How to Write a Territory Plan

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, (Download this tool kit for help and a detailed White paper) 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

If you don’t plan the work, you can’t work the plan.  Winging it is the best way to miss your number.  Good luck and Good Selling!