Sabrina was the last person to leave the conference room, exhausted from the meeting. However, she felt a sense of relief as things were starting to fall into place. The quarterly report revealed that eight of her sales managers were focusing solely on clients in the western region of the country. While the other three zones had 120% more potential, the western zone had simply become the easiest option. This not only led to missed opportunities in the other regions but also sparked internal conflicts among the sales reps over the same leads. The meeting ended with a plan to implement better Sales Territory Management, leaving Sabrina relieved.
Sabrina isn’t the only Sales Manager dealing with this pressing issue. Many businesses across various industries encounter these and similar challenges on a daily basis. Let’s explore some of the most common ones and see if we can find a solution!
Challenge 1: Unequal Territory Distribution
Kara and Nate are medical representatives for a rising pharmaceutical startup. As a new company, the brand faces challenges in distribution and sales, so Kara and Nate collaborate by visiting pharmacies in person to promote and sell their products. Initially, they focus on only a few regions, but occasionally they unintentionally overlap into each other’s territories. Although they manage the situation with maturity and understanding, Kara often ends up traveling more than Nate, leading to an imbalance in their workload.
Solution: Employing advanced territory planning software to distribute territories based on factors such as sales potential, customer density, and rep capacity is ideal in this situation. Gone are the days of Excel sheets, with territory planning software such as Maplytics in Dynamics 365, users can identify the factors for sales territory creation, analyze how each could help out quickly, and create efficient sales territory maps. The most convenient one could be finalized.
Challenge 2: Overlapping Territories
A prospective client for Eagle Wears and Co. received two sales emails from different representatives within the same week, each offering a different deal. Upon investigation, it was determined that neither sales rep was at fault, as both had been assigned the same lead within their respective sales territories.
Solution: The inefficiencies of traditional territory mapping and record assignment can be addressed with a mapping tool, along with clear guidelines and communication channels among sales reps. Maplytics, with its Territory Management license in Dynamics 365, is an excellent tool for record mapping. Records can be assigned during territory creation and automatically mapped with a single click. The multi-territory feature also offers the flexibility to assign records to multiple territories based on business needs.
Challenge 3: Imbalance in Sales Performance
Tom and Jerry were assigned to the Ashes and Vibes territories, respectively. By the end of each month, it was consistently observed that Ashes exceeded its target, while Vibes struggled to reach even 50%. Initially, Jerry was encouraged to improve his performance, but when that didn’t work, it was eventually discovered that Ashes had a much higher concentration of target groups, which explained the performance gap.
Solution: Regular analysis of sales performance metrics by territory is a necessity in sales. Redistribution of accounts or adjustment of quotas based on data-driven insights proves to be helpful. Providing additional training or support to underperforming territories is required. Had Tom and Jerry’s organization used Territory Management with Maplytics, Census Data Mapping could have been used to study the territory and the behavior of the target groups in it. The concentration hotspots could have been analyzed and Vibes could have been extended or its targets could have been balanced out.
Challenge 4: Territory Realignment
“It was not a problem earlier. This has started happening since the impractical redistribution of records among territories”, stated Ben, affirmatively. The new territories created by the Sales Manager were uneven, as a result, the new sales reps enjoyed ample work and life balance while the old reps struggled with excessive workload.
Solution: Maplytics’ Territory Management, with its Alignment tools, could have been a game-changer for Ben’s organization. It would have allowed the easy expansion or reduction of existing territories, realignment of boundaries, and the ability to add or remove records as needed. This certified sales territory alignment software could have helped create a better work-life balance for all the sales reps.
Challenge 5: Measuring Territory Effectiveness
How many new clients were acquired? How many items were sold? Which products were most in demand? Was the annual revenue target reached? These are just a few of the common questions raised in every assessment meeting. Accurate and timely analysis and reporting are essential for driving better decisions. Therefore, evaluating territory effectiveness is crucial!
Solution: Establishing clear KPIs for territory performance, such as sales revenue, customer satisfaction, and sales rep productivity should be the prime step. Tracking and analyzing these metrics regularly to evaluate territory effectiveness and make necessary adjustments should be a constant. Heat Map Analysis coupled with Territory Management within Dynamics 365 makes all of it super easy.
By addressing these challenges and implementing effective solutions, organizations can optimize their territory management strategies and drive sales growth.
What’s More?
Maplytics is like water that can be molded into any role. It makes map integration within Dynamics 365 look seamless. Radius Search, Route Mapping, and more have become super easy to use. To get more acquainted and experience it first-hand, one can write to crm@inogic.com To investigate the product further, with a personalized demo within Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM / Dataverse get in touch with the team.
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