Tips for Effective Territory Planning

Yesterday, I watched a rep waste 6 weeks chasing a $15K deal while a $400K opportunity went cold in the same territory. Here's what happened. New rep gets 47 accounts. No system. No framework. Just "go sell something." He did what 90% of reps do … chased whoever responded first. Big mistake. After 15+ years building territories, here's the exact 4 step system that turns any territory into a revenue machine: #1 Foundation security Visit all Tier 1 accounts ($1M+ potential) within 30 days. These represent 80% of your quota. Assess relationship health, competitive threats, and expansion opportunities first. #2 Intelligence gathering During every discovery call collect: current usage, integration challenges, team growth plans, budget cycles, decision maker org chart. Pro tip: Always connect with the IT/Operations team. They influence 60% of buying decisions and know where the real pain points are. (Just don’t get stuck here) #3 Opportunity matrix Look for accounts doing $150K with you but $1M+ with competitors/in-house. High service volume = high sales potential. (adjust these numbers accordingly based on your ARR) #4 Land and expand Never try to replace everything at once. Week 1-2: Identify competitor/in-house gaps. Week 3-4: Lead with complementary solutions. Week 5+: Prove value with wins. Week 7+: Expand footprint. Priority scoring formula: 60% time on High Value + High Probability (existing customers with large expansion opps) 30% time on High Value + Lower Probability (large accounts with competitor/in-house entrenchment) 10% time on everything else This system helped teams increase territory performance 40%+ in 90 days. Check out the carousel for more details how this works. — Sales leaders! Want to run better QBRs?! Check this out: https://lnkd.in/gW9ApfMZ

"Is your territory planning setting your team up for success, or leaving them lost in the wilderness?" 🌍📍 Territory planning isn’t just about drawing lines on a map—it’s about creating opportunities, maximizing efficiency, and setting your sales team up to win. Yet, so many companies miss the mark, either overloading some reps or leaving others with too much empty space (looking at you, Montana 🐄). In this video, I break down the art and science of territory planning into simple, actionable steps—and yes, I keep it fun and relatable! Here’s what you’ll learn: 1️⃣ The Evolution of Territory Optimization: From pharmaceutical reps in the '90s who traded golf games for productivity, to how those principles now power industries like medical products and CPG. 2️⃣ Why Tech is Different: In the tech world, it’s less about workload and more about seizing opportunities. But are we doing it right? 3️⃣ The Secret to Good Territory Design: Balancing workload, local insights, and fairness (because New Jersey ≠ Montana). 4️⃣ Optimization in Action: How to segment your market, find your ideal customer, and use math-driven tools to build territories that make sense—then refine them with on-the-ground knowledge. 5️⃣ The Holy Trinity—Territories, Quotas, and Comp Plans: Align them right, and your sales team will sing your praises. Get it wrong, and… well, let’s not go there. 💡 Real Action Items You Can Start Today: Map your market and prioritize high-value accounts. Use data to analyze workload and opportunity. Involve your reps—they know the real story. Align everything: territories, quotas, and compensation. 🔗 Watch the video to see how you can turn your territory planning into a competitive advantage. It’s quick, witty, and packed with insights you can implement right away! 💬 How do you approach territory planning? Drop your thoughts below or DM me—I’d love to learn from your experiences! #Sales #RevenueOperations #TerritoryPlanning #Clientell #RevOps

Poor territory management sinks even the best sales reps. Here are my three rules to help you get territory management right: 1) Ongoing, not static Reps should have smaller territories so they can focus attention. Then, when AEs uncover details that make an assigned account a poor fit, replace it with another high-potential account. If a territory is too big, AEs will be pulled thin. If it's too static, AEs will spin their wheels in poor-fit accounts. I've found focused but evolving territories most effective for all but strategic account segments. 2) Accounts belong to the company, not the rep High-potential accounts with unengaged reps are a massive waste of territory. If a rep doesn't give an account the attention it deserves, leaders should move it to a rep who will. I've seen "stagnant" accounts turn into six-figure wins by moving an account to a rep willing to do the work. 3) Balance propensity and TAM A territory full of potential whales is a slog - reps may work for quarters without closing a deal and getting paid. A territory full of small transactions is a drain—reps will be on a hamster wheel, unable to focus on significant revenue opportunities. Great territory build requires understanding what drives TAM for your product (hint: it's not just revenue and the number of employees) and using tools like Common Room to uncover propensity to buy via mentions, signals, multi-threading, etc., across different sources. Accurate TAM projections + understanding buying propensity = balanced and scalable territory management. Any other territory management rules you have seen drive success?