Free Territory Planning and Account Planning Software
“Become a student of change. It is the only thing that will remain Constant.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo
Well, today we have made the decision to make the desktop versions of our territory planning and account planning software, free.
That’s right, they are now free ware. If you want to download them, simply go here and register and you can download a copy to use with our compliments. Now, this also means that they are unsupported, so don’t go calling us if they don’t work on your PC.
The reason we are moving to a Free Software model on the desktop is two fold. First, we are placing all of our development into SaaS (Software as a Service) offerings. The first is of course the Salesforce.com offering of Territory Plan Pro. It is currently on the Force.com App Exchange. In the next 30 days or so, Account Plan Pro should be listed on the App Exchange.
The second reason is, frankly we are tired of trying to keep up with Microsoft. The number of versions of the OS and of Office are a real development and support headache.
That said, I hope you can get value out of the software. We will be e-mailing everyone who registers to announce the Web based versions when they are released, and offering them several months of usage of the web site. The next versions will not have to have Salesforce.com as a CRM system. They will simply be a subscription, web based version of the application.
Until then. Good luck and Good Selling!
Steve
CEO / Founder
Plan 2 Win Software, LLC.
Free Territory Planning Webinar
I have been asked by a partner to speak on a webinar for Salesforce.com users next week. If you are interested, Harvest Solutions is hosting the call. I will be talking about Territory Planning in general and Territory Planning within Salesforce.com specifically. To register click here!
Most sales experts will tell you that one of the keys to a successful sales person is a good plan of action. “Plan the work, work the plan”.
- Are your sales team planning their 2009
Territory Strategies? - Are each of the sales managers using a different template?
- Are all of the teams plans on power point slides?
The problem with that kind of a system is that often the plan is presented and forgotten.
Event: Building a Territory Plan within Salesforce.com
When: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 10:00 am-10:30 am
Where: Webinar
So who is Harvest Solutions? Take a look at their website. These guys know more about Salesforce.com implementation than most people I know.
I hope you can join us, and if you think someone else that you know may want to take advantage of this free webinar, feel free to pass it along.
Have a great day, and I hope to hear you on the call!
Steve
Why Creating a Territory Strategy is not easy (for some)
Creating a sales plan, or territory plan, or sales strategy (you choose the name) comes quite naturally for some.
For others it is a chore that is put off until it has to be done and then it gets little grudging attention. We know that having a clear plan and strategy makes even good sales people better. In fact, most sales people know this. So, why is it so hard for some to do this simple but critical exercise?
I was having this conversation with Greta Roberts, an old friend of mine who is the CEO of Target Teams in Cambridge, MA. She made an interesting point. Some sales people are naturally inclined to writing down a plan and being more organized. She should know. Target Teams has developed an enhanced version of DISC profiles that will help both predict top performers and to help coach sales people. There are natural tendencies of each of us, and some of us tend to be more adaptable to creating a written plan.
As a Manager, we need to understand who on our team is more inclined to have this kind of focus. The reality is that few Sales People have developed this ability. Mainly this is the case because a) their profile and personality doesn’t help them with things like paperwork and minutiae (that’s why we are in sales) and b) it isn’t taught any longer. (Download the free sales planning toolkit if you want to start teaching or learning about sales planning)
If you want to understand how to communicate and really work and coach with your sales team, I highly recommend using a profile assessment. DISC is my personal favorite, mainly because I used it for years and it is very easy for a sales person to learn and use. Not only can you learn about yourself, but now you can use the information to learn about your prospects and customers. Finding the best way to communicate with a hard to reach prospect, may be the edge that you need in this environment. An assessment is the first step, in my opinion.
If you want to see what I am talking about, take a free assessment here:
Target Teams Free DISC Profile
They were kind enough to offer a free DISC assessment to my readers so enjoy.
NOTE: Allow 20 minutes of focused uninterrupted time to take the assessment. You want the results to mean something so do it without a break and be honest with yourself. You will be amazed at what you will learn.
