market situation before projecting future goals.

Learn why your market needs your product category to evaluate your competition . Think about the reasons your customers would choose your product instead. It’s useful to see a competitor’s product features compared to your own. Keep the following criteria in mind to evaluate the competition:

• Positioning
• Reviews and testimonials

The crucial step towards creating a sales territory plan is customers segmentation. Look deep into your clients’ businesses, their challenges, and unique traits they hold. It’s also important to identify what makes them unique and what sets them apart from each other.

Ask yourself...

• Who are your most lucrative prospects and customers defined by industry, region, and product?  What type of customers are best to approach?
• What do these customers have in common?
• What industries and territories do you have success with? Which ones have you been less successful in?
• Who are your top customers?
• Which clients pain points can you solve?

Answer these questions and split your clients up into those who require more effort and those who require less. It’s best to learn the reason behind your clients’ purchases.

With this, you’ll be able to understand the best approach to reach out to different types of customers; driving your sales up.

Step 2: Perform a SWOT analysis

The next step to identify your position in the market is to conduct a SWOT analysis. Whether you’re building a startup or guiding an existing company, a SWOT analysis is an incredibly simple, yet powerful tool to help you develop your business strategy.

A SWOT analysis helps you to define the strengths and weaknesses of your company and to determine the opportunities and threats in your sphere. With this in mind, you’ll be able to prioritise the work that most needs to be done to grow your business.

Strengths describe what your company excels in and what separates it from the competition. You want to take advantage of what you do well and build on it.

• What does your sales team do better than anyone else in the market?
• What strength does your product offer that competitors don’t?
• Do you have a unique sales process, product, or services that set you apart?

Understanding your  strengths helps you to decide which sales reps to assign to which territory.

Weaknesses are the areas in which your sales team needs to improve to remain, and become more, competitive.

• What do your current customers see as a weakness in your sales style, product, or service?
• When you look at your lost sales report, why did a prospect choose not to buy from you?
• Is there a particular stage of the sales process where leads bottleneck or lose interest?

Opportunities are the external factors that could give your company a competitive advantage. Opportunity is all around us, but in the hustle of day-to-day business we tend to walk right past it. It can come when a competitor stumbles, or when a new technology or  demand appears.

• What do you see as a good opportunity that could strengthen your organization?
• In which segment of your market are clients consistently making purchases?
• What territories are under-served, are there any untapped markets with potential profits?

Threats refer to factors that can negatively impact your sales. You should consider every potential threat in every territory.

• What obstacles do you face in production, sales, the workplace environment, and other areas of your company?
• Are there any competitors that beat you in terms of price and quality?
• What changes in your industry should you be wary of?
• Are there any practices that your sales team employs that could hinder success in the future?

Whether you’re doing a SWOT analysis for a small business or a large corporation, you’ll always gain a more comprehensive understanding of where you are in the market today. You may think that you already know everything that you need to do to succeed, but a SWOT analysis enables you to look at your business in new ways.

Step 3: Set growth goals and establish targets

Obviously, you want to drive more sales and strive for greater success. But without a solid plan detailing how to achieve a tangible set of goals, it’s unlikely your team will hit their targets.

Setting sales goals for your team is not easy; sometimes it can feel like taking a shot in the dark. Many factors, both internal and external, come into play that can help or hinder your ability to hit targets. In order to set targets for your team, you first need to understand how to get there.

Start with what you know. Even if your business only has one year of experience under its belt, you have a general idea of how the next 12 months are going to be.

Take a look at the number of new customers who bought your product or service in the past year. Looking backwards is a good way to get a baseline idea of where you want to go in the future. Ask yourself the right questions.

• How much money did they bring in on average?
• How quickly is your customer base growing?
• What’s your best-case scenario? And worst?

Set smarter targets to achieve bigger goals. Rather than telling your rep that they need to close 50 deals this year to meet their quota, set them the goal of making 10 calls this week. There is nothing more frustrating than feeling out of control; empower your team to take charge.

Setting achievable goals that your sales team can control is pivotal to boosting motivation and confidence. This also helps keep your team on track throughout the year, enabling you to monitor their progress more effectively.

There are a number of ways to review customizable data using CRM software . This can help you target areas of interest and quickly identify opportunities to help your sales team decide where to dedicate their time and resources. CRM can automatically capture all your sales data and put it to work, assisting your team in scoring their goal.

