How to write a Territory Sales Plan

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There are many aspects to creating a full blown territory sales plan.  However, if you have never written one, where and how to start many be confusing.  While a full blown plan description is longer than a blog post, (read this white paper for a detailed instruction) I will try and hit the highlights. 

Whether you use slides, spreadsheet, or a document is up to you, but the key is the data that you need to turn into information.  So where do you start?

• First, analyze your territory / quota / business
• What are my accounts?  How much have they spent?  What else could they or should they buy?
• How am I doing against quota?  Where did I get my business?
• How is my pipeline?  What are my targets? 
• create a good list to prospect from including prospects, customers and targets
• Next, look for patterns
• Are there verticals that i am winning more than others? (marketing may dictate this)
• is there common "Pain" or business issues I am solving? (this may be specific based on the product suite)
• Are there common buyers that I am getting to?
• Are there specific products that I am selling more than others?
• Are these because of the market or because I am more comfortable selling these accounts?
• Next, identify the help that you need
• Internal resources
• External resources (Partners etc.)
• Resources inside a prospect or customer
• Now, identify that actions / activities you need to complete
• Look at things like meetings / demos / conversations / dials
• If it takes 5 dials to have a conversation, and 2 conversations to get a demo and 2 demos to get a meeting and 4 meetings to get a deal... Now you can see how much activity it will take to hit your number
• Now, build the plan
• What activities when with what desired outcome?
• What next steps and how many activities by when?
• Why are you doing all of these actions?
• Write it out and let someone read it
• Make sure you can follow it
• Look at it everyday or week