Podcasts Business Sales Reinvented Data-Driven Sales Territory Planning with Carrie Millen, Ep #286

Data-Driven Sales Territory Planning with Carrie Millen, Ep #286

Published: Feb. 23, 2022, 8 a.m.

Carrie Millen jokes that sales territory planning is underrated because it\u2019s spelled \u201cW-O-R-K.\u201d It is \u201csomething my boss told me I have to do.\u201d It feels like any time invested in territory sales planning cuts into sales time. Why\xa0would\xa0they bother doing the work? It seems like busywork over an investment. But that\u2019s exactly what it is\u2014an investment. But the right data-driven sales plan is an investment that will pay off. Carrie explains why in this episode of Sales Reinvented! Outline of This Episode

  • [0:44] Why is sales territory planning underrated?\xa0
  • [1:38] How to stop being a solely reactive salesperson
  • [2:30] Carrie\u2019s data-driven sales territory plan
  • [4:31] The attributes that make a salesperson great at sales planning
  • [5:41] The tool, tactics, and strategies Carrie implements to stay on course
  • [8:10] Carrie\u2019s top 3 territory sales planning dos and don\u2019ts
  • [11:45]\xa0Where sales territory planning can lead
Carrie\u2019s data-driven sales territory plan

Territory sales planning not only provides a guideline but it helps take the thinking out of sales. How? If you have a plan, know it, and work it, you\u2019ll be able to execute sales efficiently. If you spend 59 minutes planning and one minute executing your plan, you\u2019ll likely have more success (Carrie\u2019s nod to Albert Einstein).\xa0

While your plan does depend on\xa0what\xa0you\u2019re selling and\xa0where\xa0you\u2019re selling it, data is key.\xa0What is the size of your territory? Size of an average sale? Size of the clients you\u2019re selling to?\xa0

Creating profitability and long-term value with a client is a major factor. If you are investing your time and effort, you want to build a long-term relationship with that client to continue hitting your numbers. You can\u2019t just focus on whales but must balance with some smaller fish.\xa0

The tool, tactics, and strategies Carrie implements to stay on course

Carrie notes that there\u2019s a balance between quick fixes and overall planning. Sales is like being on a dodgeball court\u2014balls are being thrown at you from all angles. You don\u2019t always have time to think and simply\xa0have\xa0to react. But to react with the proper response, you have to be well-prepared. You need to be intentional about what your day-to-day activity is.

Carrie posts the key things she wants to focus on throughout a quarter as the screensaver of her computer monitor. It makes it easy to quickly refocus her activities and stay on track. She owns the plan that she\u2019s made whenever she veers off track. However you prefer to do it, book intentional time in your day to focus on the plan that you've built.\xa0

Secondly, if you\u2019ve built a plan for the next 12 months, how do you know you\u2019re on track? You need data. You need to test and measure that data. If you estimate that you\u2019ll have a certain number in your pipeline by a certain date, measure it. Where are you at? What activities are driving the people in your pipeline?

Carrie loves the Eisenhower Matrix. What is important? What is urgent? What isn\u2019t important or urgent? A territory plan will allow you to navigate what\u2019s urgent and what isn\u2019t. Your wins need to be meaningful and help you achieve the goals of your plan.\xa0

Carrie\u2019s territory sales planning dos and don\u2019ts

Carrie shares a set of dos and don\u2019ts that she uses to stay on course and organized.\xa0

  • Start small and pick a segment and a plan and consistently evaluate it. Then hone in on one small bite of your plan at a time.\xa0
  • Make friends with someone who is financially minded or analytical and have them in your back pocket. Humans are not meant to do everything by themselves.
  • Use blinders. Stay focused on the territory plan in front of you. Work the plan.
  • To do this, create a simple criteria framework that proves you\u2019re on the plan. When do you know if someone is part of the overall plan? You don\u2019t want to accept a client unless they fit in your plan.\xa0
  • Don\u2019t borrow someone else's plan or use last year\u2019s. You couldn\u2019t cheat in school, why do it now?\xa0
  • Don\u2019t work in a vacuum. Get some feedback. Ask your clients why they chose your product or service.\xa0
  • Don\u2019t put all your eggs in one basket. Go after multiple industries and types of clients that fit your product/service. If the travel industry was your only focus, you\u2019d likely have been out of a job in 2020/2021.
Where sales territory planning can lead

Carrie was coaching someone to help her develop her sales skills and territory planning. This person works at a fast-growing SaaS company that was looking to branch into different niches. She wanted to build a plan for herself to grow the new segment. She approached her leadership with the idea to use new assets. She saw a challenge that could be fixed that could lead to exponential growth.\xa0

Her plan caught the eye of the VP. He asked her to implement her plan for\xa0every\xa0team. Soon after, she was promoted to a role as a Sales Manager. It was all because she applied the skills she\u2019d learned. She looked at the problems in front of her and took ownership. It had a cascading impact on her business.

Connect with Carrie Millen Connect With Paul Watts\xa0

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