You may use this image in your ezine or website if you choose to publish my article. Click here to see the picture full-sized.--- Alan Rigg

How you prioritize your sales territory management activities 
depends upon whether you are managing a territory that has 
existing customers, or whether you are building your customer 
base from scratch.

If you manage a territory that has existing customers, your first 
priority should be to introduce yourself to every single one of 
your customers. This should be a pleasant, low-key introduction 
along the lines of, "I just wanted to introduce myself and see if 
there is anything I can do to help you." Then, as you are 
chatting with your customers, you can ask, "Would you mind 
sharing with me how you think my company's relationship with you 
has been going so far? What have we been doing well? Where could 
we improve?"

Collecting this kind of feedback is a great way to start 
relationships with customers. It also helps you draw any 
festering problems out into the open. If you can address the 
problems quickly, it can really jump-start your relationships 
with the affected customers.

This same approach can also be effective for customers that have 
been reducing their purchases from your company over time, or 
customers that have stopped ordering completely. It is never much 
fun to listen to people complain. But, if you can isolate and 
solve the problems that are causing the dissatisfaction, you can 
produce a rapid and substantial boost in sales.

If you find customers that are really happy with the service your 
company has provided, drill down (with more questions) to 
determine just what has made them so happy. Their answers will 
provide you with a template for successfully managing their (and 
other) accounts. Also, ask these happy customers for 
referrals…regardless of whether you have contributed in any way 
to their happiness! Happy, satisfied customers are usually 
delighted to share their positive experience with others.

Once you have met all of your existing customers, the next step 
is to identify target prospects in your territory. Start by 
checking with your manager. If they have been managing your sales 
team for any period of time, they should be able to suggest some 
good target prospects.

Once you have compiled a list of target prospects, determine 
which ones you will pursue first. Which target prospects have the 
greatest potential to purchase the largest amounts of products 
and services? Which ones are likely to be "quick closes"? If you 
have both types of target prospects on your list, pursue several 
of each type at the same time. In the words of a well-respected 
executive that I used to work with, "Elephant hunting is 
great…but those rabbits sure taste good in between the 
elephants!"

When you are ready to begin pursuing your target prospects, start 
by asking your existing customers whether they know anyone that 
works in the target organizations. If they do, ask for referrals. 
Once you have exhausted available referrals, proceed with the 
other activities in your prospecting plan - but tailor these 
activities to attract the attention of your target prospects.

Conclusion

Effective sales territory management begins with touching base 
with EVERY SINGLE ONE of your existing customers. Ask questions 
to gauge their satisfaction with their relationship with your 
company. If they identify any problems, work aggressively to 
solve these problems as your first priority.

If a customer expresses happiness and satisfaction, ask questions 
to determine what your company has been doing RIGHT. Use this 
information to create a template for managing all of your 
accounts. Also be sure to ask for REFERRALS, both in general and 
to specific target accounts. Exhaust these referrals before you 
begin the other (less productive) activities in your prospecting 
plan.

Prioritize your activities as described in this article, and you 
will maximize sales growth in your territory!
 

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat 
the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don't Perform 
and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20 Sales Performance, 
helps business owners, executives, and managers DOUBLE sales by 
implementing The Right Formula™ for building top-performing 
sales teams. For more information and more FREE sales and sales 
management tips, visit http://www.8020salesperformance.com .