All your goals should be SMART - S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R elevant, and T ime-Based. Check out our video guide about how to set SMART sales goals.

Step 4: Develop your strategy map

With  your sales territories, targets, and goals defined, it’s time to create a strategy to put everything in place. An effective strategy empowers sales reps to do their best work, providing your customers with value at every step of the customer journey. By establishing a strategy, you can assign your team members’ skills and talents to specific territories.

A good way to build a sales strategy is to use the GSOT method: G oals, S trategy, O bjectives, and T actics.

A strategy map should be designed from the top down , starting from where you want to be. Start with a financial ideal; work your way to figure out how you can get there.

You should consider your position from these four perspectives, when developing a strategy map for your business:

1. Financial. For larger companies, it could be a goal aiming to increase value. For smaller companies, it could be something as simple as acquiring new customers.

2. Customer. In order to meet a financial goal, you need a customer value proposition, laying out how your product or service is different from the competition.

3. Internal. What kind of work needs to be done, and how many team members are needed to do it? Where do you need to improve? Which sales reps have the skills or connections you need?

4. Learning and Growth. Instead of hiring a bunch of people and then finding things for them to do, hire your workforce as you need them.

Step 5: Review and Track Your Results

Last, but not least, you need to regularly measure success in each territory and keep track of key metrics.

Regular metric reviews make it clear if a territory division brings favourable results or not. Like all parts of a strategic sales plan, a sales territory map’s performance should be continuously analysed. Using sales performance tools , you can automate the sales territory mapping process which speeds it up and lightens the loads for your team.

You should use your plan as a guide to producing the intended results. This gives your sales reps clearer visibility of territory performance and the ability to proactively make changes before problems derail performance. With a plan in place, territories are always optimized, whilst performance and ROI are maximized.

Territory Sales Plan

A territory sales plan helps businesses to come up with action plans and strategies that can be beneficial when it comes to increased profitability. It is important for businesses to come up with this document as being able to identify sales territories for its sales team or sales person can help them incorporate sales and marketing tactics which can result to better sales, wider market reach, and bigger market share.

• 10+ Law Firm Marketing Plan Examples
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10+ Territory Sales Plan Examples

Territory sales plan template.

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Size: US, A4

Just like when creating a legal strategic plan , it is essential for all the areas of the business to be assessed so that internal evaluations, existing resources, and current conditions can be weighted prior to developing future call-to-actions.

A list of various territory sales plan examples are available for you to browse through and download in this post. Look into these references so you can identify the discussion that you can also include in your own territory sales plan.

Sales Territory Planning Example

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Sales Territory Plan Example

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Effective Territory Sales Planning Example

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Territory Business Management and Sales Plan Example

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Decision Support System Sales Territory Planning Using Genetic Algorithm

Optimizing Sales Territories: Best Practice Planning Approach Example

Sales Territory Plan Review Example

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Sales Territory Plan Urban Principles Review Example

Territory Planner for Sales Sustainability and Improvement Example

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Territory Sales Plan Overview Example

Why Is It Important to Have a Territory Sales Plan?

A territory sales plan is one of the most important documents that every sales team or a business should have to make sure that their processes when it comes to territory identification and penetration are specifically guided. Moreover, this document helps in ensuring that sales action plans and business strategies are relevant to the current demands and expectations of the market, the needs of the business, and the capabilities of the sales persons or agents of the company.

Here are some of the reasons why it is essential for your company or business establishment to come up with a detailed territory sales plan:

1. A territory sales plan can give a higher possibility of increasing the overall or actual sales of the business. One of the advantages of having a territory sales plan is that target clients or customers can already have an assigned sales agent to look for whenever they need to transact with the business. You may also see weekly plan examples .

You should always remember that constantly changing the division of territories can affect not only the salespeople of the company but the relationship of the business with its clients as well. A more credible brand and image associated with a long-term salesperson assignment per territory can make it easier for your business to persuade your target audience to practice their purchasing power in your offers. You may also like simple business plan examples .

2. A territory sales plan promotes the improvement of customer service , coverage, and retention. A sales person who is in charge of a particular sales territory needs to make sure that all the reasonable demands and requests of the territory are supplied by the business. As a representative of the company, a sales person is responsible of taking care of a specific customer base. You may also check out work plan examples .

