Six Do's and Don'ts for effectively managing your Sales Territory
Sales territory management: what's that all about then? Territory management involves logically ordering and prioritising a business's prospects and clients in such a way that salespeople can maximise sales opportunities by devoting an appropriate amount of time and effort to their communications and sales activities with each client.
Sales management training specialists Maguire Training can help Sales Managers and their teams to make the best possible use of their time, thanks to their invaluable Sales Time & Territory Management module. Delegates gain an understanding of their roles and responsibilities as salespeople, learn how to categorise and prioritise customers within their sales territory, add value to their sales activities and plan optimised routes for maximum time efficiency.
The value of sensible and logical sales territory management can't be overstated, but many companies overlook this simple objective in the belief that they will gain more by spending time on selling than on planning. This is a mistake because correctly managing your sales territory will ultimately help you close more deals by accurately focusing your time and effort according to each prospect or customer. To help simplify the process, here Maguire Training helpfully provides six do's and don'ts for effectively managing your sales territory.
- DO segment your sales territory logically
The aim of effective territory management is to devote the greatest time and effort to the prospects and customers most likely to yield profitable results. Your sales routes should be planned primarily around these targets in such a way that time spent on the road, completing non-essential activities or attending to low-profit accounts.
- DON'T neglect existing or currently inactive customers
When planning coverage of your territory don't forget to include all of your existing customers, even those from whom you've not heard in a while. Your territory management strategy should incorporate the most appropriate means of engaging with every prospect and customer whether that means a phone call, email or face-to-face visit.
- DO make the most of every available minute
Having mapped out the routes between your most profitable customers and hottest prospects, try to fill the geographical gaps with other customers and prospects in order of their likely value to you. Use any spare time for making further appointments, sending email and completing any other tasks which add value.
- DON'T deviate from your territory management plan for emerging distractions
It's easy to be thrown off course by receiving an unexpected communication from a potentially hot new prospect or the promise of more business from a previously dormant client. Care must be taken to assess whether there is a genuine need to immediately divert from your current strategy in order to gain a guaranteed sale or whether you can afford to schedule these emerging business prospects into your next rota.
- DO pre-plan customer meetings to gain maximum value from them
Particularly if you only meet clients infrequently perhaps once or twice a year you want to get as much out of meetings with them as possible. Do your research beforehand: investigate their current situation, concerns and needs and look at any external circumstances which may influence or impact their wider industry sector. Tailor each meeting to address these aspects and provide solutions, and set goals in accordance with your desired outcomes.
- DON'T ignore the 'backroom' tasks
It's easy to get carried away on an endless whirlwind of client visits, territory management planning meetings and other profit-generating activities whilst mundane but necessary tasks such as record-keeping, paperwork, updating CRM systems and so on quietly build up in the background. Make sure that time is set aside to deal with background tasks to ensure that they remain under control and don't jeopardise more important sales objectives.
Sales Managers can obtain a great deal of benefit from learning how to make the best use of their time and sales territory, but Maguire Training appreciates that the life of salespeople is busy and that attending formal on-site training courses can be inconvenient. That's why Sales Time & Territory Management is additionally offered as online training, accessible anywhere and at any time from an internet connected computer or device courtesy of Maguire Training's mobile and E-learning platform.