If a territory is well taken cared of and favorable results are given back to the business, then it is most likely that an agent or any sales employee can meet the desired territory quota in a timely manner.

3. A territory sales plan can make sales people become more productive and efficient. A boost in morale can be achieved especially if the sales team can make a territory provide the sales needs of the business. There are different ways on how sales territory responsibilities can be designated. You might be interested in risk plan examples .

Depending on the account type that will be given to a salesperson or the entire sales team, there are also different ways on how territory sales strategies and action plans can work for the benefit of the specified entities.

4. A territory sales plan reduces marketing, operational, advertising, and research cost. Both from the point of view of clients and the perspective of the business, the ability of the sales team to manage a sales territory with the help of a detailed and comprehensive plan can present a tried and tested sales direction that will not need higher levels of maintenance. You may also see daily plan examples .

How to Make a Territory Sales Plan

You have to make sure that you will come up with a relevant territory sales plan that contains all the necessary details pertaining to the plans that you would like to implement at given time periods. Being able to develop a successful document can help your sales team have an easier time in providing their deliverable especially when in relation to achieving their sales quota for every territory. You may also see transition plan examples .

Here is the process that you can follow if you want to start creating your own territory sales plan:

1. The first thing that you have to do is to define the target or desired market of your business . Know how you can segment your current customers so you can develop the process of further segmentation when sales leads occur in the future.

Being aware of the market environment, its description and the activities within it can help the sales team to become more precise with how they will set up territories in the best way possible. It is essential for a business and a sales team to make sure that the territory sales plan that they will make is realistic and measurable, which is the reason why particular market characteristics must be initially identified within the processes of planning. You may also like job plan examples .

2. List down all the accounts that your business has in every territory. The quality of all accounts must be evaluated and assessed so that your business can also weigh the value that can be expected from each account per territory.

The assessment of account quality and value will depend on the particular needs of the business and the products and/or services that it offers. Accounts or clients who are most likely to provide the sales needs of the business can be ranked for better territory sales planning. It is recommended for you to conduct a SWOT analysis so you can be more detailed and specific when it comes to executing this process.

3. As specified above, the rank of each clients or accounts is very important to be showcased. This can help you know the accounts that you need to prioritize.

How many times have you made a business transaction with a specific client? How much is the value of each transaction? Knowing the range of the score of the account value can give the sales team determining qualities that can be used to align territory sales strategies with the needs of the business. You may also check out advertising plan examples .

4. List down all the strategies, tactics, and action plans that you would like to execute for the next operational year. Your territory sales planning must depend on the current condition of the sales department, the trends in the market, the territories that you would like to retain and acquire, and the ability of the company to fund your call-to-actions especially when it comes to market research and strategy implementation.

More so, you need to align the content of the territory sales plan with your sales team’s goals, vision, and objectives.

5. From the pool of sales people that the company has, select the agents that you think are the right fit for every territory. Assess the abilities, skills, professional experiences, and other deliverable of your sales workforce so you can identify their potential when it comes to getting sales leads and deals from particular territories. You might be interested in event plan examples .

6. Develop an evaluation metrics that will allow you to review the effectiveness of the document that you have created. This can help you change directions as fast as possible if there are  work action plans and strategies that did not work the way you would like them to. Track your results from time to time especially if there are shifts or changes either within the business operations or at the external environment.

Critical Factors to Consider When Making a Territory Sales Plan

If your business does not have a territory sales plan, the sales processes that your sales team will follow can be less effective and disorganized. This is the reason why this document must be one of those items on top of your priorities whenever meetings and discussions about the next operational year of the business take place. You may also see annual plan examples .

Some of the most important and critical factors that your business and sales team need to consider when making a territory sales plan include the following:

1. Know the nature of your territory which includes the key trends within the market, the demography and geography of the market where your target audience belongs, the drivers of the purchasing decisions of your prospective customers and the expectations that they can have for your business once you introduce your offers to them. You may also like company plan examples .

2. Make sure that your strategies are aligned with what you would like to achieve. You have to create action items and sales plans that can help you remove the gap between your current market position and market hold to what you aspire to achieve for your future operations. Know how to use your resources efficiently and effectively so you can get the milestones that you set to get within a time frame.

3. Have different options when it comes to implementing your territory sales plan. Consider all your resources and deliverable so you can ensure the attainability of your action plans. Look into all the elements that you need to put together as this can help you assess the proper incorporation of your strategies and plans with the territory sales timeline that you need to follow.

Tips to Help You Have an Impressive Territory Sales Plan

A territory sales plan can promote the effective management of the sales territory of the business. Territory planning is not an easy task as it requires particular business stakeholders to carefully identify the strategies that can work in every territory assignment even just in its first time of implementation. You may also see financial plan examples .

Listed below are some of the useful tips that can help you create an impressive territory sales plan.

• Know how you can successfully define your market. Referring to the strategies of your direct competitors can help you in a few ways. However, you still need to develop a procedure that is fit for your business operations so you can come up with a unique and original way of identifying what will work best for your company or business establishment when it comes to territory sales planning. You may also like assessment plan examples .
• Do not focus on just one characteristic of your territory. You have to ensure that you will look into the size of the market, the ability of the territory to purchase your offers, the geography of the territory, and other qualities that you can use to properly incorporate strategies in a timely manner. You may also check out quality plan examples .
• Review the sales strategic plan of the business so you can have a guide when developing a territory sales plan. Your goals and objectives must be the same, aligned, and relevant to the vision of the business and the sales team so you can ensure that you can positively impact the operations of the company and the activities of its stakeholders.

The sales team can manage each sales territory accordingly if they can have a guide that will allow them to consider processes intended for growth and development. This document can improve the condition of territory relationship sustainability which can result to increase in sales, market value, and customer or client trust. What are you waiting for? Create a territory sales plan now.

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Territory Management ,

Sales Territory Management Plan: Creating a 5 Step Strategy [Video]

Most consumer goods companies understand the importance of an effective sales territory management plan - it can prevent territory overlap between field reps, which causes confusion and wastes time. By clearly defining territories, you can create a strategy that ensures field reps will not compete against one another for the same customers or visit a customer twice. Effective territory management can also save you time and money.

In this blog we discuss why territory management is so important, and give you five steps to help you create a territory management plan that will lead your business to success:

As an example, we’ll see how Matt’s Snacks, a Boston-based company, devised a territory management plan to increase efficiency and maximize the impact the activities their field reps have in-stores.

More of a visual learner? Click the video below to watch these tips!

What Most Territory Management Strategies Miss

When your reps are in the field, you aren’t there to monitor their every move and make sure they are on top of their game. With territory management, managers are able to create an organized system for their reps that empowers them to perform to the best of their ability in the field. Having this organized system matters for more reasons than just avoiding account crossover -- reps who are part of a well-managed territory system are able to provide their managers with quality data that puts brands ahead of their competition.

For example, a rep that is well-organized and data-driven knows exactly what his accounts are and what he has to do to keep them happy is going to be a lot better at his job than one that feels constantly confused and frustrated by the uncertainty of his territory. The well-organized rep will be better equipped to catch out-of-stocks before they happen, build strong retailer relationships that allow you to vouch for more facings, and execute successful promotions that are specifically tailored to each location.

When we talk about data, we mean more than just sales velocity and SKUs (though these are still extremely important!). Top-performing field teams go beyond the basics and work to get real-time data from the field constantly flowing. Throughout this post, we emphasize the importance of quality data as the backbone of your territory management strategy.

Step 1: Segment your customers

Keeping tabs on all of the accounts you have open is a crucial organizational element for any sales territory management strategy. Regardless of what characteristics you use to chop up your market segmentation, determining how much contact accounts within each account requires can go a long way towards helping your reps know when to make an in-store visit. Additionally, a retail execution system that integrates with POS data can streamline this process.

Your audience and customers is typically broken down into any of these four major categories: geography, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral. Once categorized, you can sort and filter stores by territory, making it easier to draw territory lines and redistribute field rep assignments as needed.

Matt’s Snacks segmented its customers by geography and demographic because younger customers were more dispersed locations. Matt figured this would make it easier to divide up a large territory.  

Step 2: Commit to territory planning 

By looking at your retail execution strategy, you can devise a plan based around your core objectives, but you should also define your objectives by the client as well. By breaking down your objectives by the customer, you can construct a more detailed plan of how much time you should allocate to each client. It will be helpful if you include your field reps in thi s process – if they help to develop the plan, then they will be more likely to follow it. While creating a strategy, you should be keeping three things in mind- you want to maintain current clients, reach out to potential clients, and obtain new clients from your competitors. Your plan should help you accomplish each of these three things.

Matt had growing demand from small to medium retailers, so his objective was to be able to handle all of the demand and have his field reps visit each client regularly to avoid out-of-stock instances and maintain client relationships. He then looked at how to achieve these objectives. He found that some customers were more important than others, and created a plan to ensure that they were given more time than other less important retailers.

Step 3: Schedule your visits and plan your route

Once you’ve decided how much time you want to spend on each client visit, schedule your visits so that you can plan the most effective route from one store to another based on proximity. Again, using data points here can help you create a realistic schedule for your reps. If you know that visits to one specific location tend to take up more time than others, you’ll know to assign that rep fewer visits in a day so they are able to do their job well without feeling rushed.

Matt then called each retailer and created a schedule so that he could begin planning the routes for each field rep to take.

Step 4: Delegate Territories

Assign each field rep a territory to cover. By making this very clear, you can avoid territory overlap. Take into consideration the specific capabilities of the reps you have and try and match them to the territory with the target demographic you believe would be most suitable.

For instance, if one rep is able to visit more clients in a day than most of your other reps, then you can assign this rep a territory that has more clients. Be sure to consider your reps’ personal connections and strengths as well. If they have built strong relationships with one client, then you should keep them in that client’s territory.

Over time, your reps will begin building data-driven partnerships with their retail managers.

After scheduling all of the visits, Matt called together this team of field reps and began to delegate territories to each one. For example, he gave Phil, his top performer, the territory with the most clients because he knew that Phil would be able to handle it. He gave Jack the territory with mostly rural areas because he knew Jack was skilled at covering long distances quickly.

Step 5: Track Performance over time

No plan survives first contact with the enemy, so it’s important to be flexible even after implementation. Keep a keen eye turned towards the essential metrics of how your reps are performing over the different territories you’ve assigned them and take note of what’s working and what needs to change. Maybe the characteristics you used to decide the different territories need to be re-assessed or perhaps the timing for a particular sales push was off. Even the most meticulous plans will have flaws, and those need to be addressed at the earliest available opportunity.

After implementing his plan, Matt began to see that there were territories that had not yet been fully expanded into. He gave Jamie the task of opening new outlets- since Jamie was already in the territory that had the fewest clients, Jamie could then locate and target retailers that could potentially carry Matt’s Snacks products.

Planning Makes Perfect

Any battle-ready sales territory management plan will ultimately be shaped by the industry knowledge that professionals on your particular team will bring to the table. However, there are commonalities to the planning process that have emerged with the rise of the internet in how we conduct business that can be of use to any organization as they figure out how best to optimize their teams for long-term, sustainable performance.

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Ben is Repsly's content marketing manager, focusing on digital storytelling through blogs, video and podcast production, and social media. He recently served as Bullhorn’s senior content marketing specialist and is also the founder of InVision Media, a video production company that helped small businesses promote their message. Before joining the workforce, Ben was the captain, president, and social media manager of the men's ice hockey team at the University of Maryland. In his spare time, he enjoys rollerblading with his dog Chewbacca, watching the Boston Bruins, listening to classic rock, and playing competitive games of Settlers of Catan. Follow Ben on Twitter: @bennybyline.

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7+ Territory Sales Plan Templates – PDF

In the event that you plan on opening up a business, you want to make sure that it’s in an area where you know you’re going to be able to attract customers and be able to take advantage of the market. This area is what you would call your territory and you want to make sure that it’s a place where your simple business can thrive in.

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Sample Territory Sales Plan

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How to Create Your Territory Sales Plan

1. learn about your customers, simple territory sales plan example.

Simple Sales Territory Planning

2. Set the Goals that You Want to Achieve

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Sales Territory Planning Example

Printable Sales Territory Plan

3. Come Up With the Strategy to Help Reach the Sales Goals

4. keep track of the results, more in business.

Sales Territory Mapping Template

Annual territory marketing plan template, student action plan template, territory sales plan template, territory strategy plan template, territory plan template, 30 60 90 day territory plan template, territory management plan template, territory coverage plan template.

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